Robben Ford Discussion

jconstant

On Back to the Blues, Robben is talking about soloing over a minor blues progression in Am. This is one of those where for the IV chord, he's playing an F7, instead of a Dm7 as might normally be the case.

So as he's going through possible scales and he says that over the F7 you can play an F mixolydian (I'm cool with that) but they he says a C melodic minor is taylor made for the F7 as well.

Now I get why a C melodic minor is cool over an F7b5, but I'm not getting why it works over the F7. Doesn't that b5 make all the difference? I'm thinking if the chord being played is F7 and you play a C melodic minor, that's not going to work. And of course, the opposite would seem true as well. F mixolydian over an F7b5 - no worky.

Thoughts?

[/i]
_________________
"Somebody's got to make some music around here." - Robben Ford

Bluelobster · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:46 pm Post subject: # or b

F7 - fourth degree of C melodic minor. Scale is call Lydian flat seven by theory geeks. kinda memonic, lydian = Sharp fourth
Sharp fourth not to be confused with Flat five. ah ah ah . just kiddin'.

It is obvious the C melodic minor is taylored for the F7. It's just like you start playing that C-scale from the F , and if u unstack thirds you see :

F A C Eb (F7) G(9) B (#11) Eleventh being an octave from fourth.

Go ahead. Ask for more . Without any sarcasm , don't get me wrong, i think you are still trying to get that beast by the tail and it won't work.
Go and blast that beast right in the face.

Edited later : I added some more this morning but the whole thing bugged; here i am end of afternoon....Towards the end of my year in MI
in LA i asked one of my jazz teacher what to focus during my spring break (we were told to practice at least four hours a day , so there is no break in a sense) he told me to practice four modes of melodic minor in three fingerings (this imply you wank on a lot of pitches) 4 hours a day everyday of my break (15days).
Needless to say it paid off but meanwhile i was wanking on basic standards/

That is the magic of this school . Why don't U try out a 3 months ...Robben is revered and taught there.
My 2 cents

jconstant · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:09 pm Post subject: Re: # or b

Bluelobster · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:30 am Post subject: Re: # or b

jconstant · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:07 pm Post subject: Re: # or b

Bluelobster · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:45 pm Post subject: Minor Blues

Jim, no problem about silly. Theory is silly anyways Laughing

The cool part in answering you is that i actually had to take a pen , a paper and the guitar. So you made me practice.

Once a teacher gave me a "tip" : if you see a chord from anytype resolving on a fifth : let's say you have a Dchord going to Achord
you play altered scale.
And when you have a chord not resolving you use lydian b7, like
F7 going to Aminor.
_________________
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=147748

JackD · Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:13 pm Post subject:

I love the sound of that scale over that chord. I use it all the time!