2/16/10

Dominant Scale Options document

I put together a document that details 26 different scale options that work over dominant chords. All of the usual scale choices are here, along with many that are much less commonly used by Jazz improvisers. Some of the less common choices obviously do not fit as neatly as the more standard choices, but they can offer the player quite interesting and exotic scale options.

Let me know if you have any ideas for additions to this document, which is by no means exhaustive.
(click on each page for a full page image)


3 comments:

Troels said...

How about Ab(b13)-bebop: Major third down-bebop with a flatted 6th (the F gets flatted). There are several other bop scales for dominant-chords in Bergonzi's book "Jazz Line"

Scott Hall said...

Great list! I like the Lateef book and the Slonimsky too...although
they're both pretty daunting to practice from (so much material, so little explanation....)

It looks like you have a few pentatonics. I like the idea of
pentatonics as just a collection of five pitches from a given scale.
For instance, from the super locrian scale (Db Melodic minor starting on C), you can get these pentatonics:

Eb-E-Ab-Bb-Db (works over C7alt.)
Gb-Ab-Bb-Db-Eb (C7alt.) (this is just the tri-tone sub pentatonic)
E-Gb-Ab-C-Db (C7alt.)
Ab-Bb-C-Eb-E (C7alt.)
C-Eb-E-Gb-Bb

You can switch up roots for any of these, obviously, and there are
probably more from that scale... it's just an example. You can come up with similar pentatonic-ish patterns with just about any scale.

Another method is to take a basic major or minor pentatonic and just
start altering pitches- I once came up with a list of about 200
altered pentatonics that way. Then I realized I needed a girlfriend....

Scott

Anonymous said...

Hi
You're Absolutely right Scott Hall: "Then I realized I needed a girlfriend....", next, you're striving to keep her from flying away... and how about 2 or 3 kids and a stable office job? Indepth pentatonic studies (or goodrick's Almanac) are definitely not suited for balanced family life unless you need one half hour sleep a night!

Thanks for all the information...