substitute

This Issue: Superimposing Harmony

When playing lines over chords, there are various ways we can approach it. Most obviously, we might play the scale that fits, such as an A minor scale over an A minor chord. While this is inarguably a sound approach, it’s by no means the only way to look at this. Just as certain chords fit well together in song structures, certain scales and arpeggios can be overlaid to give an extra dimension to our soloing. It would be very easy to get tied up in theoretical jargon at this point, but there’s no need to unless studying advanced theory is of particular interest. Try these ideas to start with and see where they lead…[RB]

Example 1

Yes, it’s a C chord. Not something you haven’t seen before, but we must start somewhere. Let’s add in the detail that a C major chord consists of the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the C major scale: C, E and G. Knowing this can inform note choices and give us a base to build on for further experimentation.

Example 2

Referred to as the relative minor to C major, A minor is like a non identical twin, containing many of the same characteristics and notes. As we’ll see shortly, A minor scales and patterns can be played over a C major chord and vice versa.

Example 3

This D major chord contains the notes D (1st or ‘root’), F# (3rd) and A (5th). Obviously, D major based patterns and scales will work over this chord, but we can also play in the relative minor key of B minor, or build an F# minor arpeggio from the 3rd for an interesting effect.

Example 4

This standard A minor pentatonic fits perfectly over the C major chord backing. In this context, some would prefer to think of it as a shape 5 C major pentatonic, but that is not how we’re treating it here – linking to A minor scales and arpeggios would also be a nice option.

Example 5

This three octave C major arpeggio (C, E, G, B) starts with the major 7th itself (B) to really emphasise the harmony we are superimposing over the A minor chord.The sum of these parts implies a jazzy A minor 9th chord, though this kind of harmony is heard in many genres.

Example 6

This F# minor arpeggio works beautifully over the D chord backing, implying a D major 9 chord. Instead of playing a D major arpeggio (D, F#, A) or the relative minor (B minor: B, D, F#), we use the 3rd (F#) as the first note.