Thanks everyone so far, as I said its just an example but a clip is a clip I guess!
So what mode were you using there?
Well that the interesting thing and is why I played those particular backing chords - I think they make a good case study!
To start with, except for the Cmaj6, none of the chords have a major or minor 6th, which means I could use either. I think I ended up just playing the major 6th mostly, 'cos I like it, which means the mode was Dorian as opposed to Aeolian. I did play lots of passing notes though....
Up till 0.18 its minor pentatonic, at 18 there's a passing note up to the 2nd (C to C sharp), at 20 theres a chromatic run up through A, B flat, B,D, E flat, E then finishing purely in the Dorian at 22, at 23 there's a four note chromatic run from the major 6th to the octave, at 24 there's a three note chromatic up through the flat 5th which ends in a straight Dorian (also Aeolian) thing from 25 to 27, from 27 to 35 is probably as clever as I get really, it's very chromatic and is simply based on a minor sound, despite hitting a major 3rd briefly at 32seconds in.
One thing that's important to realise I think is that you can get away with a lot of 'wrong' chromatic notes - or even the major 3rd in a minor context as above - as long as you don't hang on them or stress them. I've practised this a bit, obviously not anywhere near enough to be a proper jazzer, but I think it's really cool if it seemed like that was all just one set mode to you - I think that's how it should seem!
Anyway back to the description thing...
At 0.36 I add two passing notes to the Dorian mode, the flat 6th (slid up to the maj 6) and the flat 2nd (slid up to the 2nd). From 38 on its pretty much minor pentatonic, with the maj 3rd as a passing note at 38, the 2nd included at 55, the flat 2nd as a passing note at 58.
1.01 is where it gets a bit more conventionally tricky because I follow the one chord that doesn't fit in the Dorian or Aeolian mode, ie the Cmaj6. I play stuff from the C maj scale over it. Technically I should have done something similar when that chord is played at 25 and 44secs in the track, but 'cos the note C in the base of that chord isn't particularly strong, and feels like it wants to resolve to B, I think I can get away with just playing in B as usual. Note at 1.01 when I change what I play to fit the chord, the chord seems to become more prominent... even though the chord's not changing, in my opinion this is because it no longer feels like it's there to pass the time before resolving to B, so it sticks out more, and you notice it more.
Ok that's it - don't thank me, typing all this stuff helps me prob as much as it does anyone else!
:D
