R O A D S C H O L A R

Familiar Patterns,
Fresh Pathways
Ex. 1
Jeff McErlain (left) explains the dominant pentatonic scale.

Funky minor blues

Am7

~~~~~
>
b ~~~~~
4

===========
&4
~~~~~
~~~~~
= 72

8 4

T
A
B

Ex. 2

Am7
3

= 104

U~~~~~

4
b
============
& 4
b =
~~~~~
1

T
A
B

5 7

JEFF MCERLAIN SHOWED HIS

improv class an intriguing way to splash a
hint of outside color onto a minor blues.
This doesnt require new scales or patterns, he said. Its right under your fingertips. The secret, he explained, is to focus
on the min7b5 arpeggio thats buried within
a blues scale.
Take a closer look: The formula for a
blues scale is 1, b3, 4, b5, n5, b7. In, say, A,
thats A, Cn, D, Eb, En, and Gn. Within this
scale lurks an Am7b5 arpeggioA, Cn, Eb,
Gn (or 1, b3, b5, b7). Heres whats really hip,

Ex. 3

U~~~~~
44 b n b
============
&
=

Am7

= 104

T
A
B

8 5

~~~~~

8 5 8 5

7 5

Ex. 4

U~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#4

n
n
=======================
& 4 n
n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
G dominant pentatonic

Freely

1 3

T
A
B

2 3 5

3 5

4 5

3 6

3 7 3

6 3

5 3

5 3 2

3 1 3

said McErlain. When you leave out just two

notes, you suddenly have this other sound
from your basic scale. You wont hear B.B.
King outline a min7b5 in his solos, but
Robben Ford would.
Ex. 1 shows how easily you can slip this
tart flavor into an otherwise standard blues
lick. To hear this in its proper context,
record a funky Am7 vamp as a backing
track. Ex. 2 puts the b5 in two octaves, doubling the pleasure.
For more chromatic interest, add the
n5 to a min7b5 line, said McErlain, playing

Ex. 3. Here weve got the b5 and n5 rubbing

shoulders. Cool!
McErlain had another trick up his
sleeve, this time for dominant chords.
Were used to playing a minor pentatonic
across a dominant 7say, G minor pentatonic over G7. We hear the Bb-Bn clash as
bluesy. But sometimes thats not what you
want. Try raising the scales b3 to a n3, but
keep everything else the same. This yields
a dominant pentatonic. Amazing! You can
change one note of your pentatonic scale
and get a whole new sound. To compare
minor and dominant pentatonic formulas

and scales, refer to the chart below.

The beauty of McErlains system is that
youre likely quite familiar with minor pentatonic scale patterns. Rather than learning
a new scale, you need only adjust one note.
Try Ex. 4a G dominant pentatonic scale
using McErlains favorite fingering.
Record Ex. 5s funky rhythm figure and
improvise over it using G dominant pentatonic (think Grateful Dead or Blind Melon). Youll find patterns all over the neck:
Simply play G minor pentatonic licks, and
whenever you encounter Bb, bump it up
a fret to Bn.
g

Jammin at the
National Guitar
Workshop
B Y

Ex. 5

A N D Y

E L L I S

Funky

G7

= 76

#4

n
=============
& 4 { n
={

#
>
..
..
3

T
A
B

3 3
3 3

o far in our Road Scholar series, weve taken

you on vicarious visits to
Hollywoods famed G.I.T. (May
97) and Bostons renowned
Berklee College of Music (Aug.
97). This third installment finds
us at the National Guitar Workshopa summer camp for 6string enthusiasts of all ages.
Here in the small town of New
Milford, Connecticut, nestled in
the tranquil, green New England
countryside, I spent a week attending guitar classes, refining
my chops, making new friends,
and gathering a years worth of
fretboard study material.
Shouldering a DAT recorder,
camera, and well-worn G&L
ASAT, I attended workshops on
a wide variety of topics that included folk fingerpicking, bluegrass flatpicking, modal rock,
and altered-scale improvisation.
I learned how to craft jazz
chord-melody arrangements
and reharmonize blues progressions. I watched students wrestle
with novel concepts, banter with
instructors, and help each other
reach new musical heights. Sitting among fellow classmates, I
dug into rhythm grooves,
swapped solos, and even led a
funk class jam.

2 3
2 3

MCERLAINS FORMULAS
minor pentatonic formula:

b3

b7

G minor pentatonic scale:

Bb

dominant pentatonic formula:

n3

b7

G dominant pentatonic scale:

Bn

CAMP VERSUS COLLEGE

Learning guitar in a summer
camp environment is radically

R O A D S C H O L A R
A Pickers Dozen
12 ALTERNATING BASS PATTERNS

IN SUSAN MAZERS FINGERpicking workshop, we explored a fistful

of alternating bass patterns, including
the dozen 4/4 patterns shown in the
chart. Each column represents an
eighth-note, and each row shows the
sequence of strings for a particular
pattern.
These patterns make good warmup exercises, said Mazer. Try them
with a variety of chords and progressions. For instance, Ex. 1 features the
second pattern (5-1-4-3-5-2-4-3).
You can also modify the one-stringper-eighth-note rhythm. To convert
any of these patterns into a Travis-style
rhythm, Mazer explained, simply
play the first two notes together, sustain them for a quarter-note, and then
proceed with the rest of the pattern.
Ex. 2 illustrates the process.
Ex. 3 shows another useful variation on the original straight-eighth
rhythm. Drop the last note, said Mazer, and let beat four sustain for a quarter-note. Think of this as a reverse
Travis pattern.

&

&

&

&

String Sequence:

Mazer offered some final tips: If

youre accompanying someone, you
may not want to be too busy. If youre
accompanying yourself, you might
want to fill it up a bit more. Patterns
are like vocabulary words. Select one
you like, and start using it. It will become a part of your repertoire. I probably have 20 that I draw from. Because
I know them well, I can intuitively find
the right one for a song.
g

Ex. 1

E/B

Flowing

Eighth-Notes:

F 7add4/C

Susan Mazer (left) conducts a fingerpicking workshop.

Aadd2/E

E/B

#### 4

=============================
& 4 { # (n )
={
2

let ring
throughout

..

T
A
B

#### 4
===========
& 4 { # {
1

m
p

let ring
throughout

T
A
B

..

0
4

3
4

..

6
2

F 7add4/C

#### 4

& 4 { # {
===========
1

let ring
throughout

Ex. 3

F 7add4/C

Ex. 2

simile

0
2

3 1

T
A
B

..

0
4

3
4

..

1
2

..

Funk Time
Leo Mallace leads a jam on Herbie Hancocks Chameleon riff.

IN LEO MALLACES FUNK

workshop, everybody got to play.
Hed show one student a rhythm or
riff, and gradually have the others
pick interlocking parts above or below. Soon a sophisticated, churning
groove would fill the room.
One such jam was based on the
Gm7 and C7sus4 voicings in Ex. 1.
See how theres only a half-step
difference between these chords?
asked Mallace. Funk rhythm parts
typically feature common tones
and minimum movement.
Put these voicings into action
in Ex. 2s IIm7-V7 move. Mallace
pointed out how the rhythm
parts two-beat rest leaves plenty
of room for an answering riff.
Call-and-response is essential to
funk, he said. Guitar 2s riff starts
on the and of 2right after Guitar

1s chords cease.
Guitar 2 has a cool b5 in beat
three of each bar. Hammer the
first b5 up to 5, and pull the other
off to 4. The sly Bb quarter-bends
add a bluesy touch.
Record Guitar 1, overdub Guitar 2, and then try improvising over
both parts using G Dorian (1, 2, b3,
4, 5, 6, b7, or G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F ).g

Ex. 1

Gm7

C7sus4

XX1 1 4 1

XX1 1 4 1

III

III

b7 b3 b7 R

4 735

Ex. 2

Gm7

= 76-92

C7sus4

>
.. >
4 ...

..
========================
& 4 { .
{
Gtr. 1

T
A
B

..

3
6
3
3

3
6
3
3

3
6
3
3

3
6
3
3

3
5
3
3

3
5
3
3

3
5
3
3

..

3
5
3
3

Gtr. 2

4
j
j

========================
&b4 {
b

>
> b {
3

T
A
B

..

B1/4

5 3

3
4 5

B1/4

5 3

4 3

..

different from going to music

school. Schools demand a major commitmentboth in time
and tuition. Depending on the
institution, youll spend from
one to four years studying. A
years tuition can exceed
$10,000 and thats not including room and board. For
some, this is ideal: Move away
from home, get serious about
guitar, and earn a degree or
diploma. For most of us, however, job and family responsibilities preclude music school.
This is where NGW comes
in. For the cost of a brief vacation in Maui, you can spend
two weeks soaking up as much
fretboard lore as you can handle. Every teacher is an expert
in his or her field, and plays
for a living. I found the quality
of instruction extremely high
on par with that of the best
schoolsand the enthusiastic
teachers are tapped into
current music. (Many are GP
Sessions contributors, including
Matt Smith, Jody Fisher, Jeff
McErlain, Erik Halbig, Wayne
Riker, and David Hamburger.)
Overall, NGWs non-competitive, laid-back atmosphere is
conducive to learning. Good
times, good music.
In addition to the main New
Milford campus, NGW conducts
classes in Seattle, Orlando,
Nashville, Austin, Toronto, and
Claremont, California, as well
as Bath, England, and Freiburg,
Germany. Sessions last from
one to six weeks, depending on
the location. All instruction occurs on college or prep-school
grounds, and each campus
hosts about 200 students a
week. Average class size is six
to eight pupils. Guitarists attend
class for about five hours a day.
This isnt Club Med, howev-

R O A D S C H O L A R
Idiots Guide to
Chord-Melody
HOW DO YOU CRAFT A CHORDmelody arrangement? Start with really
simple voicings, Adam Levynow GPs
Associate Editortold a group of bud-

Ex. 1

Ex. 3

Ex. 2

Cmaj7

C7

1 X3 4 XX

Cm7

1 X2 3 XX

VIII

VIII

Playing the voicings in Ex. 1, Levy

elaborated: When I went to music
school, one of my teachers called these
kernel chords. For now, just the root,

ding jazzbos. This will leave room on

the fretboard for the melody. Besides,
big, fat chords are harder to manipulate.

7 3

Cmaj7

2 X 3 3 XX

C7

X2 1 3 XX

Cm7

X2 1 3 XX

X3 1 4 XX

VIII

b7

b 7 b3

R3 7

b b

R3 7

R 3 7

Ex. 4
Slowly

Cmaj7
(I)

Am7
(VIm)

Dm7
(IIm)

G7
(V)

Cmaj7
(I)

9
9
8

12
10
12

10
10
10

10
9
10

9
9
8

Fmaj7
(I)

Dm7
(VIm)

Gm7
(IIm7)

C7
(V)

Fmaj7
(I)

10
10
10

10
8
10

9
8
8

9
7
8

ww

ww
44

w
=============================
&
=

T
A
B

9
7
8

Ex. 5
Slowly,
freely

Em7

Am7

Em7

j j j j
j
j
j
# 4 j ..

..

==================================
& 4 .

=
J
J
.

3
3
3

1
1
1

1
1
2

T
A
B

12
12
12

12

12

12

12

10

12

12
12
12

10

5
12

12

9
9
10

5
5

8 10

Em7

12
12
12

10

12

Em7

B7

Baug7

12 9
9
10

Em9

U
j
j
j
#

# j ..
w

==================================
&


=
.
J
4

3
2

let ring - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - T
A
B

12
12
12
12

12

12

12

12

10

12
12
12
12

10

0
12

9
9
10

0
12
12
12

0
8
7
7

12

10

11

7, and 3 give you all the harmony

you need. Commence with major
7, dominant 7, and minor 7 shapes
with the root in the bottom voice.
When the root is on the sixth
string, the 7 and 3 are on the fourth
and third strings, respectively. Locating the root on the fifth string
puts the 3 on the fourth string and
Ex. 2). To
the 7 on the third string (E
make this really useful, learn each
set of three kernel chords in 12
keys. And how do we do that? Well
Ex. 3).
use the circle of fourths (E
Levy then played Ex. 4. Im using only kernel chords to voice a IVIm-IIm-V7-I progression, first in
the key of C, then in the key of F, a
fourth away. Notice how the chord
roots alternate between the sixth
and fifth strings. Keep moving
counterclockwise around the circle
to play through the remaining ten
keys: Bb (Bbmaj7, Gm7, Cm7, F7,
Bbmaj7 ), Eb (Ebmaj7, Cm7, Fm7,
Bb7, Ebmaj7 ), and so on. Name
each chord as you play it, Levy advised. Youll learn faster.
Once you can cycle a I-VImIIm-V7-I progression in fourths using kernel chords, Levy told the
class, youre ready to arrange a
chord melody. Some tips:
When working from a lead
sheet or songbook, move the
melody up an octave so it falls on

If you play
only simple
chords containing the
root, 3, and
7, youll still
get paid for
the gig.
ADAM LEVY

the top two strings.

Dont feel you have to harmonize every melody note or play a
chord on every beat.
Because stripped-down kernel voicings dont contain a 5, ignore this note when you encounter
chords with altered 5s. For instance, play a Cm7b5 as a Cm7, or
a G7#5 as a G7.
Similarly, ignore extensions.
If the chord has a 9, 11, or 13, simply play the root, 3, and 7.
Chord-melody arranging
means learning the melody. Play
through the melody by itself to get
it under your fingers.

Strive to sustain the harmony,

but preserve the melody above all.
If this means cutting a chord short
or dropping it altogether, so be it.
Dont necessarily settle for a
songs original key. You may want
to move down a few steps to take
advantage of the guitars rich timbres, or transpose to allow open
strings.
Inspired by Levys ideas, I
trekked back to my quarters to
draft a basic chord-melody
arrangement for Motherless
Ex. 5 ), based on kernel
Child (E
voicings and simple triads. Try it
youll see the system works. g

er. Segregated by gender and

age, students bunk in Spartan
college or prep-school dormitories, where drugs and alcohol
are strictly prohibited. (So much
for night life!) You also wont
find much haute cuisine at
campus cafeterias, but wellheeled adult students can always opt for a motel and off-site
eateries. But, hey, NGW is all
about guitarafter hours you
can jam with friends, attend
evening concerts, and, of
course, practice.

Amanda Monaco (left)

leads an improv class with
intern Jessie Murphy.

Now in its fifteenth year,

NGW offers instruction in many
flavors of rock, blues, folk, and
jazz, along with courses in guitar repair, songwriting, sightreading, recording, sound reinforcement, and digital technology. Special seminars feature
pros such as Ronnie Earl, John
Jorgenson, John Scofield, Tal
Farlow, Benjamin Verdery,
Manuel Barrueco, Pierre Bensusan, David Bromberg, Adrian
Legg, and Alex Skolnick. Guest
artists scheduled for 98 include
Laurence Juber, Martin Simpson, Preston Reed, John Renbourn, Ed Gerhard, Mike Stern,
John Abercrombie, Scott Henderson, Rodney Jones, Duke
Robillard, Gary Hoey, Mike Keneally, Ray Flacke, David Grissom, Vinnie Moore, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and Sergio and
Odair Assad.

R O A D S C H O L A R
Lets Go Out Tonight
Anything thats
musical comes from

life when you go to C altered, but

learn it anyway, because it really
opens up doors.
What other things can you
do to keep the altered-dominant
from sounding like a scale?
asked a student.
See the C augmented triad
inside the scale? replied Dziuba.
Try hitting Caug chord tones on
Ex. 3).
the downbeats, like this (E
Once set into motion, the pattern
changes only on the last D#the
one note that nails the C7#9
sound. I have to apologize,

HERES A LICK THAT

completely changed my life,
Mark Dziuba told his improvisation class. Its based on the C alEx. 1 ),
tered-dominant scale (E
which fits over C7 because it contains the chords root, 3, and b7.
The altered tonesb9, #9, b5, and
#5add tension. The altereddominant scale never sounded
musical to me until I discovered
Ex. 2). Were going from
this lick (E
C7#9 to Fmaj7a V7-I cadence.
Theres always the risk that youll
play this lick for the rest of your
Ex. 1

you, not your

fingers, says Mark
Dziuba (far left).

Ex. 4

B whole-half scale

C altered dominant scale

b b n #
b

============
&
w

==========
& b # b # b =
#9

b9

#5

b5

b7

Ex. 2

#
Fmaj7(I)
b

#
# b U
44
b
============
&

= 116-152

Ex. 5

B b 13(I7)
U
b4
b n # #

#
===============
&
=

C7 9(V7)
2

11

11

T
A
B

10

Ex. 3

#
Fmaj7(I)
> >
U
b # > b # >
44 #

#
===============
&
=

C7 9(V7)

= 63-96

8
T
A
B

4 1

9 11

9 11

11

8 9

10

11

10

5 4 5 7 8 7 8

5 6 5 6 8 9 8 9

Ex. 6

b
B b aug7(I7)
E b 9(IV7)
U
>
b 4 n # n > n b> b b b n n
b

===============
& 4
># n > =

B 13(I7)

= 60-88

1 3

7
9

T
A
B

E 9(IV7)

= 58-80

T
A
B

7 5

7 5

8 6

9 7

Dziuba said. This is a lick. But you

need to get the ball rolling. Your ears
will expand when you start exploring these sounds.
The whole-half scale is another
tool for adding color to a solo, he
continued. This scale consists of
alternating whole- and half-steps.
In Bb, it looks like this [draws Ex. 4
on the chalkboard]. Try this wholehalf blues lick, which goes from Eb9
to Bb13a IV7-I7 change. I heard
Stan Getz do this over a IV chord,
and it knocked me out [plays Ex. 5].

If you know where you want to

land, you can simply set up a symmetrical pattern that brings you to
that note on the right beat. For example, heres a I7-IV7 lick in Bb,
based on melodic fourths that alterEx. 6).
nately descend and ascend (E
Each time you play a fourth, drop
down a whole-step. This is a cool
pattern because its going in, out, in,
outtension and resolution. Its a
fleeting moment you can throw into
the fourth bar of a blues, heading
into the IV chord. This one-bar lick

is full of outside notes, but look

where we landon G, the 3 of Eb9.
Cant get more inside than that.
Know your destination, Dziuba
reiterated. I can play chromatically
because I know where I want to land.
You guys are really good at knowing
where to start. But where do you
want to end? You need to think
about that more. And be behind
what you playsing it! Really, thats
the bottom line. If you sing along
with what youre playing, youll
sound a lot more musical.
g

Guitar summer camp is a

great way to jump-start inspiration. Back home, you can
continue honing new-found
skills with private lessons. In my
opinion, this educational onetwo punch is ideal for the majority of us. Its affordable and
logistically feasible. And dont
think youre too old for camp: I
saw white-haired grandpas
and middle-aged business professionals mixing with 14-yearolds. Age and background differences tend to melt away in
an environment where everyone digs guitar.
THERES ALWAYS MORE

June 98 Guitar Player Road Scholar lessons:

1633 - Familiar Patterns, Fresh Pathways
1634 - A Pickers Dozen
1635 - Funk Time
1636 - Idiots Guide to Chord-Melody
1637 - Lets Go Out Tonight
Feature music lesson:
1638 & 1639 - Stealing Thunder, BY JESSE GRESS

Learn something new every day! For $5.00less than a set of strings
you can get GPs sampler CD with 11 way-cool lessons. Call 1-800-222-5544.
Net-heads: For the lowdown on GPs music notation symbols
and to hear lesson sound samplesvisit www.guitarplayer.com.

ACCESSING NOTES ON CALL

To sample or record any lesson
in this months Road Scholar section, call 1-900-370-0020 and enter
the appropriate four-digit code. It
costs 75 per minute. Youll need
a touch-tone phone and parental
permission if youre under 18. To
better control your phone time, use
these touch-tone commands: 7 =
forward ten seconds; 8 = rewind
ten seconds; 9 = pause ten seconds;
# = skip to end; * = repeat lesson.
This months lessons are also
available on CD for only $6.95 (plus
$3.95 s/h). For credit card orders
call 1-800-222-5544, or send check
or money order to Notes On Call,
June 98 Lessons, 146 2nd St. N.,
Ste. 201, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Future Road Scholar adventures lie ahead (periodically

subbing for Sessions). Well visit
music schools, workshops, and
camps around the country, and
cram as much of the experience
as possible into these pages. If
youre planning to attend music
school, Road Scholar can help
you make an appropriate selection. And if youre not heading
down the academic highway,
no problemwell distill the
best ideas we find and deliver
them to your music stand.
For now, grab your guitar,
tape recorder, and metronome,
settle back with a cup of coffee, and get ready to stretch
your boundaries with five
lessons from the National
Guitar Workshop.
g

CONTINUING ED.
For more info, write National
Guitar Workshop, 407 Bantam
Rd., Unit A, Litchfield, CT
06759, email an inquiry to
ngsw@esslink.com, or call
Michael Allain at 1-860-5678529. NGWs Web address is
www.g
guitarworkshop.com.

1 3 2 GUITAR PLAYER XXXX 19XX