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Lyle Ronglien >> Jam Sessions - Rock Style >>

Jam Sessions - Rock Style II

Lesson 7 - Jam in C#m

Lyle: This lesson has a simple rhythm riff in C#. I'll show you how to play it and then teach you a few scales to improvise with against the jam track. Then you'll learn a solo to practice.

Lyle: Here's your jam track in C#m:

Lyle: Here's the rhythm guitar riff in the jam track:

Lyle: Just a simple repeating riff with a heavy palm mute and muted scratching.

Lyle: Use your bridge pickup with a heavy distortion.

Lyle: To help you get started jamming, try learning the C# Dorian minor scale and play it against this jam.

Lyle: Listen to the TAB file for the C# Dorian minor and you'll hear how melodic it can sound with the jam track.

Lyle: Of course you can always play the popular C# minor pentatonic scale too over this jam.

Lyle: Now that you have a few scale patterns to use for improvising, I'd like to show you how to play the lead parts from the lesson sample. Here's riff 1 which is from the C# Dorian minor scale. This uses unison bends to make a fatter tone:

write: Lyle not sure I understand why B Major works here when the minor is relative to E major.

write: Although B and E share most of the same notes.

Lyle: The reason I use the B major scale at the end of the scale TAB is to show you how thinking in terms of what modes you can use can help. B major scale is the I scale in the key of B major, C# Dorian is the ii scale/mode in the key of B major.

write: In Aeolian the half steps are between 2 and 3 and 5 and 6. In Dorian the half steps are between 2 and 3 and 6 and 7. Is that correct.

Lyle: Yes that's right.

write: I'm getting there.

Lyle: You can set the TAB to auto-loop to help you memorize the riff.

Lyle: Riff 2 uses this C# Dorian pattern:

Lyle: I like using the Dorian minor whenever I get the chance. It has a funkier sound to it than the natural minor.

Lyle: Here's the riff using this C# Dorian scale:

Lyle: The next riff from the lesson sample is made from the C# minor blues scale:

radica: riff 3 is killer

radica: What does PM stand for on the tab?

Lyle: p.m. = palm mute.

Mike: For a blues scale, riff 3 with the rhythm sounds almost like metal. Speed up the scale and there you go

Lyle: The 4th and final riff from the lesson sample is real simple. It uses the root and 7th degree from the B major scale:

Lyle: Put all 4 riffs together and you have what's being played in the lesson sample. I try not to make real fast riffs or anything too crazy. I just want to give you a good jam track that might inspire you to practice with and work on playing riffs and scales and explore some theory.

Lyle: Next lesson I'll show you more modal riffs to play against this jam track.

Lyle: Everything is a mode of something.

radica: Is that how you approach your playing all the time?

Lyle: No, I don't think so. I try to go off familiar patterns, major or minor, then narrow it down to what works best.

Lyle: I try to use my ears first, brain second.

BigDee: So with Dorian you really want to play around with the 6 and flat 7 to accent the Dorian modality? Compared to the flat 6 of the Aeolian with the flat 3 in common with the two modes.

Lyle: That is correct.

BigDee: cool!

Lyle: Good time to take a break. See you again soon!

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