An Exercise To Help Solo Over Tricky Progressions

In this video, I show you a very useful exercise to help you improvise over tricky chord changes and progressions.

Those wonky, neo-soul type progressions often don't have a key center and therefore if you've only ever shred using the blues scale, for example, you might find it very challenging and frustrating trying to solo over these weird progressions.

In this exercise, we take two completely unrelated chords and practice soloing over them whilst alternating back and forth.

There are a few tricks you can use such as common chord tones, repeated phrases and approach patterns.

If you spend a few hours practising this exercise, you'll find it becomes easier to improvise over tricky chord progressions.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

00:00 - Intro
01:22 - Learn The Chords
02:10 - Blues Scales
04:14 - Dorian Scales
06:38 - Repeated Phrases
07:47 - Approach Patterns
09:03 - Demonstration
10:36 - Summary

[georgeshenusay]

This is exactly what I needed, I have had trouble thinking about improv over chords like this, thank you

[Diamondkeyz]

Playing repeated patterns but shifted in different keys. Wow!

[kylereiser]

Nice job throwing in the Ford door chime @ 10:01 👏

[Zizink]

Genus.... Its easy but its also hard and you can explain everything with a very simlple way.... Thats why i love this chanel.... Thank you

[a.j.soleil]

You're amazing Simon! Thank you! This is so helpful.

[sugaall]

Thank you so much! That was super helpful. I love the sound if these half step chord changes, but never thought that it was so (dare I say) simple to realize. Exactly what I needed to further improve my impro!

[jacksonmanning]

Dude. Really, really useful and no fluff

[collinalexanderbrown]

Always able to glean something from your posts. Very grateful, indeed!
Can you point me to exercises in rootless voicings? Many thanks, Simon!

[Lemonahsauce]

Needed this video lol, been trying to learn how to go through the changes on Friday the 13th by monk, and the changes move so fast and have different scales so it’s been challenging, gonna try these techniques out on it!

[edwinj.hermens]

Thanks for the lesson. After trying this a few times for me it works better to approach this chrord pattern as Ab maj7 to G maj7.

[Diamondkeyz]

I really need to learn left hand cording! This is so cool

[josuedavi]

Thank you so much for everything. Been watching your videos a long time and learned a lot!

Just wondering if you’ve put this immense talent you have into any music, outside of educating us? Album? Shows? Would love to hear fleshed out ideas of yours.

[vakosaatashvili]

You are awesome ! Keep doing this great tutorials

[rapinncapin]

Sick tutorial bro!!!

Helped me loads

[jamesallen]

And just when I needed this video thanks dawg

[lamarsimmons]

This is amazing✊nice sticky fingers sir 🔥🔥sounds great and its very helpful thank you❤😎

[coloaten]

Welcome back! Crikey, thought you'd moved to the middle of the Amazon or something :D

[sylvia]

What piano brand (and setting) are you using in this video? Love the backtracking...however, the piano sound is awesome.

[paulowen]

Hi Pianopig, Can you give me the lessons in order from Begginer(me) onwards. Thanks I’m giving this a good go. Paul O.

[elleondejuda]

Fair enough man


I saw someone soloing with the blues scale over many chord changes and he said that, you can use the blues scale of the destiny chord or the last chord.
Lets say, you have Gm C Em A Dm ( Dm the last chord ) you can use the Dm blues over all this chords
I understood, this is my own chord progression not his but, according to his approach " if the last Chord is in this Case Dm then Is ok to solo over the Dm blues in all 5 chords.
Another this is that because Dm is related to F mayor scale you would be ok to us the F maj and not the Dm
Maybe you could use both Dm 6 ° or F maj °
I never played this I'm going to try this when I get home to see how does it sound lol.
Thanks for the Dorian Cell notes, they are very useful 👍