let's talk about my favorite scale...

[Josh]

So anyone else love the harmonic minor scale as much as me? (Besides Bach...) I'm interested in if and how you guys use it. I usually just play little (hour long) unaccompanied guitar solos, but I also sit at my piano and play it over different chords to see how it sounds. Definitely not something you here much in classical music... baroque is a different story though. I'm rambling on. I do that a lot. What was I talking about? Oh yeah, ping pong balls. I like orange ones. Adios.

[StoneDragon]

Yeah... them classical guys gravitated real fast to the melodic minor without giving the harmonic minor a fair shake. Too much Mozart opera maybe... that stuff will turn your brain to mush in a big hurry http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smile.gif

Of course, us rock people tend to go for those minor sounds while decent folks like to wallow in that sappy major scale stuff.

I have a couple of Bach pieces that I like to whip out once in a while that make some nice use of harmonic minor ideas. I also tend to gravitate to the 5th mode of the harmonic minor quite a lot for that "Spanish" Phrygian sound.

[FUNKGRAVY]

Yeah - what he said, right on brother.

[CyberCobre]

Q: What's worse than mush-brained Mozart?

A: Mush-brained yuppie elevator and shopping MOOzACK!

[StoneDragon]

I didn't know there was any difference.

[Josh]

I wear earplugs to the mall.

[Fusion]

Yes, I also love the H.M. scale. I use it mostly over Dom7 chords. I will use an A H.M. scale over an E Dom7 chord for some interesting outside sounds. It's kinda cool to do the H.M. thing and then roll into a b3 bend to 3rd blues thing ... I like the sound of that if it's not overdone too much.

Peace

p.s. I think of that A H.M. scale of an altered E7th scale rather than a H.M. scale. I got that idea from Don Mock and it works real well.

[StoneDragon]

I've got some slash chord material that Don Mock put together that I still haven't had time to digest... another one of those musician's institute founding fathers... man I wish I could have swung moving to LA and learning from those guys http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/cool.gif

[This message has been edited by StoneDragon (edited April 26, 2000).]

[DocRoop]

are the MI books a good way to go for learning compared to other instructional books? i've recently picked up an MI essential concepts 150 page book called "rhythm guitar, the complete guide" by bruce buckingham and eric pascal.

rhythm concepts always came quickly to me but my knowledge far exceeds my excecutionability (if that's not a word, it is now). i always wonder why i sucked at chords, i think it might have something to do with hardly ever practicing them.

so now i'm spending most practice time on this book. most of the concepts i know, but what i like about this book is it's loaded with progressions on a progressive level.

so how i practice this stuff is i pick a few progressions, set the metronome to 80, do them each three times in a row with a certain strumming pattern, and do it over a few more times with different patterns. then i move the metronome up 10 bpm and repeat the thing over. i keep doing this til i get to 150 bpm (or until my hands fall off). anyone got any better idea's of how to be practicing this stuff, or does this sound like a pretty good plan.

what i'm learning from my new practice routine, is that these slightly boring baby steps is helping me improve a lot better then the more exciting giant steps i used to take.

if i put anybody to sleep, i apologize for my long-windedness. but as robert plant told me a few seconds ago "ramble on".

[StoneDragon]

That's funny.... Frank Zappa was just telling me, "Shut up 'n' play yer guitar." http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/rollsmile.gif

Say... where are you finding these MI books? I bought one they put out years ago called Ten... it's the one with the don Mock stuff in it. His book on arpeggios is killer too.

[ghodaddyyo]

I got my Music Reading for Guitar (an MI book) from Borders book store. They had quite a few other topics as well. I live about 45 min. from MI, hmmm. http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/think.gif I think I will look into some of there workshops. Makes me wish I lived here when I was 18 and looking for colleges.

[DocRoop]

i got mine at a sam goody.