5 Levels of "Spain"

Tim Collins
www.TimCollinsMusic.com
Level 1: Basic Arpeggios up and down, with inversions

1 G ma7
## 4 œ œ œ Ó œ œ œ Ó œ œ œ Ó œ œ œ Ó
& 4 œ œ œ œ

F #7
# œ œ œ #œ Ó œ Ó œ œ œ Ó
& # œ #œ œ Ó # œ œ
5

œ œ œ
E m7 A7
## œ œ œ œ Ó œ œ œ œ Ó
œ œ œ Ó œ œ œ Ó
9

& œ œ
D ma7 G ma7
## œ Ó œ œ œ Ó œ Ó œ œ œ Ó
œ
13

& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
C #7 F #7
#
& # œ #œ #œ œ Ó œ #œ #œ Ó #œ Ó #œ œ œ Ó
17

œ œ œ œ œ
B m7 B7
##
œ Ó œ œ œ Ó œ Ó œ œ #œ Ó
21

& œ œ # œ œ
œ œ œ œ

Technique builder practice ideas:

1. Practice arpeggios and inversions up and down the whole instrument
2. Change directions at unpredicatble times
3. Use double strokes for rhythmic variety (RRL or LLR)
4. Change octaves for variety

©2022
2 5 Levels of "Spain"

Level 2: Scale runs

G ma7
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
2
## œ œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ ∑
& œ œ
(G Lydian)

F #7
## œ œ œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ œ œ ∑
# œ #œ œ œ
29

& œ œ
(F# Mixo b9b13)

œ œ
E m7 A7
## œ œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ ∑
33

& œ œ
œ (E Dorian)
(A Mixolydian)

D ma7 G ma7
## œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ œ œ œ ∑
œ œ œ
37

& œ œ œ œ
(D Major Scale) (G Lydian)

C #7 F #7
## œ œ ∑ œ œ œ œ œ ∑
œ œ œ #œ
41

& œ œ # œ œ # œ
(C# Mixo b9b13) (F# Mixo b9b13)

B m7 B7
##
œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ ∑
45

& œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ
œ œ
(B Minor) (B Harmonic Major)

In general, I like to start by changing the fewest notes possible from the main key. The main key here is
B minor/D Major (2 sharps). Therefore, I've only added sharps on the scale tones that will result in the
desired chord, and no more. This is how we end up with some strange sounding scale names like
"mixolydian b9b13" (which is the 5th mode of Harmonic Minor), and "Melodic Major", which is a major
scale with lowered 6th and 7th degrees (kind of the opposite of melodic minor).

F# mixolydian b9b13 is the B harmonic minor scale starting on F#.

C# mixolydian b9b13 is the F# harmonic minor scale starting on C#. Confusing, I know :)

NOTE: You can simplify all of this by playing good old-fashioned F# mixolydian, C# mixolydian and
B mixolydian if you want - I will demonstrate this in level 3.

Have fun!
 5 Levels of "Spain" 3

Level 3: Scale runs with substitutes (actually simpler)

G ma7
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
3
## œ œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ ∑
& œ œ
(G Lydian)

F #7
## œ œ # œ œ œ ∑ œ œ #œ œ œ ∑
œ #œ #œ #œ #œ œ
53

&
(F# Mixolydian)

œ œ
E m7 A7
## œ œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ ∑
57

& œ
œ (Eœ Dorian)
(A Mixolydian)

D ma7 G ma7
## œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ œ œ œ ∑
œ œ œ
61

& œ œ œ œ
(D Major Scale) (G Lydian)

C #7 F #7
## œ œ ∑ œ œ # œ œ œ ∑
# œ œ #œ #œ
65

& œ # œ
œ # œ(C## Mixolydian)
œ
(F# Mixolydian)

B m7 B7
##
œ œ ∑ œ œ ∑
69

& œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ # œ
œ œ œ œ
(B Minor) (B Mixolydian)

This level is actually easier to memorize for some people than level 2, because each of these chords is
simply a mode of a major scale. When you are improvising, you can simply choose which ones you
prefer. Chick Corea did not always use the same sound on the F#7 chords for example, so you don't
have to either ;).

Practice tips for levels 2 & 3:

1. Start and end your lines on the 1, 3, 5, or 7.
2. Don't always start each scale at the beginning. Connect the scales smoothly.
3. It's OK to play slowly moving lines with simple rhythm.
4 5 Levels of "Spain"

Level 4: Find a sweet sweet guide tone melody and fill it in:

4 G ma7
## w w
& Œ (œ œ ˙) w
Œ (œ œ ˙) Œ (œ œ ˙) w
Œ (œ œ ˙)
F #7
## w w
(œ # œ # ˙) w
(œ # œ # ˙) (œ # œ # ˙) w
(œ # œ # ˙)
77

& Œ Œ Œ Œ
E m7 A7

(œ œ ˙)
## w
(œ œ ˙)
w
81

& Œ Œ
D ma7 G ma7
## w
(œ œ ˙) (œ œ ˙)
w
85

& Œ Œ
C #7 F #7
## w
& ‰ ( # œ # œ œ ˙) w # œ ˙)
89

J ‰ (œJ œ
B m7 B7
## w
(œ œ ˙) ˙)
w
93

& Œ Œ ( # œ œ

This is where you can really start to have some fun. A guide tone melody serves as "anchor points" for
each phrase, yet remains memorable and singable to the person listening. You should try writing two or
three of your own. I like to start with stepwise motion, but throw in some leaps every once in a while so
that it's not too predictable. In this one, I also used some 9ths as starting points (the E over a D major chord.)

Once you have a guide tone melody in mind, you can fill in with bits and pieces of the arpeggios or lines
from the scales. I've inidicated my "fill in" notes with parentheses.

TIP: Practice slowly ;)

 5 Levels of "Spain" 5
Level 5: Choose Your Shapes

5 G ma7
#
(G lydian, with #11 at very top)

& # œ œ œ Ó œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
˙
F #7
## œ Ó œ œ œ œ
(mix of F# diminished, F# triad, A7 shapes)

œ œ œ #œ Ó # œ œ œ œ #œ œ
101

& œ œ #œ nœ œ ˙
E m7 A 13b9sus
## œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ
(E dorian stuff)
œ
(Gmin/ma7 shapes)
œ œ ∑
105

& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ bœ œ œ œ œ

D ma7 G ma7
## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
(G lydian again)
‰
(F#-7, Dma7 shapes)
œ œ œ œ
109

& œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙.
C #7 (B dim/ma7 shapes) F #7
## n œ
bœ œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ nœ œ œ
(Gary Burton-ish line)
#œ
113

& œ n œ œ œ œ j
œ œ #œ œ nœ œ œ. œ #œ œ œ
œ
B m7 B7
## œ œ œ œ œ
(B minor Triad + F#-7 shapes)

Ó œ œ # œ œ œ
117 (G ma7#5 shapes)
& œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ
œ œ ˙ œ œ œ

This lesson is about choosing "shapes" to play with. Some of the choices I made are arbitrary. For example,
by using a G minor/major 7th arpeggio on the A7 chord, I'm actually making it an A13b9sus chord.. certainly
unusual, but it's a cool sound that I like. On the F#7 chord, by using an F# triad in combination with an A7
arpeggio, it actually implies the F# octatonic scale, which is another cool sound.

Another interesting shape is the B diminished/major 7th shape that I usedover the C#7 chord. This creates
the sound of a C#13b9 chord.

You should practice each of these shapes like you would arpeggios - up and down the instrument, changing
directions, starting and stopping in different places.