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G7 Jam Rhythm
from Frank Vignola’s Vamps, Jams and Improvisation
In this month’s lesson, we’re going to get to know the G7 chord fairly well, by focusing on some laid-back R&B grooves and studying the chord’s inversions. This lesson should really be about finding that groove for yourself, so we won’t get too hung up on technical topics – kick back and have some fun with this one.
As you can see in the first example, we have a slow, funky, bluesy G7 groove – not much is needed here, and as such, we’ll keep the chords fairly sparse. Now, just because we have a fairly simple rhythm doesn’t mean that this has to get boring. For example, we could add a G9 chord in here momentarily. Always keep your hand moving, even when it’s not hitting the strings; this will help you internalize that groove.
Now let’s look at what we do in the first position. You’ll notice the main section of the groove, which is placed between the repeats, is a basic G7 chord in the third position – this is simply an inversion of the chord derived from the larger chord, giving us the notes E, B and D. Something you may want to try to add a little bit of variety to the rhythm is muffling the notes with the palm of your hand on the bridge; it’s nice to alternate between muffled and nonmuffled rhythms, usually in bars of eight, to keep your playing interesting.
Another interesting thing to do when vamping on one chord for a prolonged period of time is to consider using partial inversions of the chord, or even just two notes – try experimenting with 6ths and 9ths on those partial inversions. If you’re just hitting G7 all the time, it can start to lock a soloist in; if you begin feeding them 6ths in bars of eight, for example, it gives the soloist a little room to expand and something to play off of. It also adds an element of tension and relief to the line that would otherwise be missing.
The real key here is to try and make the rhythm guitar part special enough that it becomes the hook of the tune; you want to create a pattern of licks or chord clusters that listeners can lock on to. It’s all in finding that groove. Good luck!
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