251 major improvvisation/composition - The blog of Demetrio “Dimitry” Scopelliti, guitar player, composer, producer and instructor. Albums: The Silent Watcher, The Art of Complications, Codex Magika, Evolution, The Codex Videos, O Sole Mio Goes Metal, Yoga, News, Bio, Dates, Disco, Videos, Pics, Presskit

\\ Dimitry's Blog: Home page : Post

251 major improvvisation/composition

by Dimitry, 23/05/2009 15:29:36, Lessons articles, read 2485 times

251 is 1 of the most used and common used cadences in Rock pop and jazz..

For those who don’t know what 251 stands for we are talking about a sequence of chords of this type:

2^nd grade, 5^th grade & 1^st grade.

Example: Dmin7, G7, Cmaj7

We will talk about that from “a not jazzist” point of view.

We are on C major Key.

- Which notes can we play in order to create some nice melodies without playing something “too much standard”?

We can have really different solutions about that and we can divide our improvisation in 2 different parts like this:

1 - We use arpeggios and triads.

2 – We play scales.

About the 1^st that’s a good example that will help you guys a lot to create really cool melodies:

Point 1 - ARPEGGIOS

Dmin

-------------------------------------------------

--------------5---7---5------------------------

----------7--------------7----------------------

---5---8----------------------8----5-----------

-------------------------------------------------

------------5---8---5--------------------------

---------6-------------6------------------------

------7-------------------7---------------------

-------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------

----------------3---5---3------------------------

--------2---5--------------5---2-----------------

-----3----------------------------3---------------

-------------------------------------------------

-----------3---6---3---------------------------

-------4--------------4-------------------------

----5--------------------5----------------------

-------------------------------------------------

C maj 7

-------------------------------------------------

------------4--5--4-----------------------------

-----2---5-----------5---2---------------------

--3-------------------------3-------------------

-------------------------------------------------

-----------3----7----3-------------------------

-------5----------------5-----------------------

----5-----------------------5-------------------

-------------------------------------------------

Point 2: Scales

Here we can really be creative (being carefull not to play wrong notes on the sequence of chords):

D min 7:

- C major scale (considering D min as 2^nd grade on the C major scale)

- D min + min pentatonic scale (considering D minor as 6^th grade on the F major scale)

- F major scale (considering D min as 6^th grade(eolian mode))

- Bb major scale (considering D min as 3^rd grade on that scale)

G7:

- C major scale (G7 is 5^th grade)

C maj 7:

- C major scale

- A min scale

- A min pentatonic scale

- A min blues pentatonic scale

That’s actually what I think sounds best on a 251 major sequence based obviousely on my experience of recording and composing during the years..

Give a chance to that suggestion and have fun ;.-)

Take care..

Dimitry

Share this article on Tumblr

Archive

Comments

No comment found.

Visitors since 11 Apr, 2009:
741191

Users online now: 631

Autumn 2024

Hi Folks.

Finally « Infinity », first full length album of duo « Scopelliti/Davidsen » is released.

You can stream it from all the main music services on the Internet and you can download it from Bandcamp.

The music can be defined as the perfect mix between "Modern Classical Music" and "Instrumental Prog Metal".

The album has been produced, engineered and mixed/mastered by yours truly.

Also it won't take long until my next solo album will be released, in fact it has already been written and recorded this summer (actually the writing process started 2 years ago, even though a couple of tracks were written in 2020.

It will be released in 2025 for sure.

We're getting ready for the autumn/winter tours.

I'll be playing at the famous "Guitar Summit 2024" with my mate Laurent Bernadac on Sep 29.

Other artists on the bill: Tosin Abasi, Nick Johnston, Phil X, Matteo Mancuso, Tom Quayle, Nita Strauss, and more...

Two weeks later I will be flying to China for "Music China 2024" playing for Inspiria Guitars and Hotone Audio (performance time schedule coming soon).

Please keep following me on your fav social network.

Dimitry

Dimitry (63)

Concerts and Clinics (135)
Cover Series (2)
DAILY NEWS (97)
Guitar Courses (5)
Kemper Videos (3)
Lessons articles (10)
MUSIC (58)
Video Demos (53)
Work in progress-videos (86)

Excellent performance! :)
28/09/2018  by Anonymous
Nice song. Great musicians...
18/11/2016  by Mark
Great!
22/05/2013  by name
Great!
28/09/2011  by nersis An...
welcome back
20/10/2010  by irine
grazie..
20/10/2010  by dimitry
complimenti per la bella m...
02/07/2010  by strumenti ...