SERIOUS Jazz Guitar Scales Workout, PART 1 (Over Solar by Miles Davis)

In this video, we learn to master the jazz guitar scales needed to improvise over “Solar” by Miles Davis.
🎸 FREE PDF: Download the most important scale diagrams for guitar → bit.ly/3hfGTUx
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🔗 LINKS & LESSONS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:
🎸 My website → www.soundguitarlessons.com/
🎸 Series playlist → • Jazz Guitar Scales Wor...
🎸 Video on melodic minor - • MELODIC MINOR Scale Gu...
🎸 Video on the inchworm technique - • Best Left Hand Fingeri...
🎸 Practicing with counting picks - • Get ANYTHING Down with...
🎸 FREE PDF: Download the most important scale diagrams for guitar → bit.ly/3hfGTUx
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💬 LESSON DESCRIPTION:
The hardest part about improvisation in jazz guitar is navigating key changes.
We don’t want to simply play scales up and down, jump to the root when the key changes, or be limited to licks.
We need to deeply internalize the key changes in order to improvise original music.
In this video, we learn to master the jazz guitar scales needed to improvise over “Solar” by Miles Davis.
You can also use the exercise from this video to improvise over any tune!
Once we see, feel, and hear the keys changing, our original voice can start to come out.
I hope you enjoy this lesson about learning the jazz scales for "Solar".
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Thanks! :)
- Jared
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🎸 FREE PDF: Download the most important scale diagrams for guitar → bit.ly/3hfGTUx
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
🕛 VIDEO CONTENT OUTLINE (WITH TIMESTAMP LINKS):
0:00 - About this video
2:08 - Video outline
3:05 - Melody
3:40 - Step 1: Analyze the chord progression
7:14 - Step 2: Find the scales in one position
9:57 - Step 3: Drill the scales
14:32 - Step 4: Play the scales in order
17:58 - Free scales download
18:42 - Bonus tip

[@soundguitar]

🎸 FREE PDF: Download the most important scale diagrams for guitar → bit.ly/3hfGTUx

[@patrickblay7684]

Thank you Jared for being frank with us. It is a tremendous lot of work but because we fully trust you, we’ll get there. I don’t know when but we’ll get there. Looking forward for part 2 . Thank’s again.

[@soundguitar]

Thank you 🙏 Part 2 is coming soon!

[@alexalexanderman1238]

Doing anything well is hard work. Thanks for the reminder.

[@soundguitar]

Sure thing! Thanks for the comment :)

[@LooMinn]

This is an amazing lesson Jared, and your explanations of 'heavy music theory concepts' is sublime. Your suggestion of playing these assorted scales in the same general area was a definite 'why didn't I ever think of that?' moment. Looking forward to part 2. Thanks much!

[@soundguitar]

I'm happy you liked it and that it was useful :) Part 2 is coming soon. It's gonna be fun!

[@jonhart-dj7fn]

I'm just glad I understand but yes this will take time but seeing what steps in sequence helps speed up the execise..jazz is amazing science/math indeed

[@mason87104]

Loved this lesson! Improvizing over chord changes is the core thing that I hope steadily improves from all of the different aspects of music that I work on.

[@soundguitar]

Yay! 😊 Good luck with your practice!

[@richardprost6282]

Thank you for the methodology, Jared.

[@soundguitar]

Sure thing. I'm glad it helps!

[@VelazquezJFP]

Incredibly useful, I saw. The video, bit will go in more depth later. Thanks 🙏🏼

[@soundguitar]

I'm glad it was so useful! 🙂

[@MrTelmoM]

Anxious for the part 2 :) Nice work and really enjoyed discovering your channell :) Best regards

[@soundguitar]

Welcome! Thanks for the comment. Part 2 is coming soon!

[@johnpayne3134]

Ok, I'm a bit over a week in driving myself nuts with this, but I'm NOT giving up! I've been playing for years and can play some pretty good stuff, but I deeply want to be fluid in changing chords/keys in a position like this.

[@johnpayne3134]

I gotta admit, working on this exercise has become somewhat an obsession. I'm a fairly knowledgeable and experienced amateur jazz guitarist who already "knows" these scales, but not fluently and effortlessly lowest-to-highest-to lowest, in time, all in one place on the neck, etc. And I'm luckily retired with few life distractions, so I've been able put quite a few hours into this. So, by being almost pathologically obsessive, I can now play these scales up and down, in time, ten times (perhaps almost hypnotically - and that might not be the best) in a row without error. I've also put some (but not yet enough) time in working through these the scales in 1, 2, 3, and 4 bar linear sequences. And I'm somewhat proud to announce that I'm beginning to be able to play the entire form in 8th notes using the scales with a slow (90) backing track. This feels pretty darned good. However, this is currently from the same initial note, so I'm not near done. I'm thinking I'll probably stay at this level for a time, gaining confidence and really getting the feel for the form and the sounds of where these notes fall into the harmony, then slowly working from different starting points within the rules. And I've begun applying the process to a few other (simpler?) standards. So, for me being able to have a continuous line follow an underlying harmony now seems to be a doable thing. Certainly not easy, but with time and patience bordering on being obsessive-compulsive, doable. So thanks Jarad. This is a good beginning lesson on something I've always wanted to be able to do. I have sent you a tip. Oh, and if one does this sufficiently for success, one's right hand picking will also improve.

[@johnpayne3134]

Another update. 3+ weeks into this and I've put quite a bit of time in. When playing constant 8th notes on this12-bar sequence you start and stop on the same note. For the first week or two I just ran the sequence up and down form the lowest note of the CmM scale (the "A") in this position. Did that many-many-many times pushing for the the ten-times with no mistake criteria. Pretty much got that so I began running the sequence up and down starting from the 3rd, the C. Now that I've kinda got that sequence in control I can run up and down from the A starting note, then when heading down pivot back up to the C starting note just before it ends, then the sequence from up and there. Kinda feels right to do that as it puts most of the strong notes on the strong beats. And here's something hopeful, starting from those different notes seems to be getting easier. So many reps eventually puts these scales and scale segments into one's head and hands. And I think that's the very thing I'm after.

[@markchristopher4165]

Great little video

[@soundguitar]

Thank you! 🙏

[@andercoyote4170]

Great lesson, thx Jared!

[@soundguitar]

Thanks! :)

[@martinhuertas545]

you are the best

[@soundguitar]

Aw, thanks ☺️❤️

[@6idangle]

Okay so I’m working towards this level of fluency, my goals are 1) learn the major scale flawlessly in every key up and down the neck 2) take a key and drill it until I know it intuitively 3) practice that key over the neck starting at different roots 4) learn all the other scales pentatonic etc the same way. 5) once this is done then move here and practice moving over chords changes

[@daynemin]

Woo🎉😊 this might sound strange Jared but I hear lots of parallel spiritual instruction and interpretation through your guitar teaching lol✌️🌌

[@soundguitar]

I don't think that's strange 😉 I'm happy that you see another dimension to my teaching 🙏🧘☮️

[@giorgiomugelli9243]

Top❤

[@soundguitar]

🫶

[@tonymccormick21]

Jared, would you be able to answer a question about the first scale choice? You have suggested C melodic minor. Fine but then I realised the 7th of the C minor 7 chord is a flat 7, while the 7th in the scale is a major 7. And this means they are a semitone apart. And so, I would have expected the advice to be to avoid this potential clash. But am I missing something that means there won’t be a clash after all? Thanks

[@mabblers]

Great lesson. I was wondering how this is done. To even be able to pick up the chord change is a challenge, but to change scales on the fly with the music too. You have to first know all those different scales, and chords. I can barely hear the chord change. I will be listening to this video a lot. I'll look forward to the next one. Bravo. PS on the drills Should know the interval number and the note name for the scales?

[@soundguitar]

Thanks for watching! No need to be thinking of the note names, but we do want to be aware of the scale degree numbers. The numbers are the same in any key, while the letter names change when keys change, so it's much less beneficial to worry about note names for this type of playing.

[@mabblers]

@soundguitar I will have to start working on that. It seems in my mind that it all would start to get mixed up. With all the different scales.

[@davidpatrick1813]

Thank you ... I need to figure a set amount of time a day to do any of this. Do I just pick a time window (8-10 example) every day, sitting with my guitar etc. ? The consistency concept is great but how do I plot it ...though I am 70 I have things I need to do daily and it seems like I need to rush ... or think about it all ... and the self discipline basic here is needed. ... That said, the first thing I wanted to say is thank you for your self discipline to work on these videos etc. and posting them. It is inspiring but frustrating ... as I need to get this "daily routine" thing figured .. thanks again pat

[@soundguitar]

Hi David. Great question, thanks for asking. I'll do a video on this soon so I can help more people with the same problem because what you're struggling with is very common. Here's my main advice for now given your question (#3 is the most important): • 1) A time window is great if you can stick to it. I have a time window planned, but then I let it shift around if needed, but I still roughly do my practicing in the same order among other things in my day. • 2) Earlier in the day is better than later in the day if possible, simply because it's easier to skip it if it's later in the day. • 3) And here's the most important piece of advice!: Take the amount that you think you want to do every day-in your case, it sounds like that's two hours-and cut it in HALF, and then commit to THAT. If you can do an hour every day you'll make amazing progress, but if you commit to two and it's a little hard to keep it going because of other life stuff, then it will jeopardize the consistency and you'll be worse off than if you just committed to an hour. By doing half of what you think you want to do, it's much easier to maintain, you can still do it on harder or busier days, you'll feel great having a string of showing up for it, you'll resist it less, it will be more fun, and you'll solidify the habit better. AND, you can also do more than that, but it's just a psychological trick to commit to a minimum that's easy and doable. Right now, my jazz guitar practice is only an hour a day commitment, but then I'll let myself do more if I have time and if I'm inspired, but I only plan to do the hour (even though my brain really wants me to plan on doing more). I hope that helps! Report back and let me know how it goes! - Jared

[@HendersonGuitar]

I'm trying to develop my Jazz and Jazz-Blues Soloing Vocabulary by learning Heads & Solos. I wonder if you could give me some suggestions. If you were my teacher, what would you prescribe me!? I've learned Parker playing Billie's Bounce, Now's The Time, Au Privave. I then learned the solos on Chitlins Con Carne - Burrell; Grand Slam - Christian; Cool Blues - Green; Four on Six - Montgomery; Borgia Stick - Benson. Can you give me any suggestions for next steps please? Thanks Jared.

[@soundguitar]

Wow, great work learning all of those! That's a huge accomplishment. I'd take each of those melodies and solos and work on being able to play them in any key while understanding how what you're playing fits over the harmony and knowing where you are in the tune. You'll be unstoppable if you do that with the material you mentioned here. If you also do the exercises from this lesson series on those same tunes, you'll have a clear sense of how the melodies and solos you transcribed comes from the scales and arpeggios of the tune and how they fit together. I hope that helps! Cheers, ** Jared

[@cliffdexter6822]

How do I determine what key signature this song (solar) is in. Thanks in advance. Great lesson.

[@soundguitar]

Good question! It's not easy because the keys change so frequently in this tune. There's really not a key center through the whole tune. That being said, I basically think of Solar as being in C minor because the C minor sound has the most weight to it in my mind. Some jazz tunes are like this. Giant Steps is a famous example where it's not in any one key, but in three different keys equally. I hope that helps! Cheers, ** Jared

[@cliffdexter6822]

@@soundguitar Thanks for your reply. That’s kind of what I was thinking, but wasn’t really sure so your answer helps a lot. Thanks again.

[@demianchristiansen1948]

Sorry, what software are you using for the chords? I’ve seen this before, but I haven’t been able to figure out what program it is.

[@soundguitar]

It's iReal Pro. Here's a video I did about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ3beYxon7SJiassi=wl3BdyYg4l6a6VCZ

[@demianchristiansen1948]

@@soundguitar Thanks sooo much! This has been driving me crazy. Just want to say that your method of teaching works for me (and many of us) really, really well. So thank you!!!