Jazz Guitar Lesson 5: The Augmented Scale

[lindseyblair]

I find it most useful to think of how I would use a melodic minor scale over whatever given chord ( Maj 7, Min 7, min 7 b5, 9th, altered 7th) and find the augmented chord that lives within that melodic minor scale. From there you can apply augmented scales on almost any chord. I like to use the major and minor triads that can be built from the augmented scale, there are 3 of each. Playing the scale step by step sounds too snake charmerish for my taste.

[geoffstockton]

@lindseyblair Wow, nice. Thank you, regarding the melodic minor relationship concept. That makes a lot of sense, indeed.  As for the triad families within the symmetrical scales, I cover that in one of the videos I posted. It's gotta be lesson 6, 7, 8 somewhere around there. Thanks again for the awesomely useful feedback!

[gromshit101]

Really appreceate this

[thefunkyfreshjustus]

gerrr i knew it wasn't going to be easy, i've just been trying to practice all the different scales lately like the pent, reverse pent, sustained, minor, diminished, and major scales i couldn't find any anywhere of the augmented

[thefunkyfreshjustus]

iif its not to much to ask could you draw up a scale pattern for this one that would help me out the most i think much appreciated

[geoffstockton]

@thefunkyfreshjustus I could but I wouldn't be doing you any favors. A big part of improvising on the guitar is being able to map out interval structures in the moment. The step pattern for this scale is a step and a half followed by a half step. That repeats every major third. If you're not experienced with mapping scales on the fretboard, I'd recommend printing out some fretboard diagrams and getting to work. Books full of these diagrams will do you no good unless you make them, yourself.

[killdeslm]

Dunno..voice sounds fine to me, great lesson

[duncanltootill]

your voice is grating

[geoffstockton]

@duncanltootill Sorry about that, dude. I'll try and work on that.

[cuankorsten]

@geoffstockton I dunno bout that. Quite enjoy your voice and your humour. Very matter of fact. Really enjoying this whole series of lessons - all the way over here in South Africa. Keep it up!

[06a09]

sounds so like.... egyptian

[SpeedPickers]

one of the best lessons about augmented scales ever heard of...

[ericrob2112]

i use to call that one (half step/minor third) did not kno it was augmented scale. thank you

[robertino33]

great lesson!



[DougGirard]

Thanks for the vids... keep 'em coming!

[itsmejana1964]

Dude! why do you record your vidz in a gas station bathroom? I keep waiting for you to show me the Brown scale.

Get a new shirt man and try and write some kind of a song.

Is that a crushed roll of TP to the right of you?

[jakesplosion111]

correct me if im wrong and ive checked but isnt the augmented scale pretty much the 3rd position of a harmonic minor? think about it, you take the aolean mode of a major key and make the 7th sharp which is really making the 5th sharp of that original major key.

[geoffstockton]

The third mode of harmonic minor can correspond to an augmented triad but the augmented scale doesn't even have the same number of notes. It's a 6-tone scale. It has a Root, #2nd, 3rd, 5th, b6th and a 7th. Watch the vid again because it's all there, I promise you. The harmonic minor mode that your talking about doesn't contain any of the super-cool symmetrical possibilties that the augmented scale contains. I hope this helps, and thanx for watching!

[BlikeNave]

@jakesplosion111 You're close. Augmented scale is not the same as Ionian augmented ("take the aolean mode of a major key and make the 7th sharp which is really making the 5th sharp of that original major key."). That major key is ionian (major) and if you sharp the fifth note then you while just have major scale with a sharp fifth which is different than the augmented scale (two augmented triads a half step apart, making a six note hexatonic scale). Geoff already responded to you as well.

[jakesplosion111]

@BlikeNave ive understand now that comment was pretty old lol but thanks

[BlikeNave]

YOU'RE THE MAN GEOFF

[geoffstockton]

You're too kind! :)

[Reap3r07]

hey man your vid is very helpful, thanks for the post

[Ollievarium]

I loved this lesson! I'm not a jazz player at all but I'm very thirsty for knowledge and it is my wish to weild the power of these hexatonic scales. I'll check out more of your lessons matey!

[retsofnalanosaj]

You can derive hexatonic scales by combing 2 triads:

C E G and D F# A yields C D E F# G A

which works on: Cmaj7#11 etc

C E G and F# A# C# yields C C# E F# G A#

which works on: C7b9#11 or F#7b9#11

Basically any 2 triads that don't have common tones between them :)

[Ollievarium]

See, I should really be working on my chord theory because I can't just pick up and play a Cmaj7#11, it would take me a while to work it out and I'd wonder if I was even playing the right chord. Where would be a good place to start with that? (Note, I'm not a total noob so I should understand most things you point me in direction of) =p

P.s cheers for the eg!

[retsofnalanosaj]

Glad to help :)

In regards to chords......

Do you know drop2 and drop3 voicings of maj7, min7, min6, minMaj7, dom7, min7b5, dim7 chords and their inversions?

It's a lot of work but well worth it.

The quickest way grab something like Cmaj7#11 is to drop the 5th of the chord a 1/2 step: C G B E would be C F# B E omit the 5th.

Once you know where the chord tones are you can alter them when needed. Hope this helps.

[Ollievarium]

I'm going to have to say I do not know those! I've actually never heard the terms 'drop2' or 'drop3'. Is that another way of saying 1st and 2nd inversion? To be honest, I don't know many chords at all - The theory makes sense because I know a few sets of modes and the concepts behind the intervals, I just need to familarize myself with some different shapes that I can use anywhere on the neck. I've only realsised I need to know my chords AlOT MORE to grasp jazz improvisation. 'Tis a beach!

[BlikeNave]

@Ollievarium Start with learning the major and minor chords, then the sevenths (stacking four notes from the scales). You'd end up with (in the key of C) C major 7, D minor 7, E minor 7, F major 7, G dominant 7, A minor 7, B half-diminished/minor 7 b5. If you learn those, then you will have a great scale-skeleton to fill in the rest of the modal notes on (like the naturally occuring Sharp 4 aka #11 in the lydian scale). So 7th chords, then modes is what I did. Youtube modes and 7th chord vids!

[sudsypullover]

mutt about mydian maudmented mlat3

[geoffstockton]

mot much meally. mit's a mretty mool smale.

[geoffstockton]

That's bad for ya!

[drockmuthafucka]

lol. you never lose your composure do you?

[geoffstockton]

lol, I just noticed that the guy who eats his own poop got 4 thumbs up. I have a feeling that comment was left by one of my students at work but I can't prove it.

[sissilia]

Thanks Geoff, this is a great lesson.

I would also like to inform you that I eat my own poop.

Thanks again!