Reverse Polarity (?), Chromatic Mediants, Soloing as a Soloist

http://www.andrewwasson.com/

Andrew Wasson of Creative Guitar Studio answers questions from off of his Guitar Blog website...

Q #1). I bought a book called How To Write Songs On Guitar by Rikky Rooksby.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0879309423/?tag=doddud-20

The author talks about the harmonized major scale chords, and he adds that you can flatten the 3rd, 6th, and 7th of the scale and turn them into major chords, and you can also turn the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th into the opposite of their quality in what he calls Reverse Polarity.

However, doesnt this lead to going out of the current scale your in, or is there some type of rule bending that Im missing?
- Richard, NYC

Q #2). I recently had a substitute teacher in my music theory class at college and he kept using the term Chromatic Mediant.

What are Chromatic Mediants? I did ask him after class and he gave me a really confusing answer about them being 3rds or inverted 6ths that share a quality.
But, I do not get this at all. Can you please answer this.
- Kevin, California

Q #3). I am a singer first, and guitar is my second instrument. I use guitar to accompany myself, and usually a play solo.

I would like help with instrumental interludes. When I look for help on the web, I see lots of links related to soloing in a band or with a rhythm section. I cant seem to find anything about improvising guitar solos when playing alone. I would appreciate any help.
- David

THANKS for all of Your Questions!

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[ChaseOtx]

reverse polarity is a vertically flipped waveform..

[RikkyRooksby1]

'Reverse polarity' is a term of my own and is explained in How To Write Songs on Guitar. It was derived not from theory but from observing pop/rock songwriting. Music theory terms carry implications about musical intention and practice. 'Secondary dominant' conveys a different meaning and refers to the style of a different type of music where V-I cadences determine much of the musical movement. I explain in the book that these chords must be used sparingly to avoid undermining the key.