CHRIS BESTWICK

This is the third in an occasional series of articles on jazz harmony. This time I thought I'd take a look at a chord/scale relationship that we can make use of when improvising over major chords.

When we're playing over changes, we seem to have quite a few scale options when it comes to dominant 7 and minor chords, but fewer to choose from when it comes to major chords. There's the major scale based on the root of the chord (so for Gmaj7 we use the G major scale), there's the Lydian scale (i.e. the 4th mode of the major scale - so for Gmaj7 we play the D major scale starting on G) and there's the Lydian augmented scale (i.e. the 3rd mode of the melodic minor scale - so for Gmaj7 we play the E melodic minor scale starting on G).

The Lydian scale gives us the #4, and the Lydian augmented the #4 and #5, both of which can add tension and texture to our playing over maj7 chords. To my ears, there's another good and less commonly mentioned chord/scale relationship which we can use to add even more interest.

This relationship is that between a major chord and the melodic minor scale based on the chord's major 3rd. So, if we're playing over a Gmaj7 chord, that would be the B melodic minor scale. (I'm using the term "melodic minor" in the way it's usually used in jazz terms - i.e. the ascending and descending versions of the scale are the same.)

The B melodic minor scale is: B C# D E F# G# A#

In terms of how these notes function over the Gmaj7 chord we get the following relationships:

B = maj3, C# = #4, D = 5, E = 6, F# = maj7, G# = b9, A# = #9

Clearly, the b9 and #9 on their own sound pretty "out" in terms of the Gmaj7 chord, but because the sound of the melodic minor is a familiar one in jazz terms, this familiarity allows the ear to accept these notes when played as part of a phrase.

Here are some examples:

Example 1

Melodic minor 1 by Chris Bestwick

Example 1 is a fairly straightforward melodic minor lick. The contour of the phrase, and the fact that it may be familiar from other situations (over a Lydian dominant chord or altered dominant chord for example) let the ear accept the b9 and #9, while the C# and F# in the final bar both feel comfortably stable in the context of Gmaj7.

Example 2

Melodic minor 2 by Chris Bestwick

Example 2 includes some passing tones (the G natural in bar 2 and the Eb in bar 4) and again ends on a stable note in terms of the chord.

To my ears, it's not always necessary to end on a stable note, as I try to show in the last example.

Example 3

Melodic minor 3 by Chris Bestwick

This ends on a G#. Theoretically a "wrong" note in terms of the chord, but it works for me in the context of the phrase.

Speaking of theory, to me there are a couple of ways of thinking about why this chord/scale relationship seems to work.

The first way is to think that, because the B melodic minor scale contains a D# augmented triad, (D# F# A#), by using the scale we're implying a substitution based on the 5th of the Gmaj7 chord. This is a common idea in jazz terms, although here we're not implying a dominant chord but rather a major7 augmented one.

The second way is to think that, because the B melodic minor scale contains an F# major triad, (F# A# C#), we're implying an F#/G slash chord, again a fairly common substitution idea over a maj7 chord.

Of course, theoretical justifications aside, whether this chord/scale relationship works for you or not is a matter of taste and context. It's perhaps not going to work well when you're playing over "All of Me", but in more modern contexts I think it can add an extra texture to maj7 situations.

Here's a brief improvisation over the changes to Steve Kuhn's "The Real Guitarist" in which I try to use this chord/scale idea in context.

The Real Guitarist by Chris Bestwick

OK, that's all for now, must get back to the pc - the internet doesn't surf itself you know...

Chris