Lead Improvisation Spanish Style 14

The chords to play along with

A Bit More Complicated

This lesson looks at chord sequences that don't fit into a single key.
The sequence I am going to use to illustrate this is :-

VERSE

| Ebmaj7 / / / | ~ | ~ | ~ |

| D7 / / / | ~ | ~ | ~ |

| Dbmaj7 / / / | ~ | ~ | ~ |

| Cm / / / | ~ | ~ | ~ |

| Bbm / / / | ~ | Ab / / / | ~ |

| Bbm / / / | ~ | Ab / / / | ~ |

CHORUS

||: Ebmaj7/G / / / | ~ | Abmaj7/C / / / | ~ |

| Ebmaj7/G / / / | ~ | Abmaj7/C / / / | ~ |

| Ebmaj7/G / / / | ~ :|| - This ten bar section repeats once.

Phew! 44 bars of "What key is this?"

Listen to the sound files to hear the sequence: - The first one is just the chords for you to improvise over.
The second one is the same sequence with steel-string lead and bass - for illustration purposes.

I recommend working on the sequence solely as chords for a bit before going on to the lead improvisation - this helps to establish the sequence in your mind when soloing.
I have put a diagram (below) of Ebmaj7/G in case you are not familiar with this chord - use the same shape for Abmaj7/C.

Notice that the first four chords are descending chromatically with no altered bass notes - this means that they can't all be in the same key.

If you have got to grips with the key structure outlined in lesson 7 and can transpose you might be able to spot that the first two chords ( Ebmaj7 & D7 ) fit into a key structure of G minor.

The remaining chords in the verse section all fit into a key structure based on F minor.

The chorus section uses chords from a C minor structure.


The fact that wer'e not in a minor key doesn't really matter because the key structures, as outlined above, give us the information to know what scales to use on different parts of the tune.

The scales I would use are : -

G natural minor or possibly G harmonic minor for the first chord.

G harmonic minor for the second chord.

F natural minor for the rest of the verse.

C natural minor for the chorus.

I would also look for strong notes to hang about on as the sequence goes through.

All this may seem fiendishly complicated at first but, like most concepts in music, the more you get into it the easier it gets!

The first soundfile will loop for you to practice your scales and improvisation skills over the top.
This should give you an excellent workout for everything you've learned so far.