Super Lesson: Melodic Training, Flat Keys

Look at this GUITARU.com super lesson as a complete and intensive ‘micro course’, it will require lots of time and effort. This study contains a nice lesson plan with 3 attached long studies for guided practice. there are nearly 50 sound files, dozens of graphics, 7 animated drills and if you printed it, about 25 pages of text, more and better material than many $20.00 books I have purchased from big time publishers in my long educational career.

Sharp Keys…..

Just as the Key of C is constructed of a series of half steps and whole steps any of the 12 keys is music is explained and defined by the scale formula:
(whole – whole – 1/2 -whole – whole – whole – 1/2)
All major scales are defined by this scale formula, describing the distances between the notes. in this way, all Major Scale sare the same. Each Major Scale gains its uniqueness by applying this

formula to a different starting note, called the root. When starting with a “G” note, and following the major scale formula, the “F” note must be sharped. For this reason “G” is called a Sharp Key.

In music, each of the 12 notes in the Chromatic Scale can be considered the starting point of its own major scale, the rot note of it’s own key. In music there are 12 keys, each using the Major Scale Formula to obtain its unique and one of a kind Major Scale Spelling for its own Major Scale in its own Major key. Any key that needs to use a sharped note in its spelling is considered a Sharp Key. A table of all the sharp keys appears below:

Flat Keys……

Sometimes a flat note must be used when applying the Major Scale Formula Any key that needs to use a flatted note in its spelling is considered a

Flat Key

Such is the case with the Key of F, which if constructed just like every other Major Scale, according to the
Major Scale Formula the 4th note of the scale must be called B flat (Bb) and not A sharp (A#). This is because the A natural note is clearly the 3rd note of the Major Scale which begins on F.
because we can’t acheive the correct Major Scale Spelling for the Key of F without the B flat (Bb) note, the Key of F is called a Flat Key. A table of all the Flat Keys appears below:

Earlier in this lesson we discussed the idea of various styles and genres of music favoring particular keys. These keys C – A – G – E & D are typically the keys we play in when learning the guitar and playing Pop, Rock, Country, Top 40 and guitar classics which favor the keys of E & A in particular.
As an accomplished guitarist and serious student of music it is imperative that you also explore and become proficient in playing other styles, especially Jazz, Blues, Fusion, and Rhythm & Blues. Among the most common keys for these essential styles are the Flat Keys of F – Bb – Eb – Ab & Db. In this lesson, for the purpose of focus, we’ll be concentrating on the three keys of F – Bb & Eb arguably the most commonly used of the Flat Keys. Of course we’ll be using the Five Position CAGED System as the basis for this exercise in scale transposition and application of scale patterns.

For any musician, any study of scale theory and scale patterns must be put in concrete musical terms and applied to participatory musical exercises and situations. Otherwise scale playing and improvising will sound dull, scale like and unimaginative leaving many players wondering why their improvising and lead playing sounds like scales. Usually, the answer to this question lies in the fact that scales, that is scale patterns and nothing more, are precisely what most people are taught to practice. It stands to reason then that whatever you practice is what you preach (play).

In this course, you’re learning a highly musical method for learning practicing scales that revolves around diatonic ear training, studying and playing some of the worlds great melodies, and developing improvisation skills to avoid that dull scale like sound. The study of and repititious praticing of great melodies lets you see beyond the scale pattern and life less, non musical theory into the true purpose and application techniques of the rich and powerful Major Scale. Ear training, or figuring out melodies, is also an essential step along the path of musical development. The constant refinement of and experimenting with the reproduction of the melodic material you know and love has a direct and dramatic impact on your ability to become an accomplihed improviser. Following that line of thought, it is also an excellent idea to develop a vocabulary of great sounding licks and techniques for creating melodic material based on the scale patterns you know. Licks and ideas can be learned of recordings of your favorite players, found in an endless variety of guitar books, tabs and artist folios and ideally made up by you, the player.

In this lesson you’ll be applying the Five Position CAGED System of scale management to the three keys of F – Bb & Eb. However, you’ll be concentrating on musical applications using visualizations, animations, learning interesting melodic material (‘hot licks’) and techniques for creating hot licks interesting melodic material based on the scale patterns.

Your first visualization and improvisation exercise is in the Key of F and features a Rhythm & Bluesor Contemporary Jazz feeling. Onr of the secrets to being a good improvisor is learning to bulid interesting and ear catching notes with small groups of 2, 3 or 4 notes, concentrating on the sound, melodic value and musical feeling of your playing. this is is sharp contrast to a mechanical or strictly theoritical approach which usually leaves us automatically and mindlessly running scales in as quick and flashy (and non musical) a manner as possible.

Practice building phrases of all lengths, visualizing the patterns and weaving your melodic and musical improvistions up and down the neck, smoothly and seemlessly shifting from one scale pattern to the next.

Guided Practice……

Open this link to continue visualizing and imrovising in the Key of F and study techniques for creating melodic material using the scales as basic material.

Our next exercise is in the Key of Bb and features the same R & B or Contemporary Jazz feeling. Again, start with the root note nad limit your beginning experiments and improvistaions to small groups of 2, 3 or 4 notes, concentrating on the sound, melodic value and musical feeling of your playing.
Practice building phrases of all lengths, visualizing the patterns and weaving your melodic and musical improvistions up and down the neck, smoothly and seemlessly shifting from one scale pattern to the next.

Guided Practice……

Open this link to continue visualizing and imrovising in the Key of Bb and study techniques for creating melodic material using the scales as basic material.

Guided Practice……

Open this link to continue visualizing and improvising in the Key of Eb and study techniques for creating melodic material using the scale shapes as the basis for creating convincing melodic and solo material.

Conclusion……

This lesson is a musical study of the 5 scale shapes we’ve been learning in this course. Your initial focus here is learning to transpose the 5 scale shapes to the keys of “F”, “Bb” & “Eb” -three keys most guitarists are initially uncomfortable with. Ideally we would quickly progess through this initial phase by using the visualizations in the main lesson to solidify the patterns through developing the ability to create short musical phrases as you have done so many times in the most common guitar keys of C – A – G – E – D. As you work with the three flat keys (F – Bb – Eb) notice the differences between these three keys and the differences in musical effect between each of the scale patterns.

In the guided practice pages this line of thought is expaned on by studying good some compositional techniques, learning good sounding melodic passages and interesting bits of melodic material for use in improvising or composing licks and melodies.