Jody Fisher: News

Understanding chord synonyms can expand your melodic sense. Lines that work over Cm6 could also work over F9 or Am7b5.

Try superimposing various arps over different chords.
Ex. Playing an E triad over a G7 chord will produce G13b9 sounds.

If you like to play with octaves, try adding additional intervals in between like 4ths, 5ths, and 6ths: C-F-C/C-G-C/C-A-C.

To practice playing with a swing feel, set your metronome to click on 2 & 4, instead of clicking on every quarter note.

Remember, a song is Art presented over time.....and it only happens once...

Improvised solos fall into the category of "inspired use of previously learned materials", with moments of true originality.

Play a Maj7 chord lick. Move each note in the lick up a diatonic step. Now you have a ii chord lick. Repeat for iii, etc..

Here's a lesson on comping I did for Workshop Live a few years ago--(check out my teleprompter chops....)

http://www.workshoplive.com/lesson_player/index.cfm?lesson_id=4437&player_id=4

Fills don't always have to be played in the higher register--try starting your fills from one of the chord's inner voices.

Work on "2-notes-per-string" arpeggios for all diatonic 7th chords: fingering: 1-4, 1-4, 1-4, 1-4, 1-4, 1-4. Very easy...

When improvising, try to use the entire range of your instrument. All your ideas start to sound the same if you don't.

To break out of "scale-wise" motion in your melodies, simply look for patterns, within scales on non-adjacent strings.

Try to keep your arms relaxed from your shoulders to your fingertips. Your arms, hands and fingers work as a "process".

Extensions---You can look at major and minor 13th chords as a 7th chord with a major or minor triad a whole step above it.

Finger Style technique--when playing single note lines, try using p and m alternately. Especially good for electric players.

Any chord may be approached with an altered dominant chord whose root is 1/2 above the root of the destination chord.

You'll be "covered" if you work in the following areas: Harmony, Improv, Reading, Technique. MOST IMPORTANT--learn tunes!!!

Dominant chords with altered 5ths can be moved around the fingerboard in whole steps and will retain their altered function.

Don't be "tuner dependent"--you should be able to tune by ear--practice this! Tuners are fine for noisy rooms...

Make your solos more interesting by thinking in terms of form. Create solos that have an opening, a body, and a conclusion.

Instead of trying to learn an entire fingering at one time, try learning scales and arps on only two strings at a time.

Warm up before you play! Do a slow left hand exercise, then a right hand exercise. Then an exercise that works both hands.

If you target chord tones with your middle finger, upper and lower neighbor tones are found under your 1st and 4th fingers!

When learning to play physically difficult chords, press FIRMLY and HOLD for 30 seconds. Repeat. Muscle memory will kick in!

Place your hand in 1st position, and improvise over ii-V7-I progressions in every key. Repeat in 2nd thru 12th positions....