Soloing over one chord can either be
the most freeing musical experience or
the most terrifying. When it’s just a single
chord that you’re jamming over, you have
fewer harmonic choices, yet the musical
doors are wide open. Having some structure
will help get you started, and this lesson
will offer some ideas you can try over a one-chord
vamp in a blues style. For this lesson,
we’re going to solo over an E9 (E–G#–B–
D–F#) groove, as shown in
Fig. 1.
or download example audio
E9 is a great blues/rock chord that you
can jam over for hours. All of this lesson’s
examples sound great accompanied by the
audio track you can download here. (You’ll find it with the online
version of this column.) As a soloist, you
have a ton of choices over the E9 chord,
but we’re going to focus on the E minor
pentatonic scale and E Mixolydian mode,
both of which work well in this context.
For our first riff in
Fig. 2, let’s check
out some moving sixth intervals pulled
from the E Mixolydian mode (E–F#–G#–A–B–C#–D). Since this mode contains
all the notes of the E9 chord, the riff fits
perfectly over our vamp. For each of the
sixths, I’m sliding into the interval’s lowest
note to create a bluesy or jazzy feel.
Notice how we finally rest on some inside
notes—B and G#, the 5 and 3 of the E9
chord, respectively.
or download example audio
Fig. 3 is built on an ascending E9 arpeggio
that starts on the 3 of the E9, G#.
Because arpeggios are the exact notes of a
chord played one at a time, this riff is a perfect
match for our rhythm vamp. Arpeggios
provide a great way to avoid the sound of
scales, while still hitting all the choice notes.
To find some fresh alternatives, try picking
the notes in a different order.
or download example audio
Next, let’s combine our old favorite, the E
minor pentatonic scale (E–G–A–B–D), with E
Mixolydian, as in
Fig. 4. One of the sonic cornerstones
of the blues comes from mixing the
lowered 3 (b3) and the natural 3. This example
contains both G (the b3) from E minor pentatonic
and G# (the 3) from E Mixolydian.
Playing with the minor-meets-major sound
of these two notes makes this riff interesting.
Toss in a few bluesy bends, and you’ll have a
simple, effective riff to get your jam on.
or download example audio
Start simply and explore the new sounds
these examples put at your fingertips. Since
the pentatonic scale works so well over the
E9 chord, don’t be afraid to lean on this
five-note workhorse when you jam. As you
get more comfortable with the Mixolydian
sounds from this lesson, integrate them into
your playing for a unique and interesting
take on the blues.
Marc Schonbrun
Marc Schonbrun graduated magna cum laude
from the Crane School of Music in New York.
He is an active educator, writer, and performer
in the San Francisco area, and has an eclectic
performing background that includes classical
concertos, jazz trios, and rock bands. An
active lecturer, Schonbrun frequently tours the
country explaining music technology to players
and teachers. Visit
marcschonbrun.com
for more info.