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John Scofield is the master of this style - check out Uberjam which is full of one chord vamps - because
the band is grooving on one chord, you can easily hear when Scofield is moving in and out of the tonality.
For example - the band is grooving on an Am chord, so instead of just playing A Dorian, you can pretend
that the band is actually playing Am and then playing C7b9 / F#7#9 / Bm7b5 / E7#9 - you play those
changes, but the band just plays Am for those four bars. Your lines are "outside" Am, but follow a
common III VI II V jazz chord sequence - a very strong sound that the listener can follow and that makes
musical sense.
A simpler example would be to imply Valt / Im / Valt / Im etc, so play E7alt licks for one bar followed by
Am licks for one bar.
Sidestepping:
A bit simpler this one - just move sideways for a bit, so if you're playing over Am, play Bbm licks for a
bit, or Abm licks for a bit - as with all outside playing - be tasteful and always try to end on a chord tone -
so finish your outside lick on an A, C, E or G note.
Approach tones:
This a a bebop technique - Scott Enderson and Holdsworth are good at this - approach chord tones with a
note that's a semi-tone above or below your target note, so in Am, approach an E from Eb or F. These
sound good if you play the approach note on a weak offbeat. They sound even better if you use lots and
play really fast! A slightly more advanced version of this is "double chromaticism", where you play an
approach tone, like Eb (going to E), but instead of playing E as your next note, you play another chord
tone and then play the E.
Sequences:
Tonal substitution:
Basically substitute the scale you're using for another one - The band continues to vamp on an Am (bless
their cotton socks!) and you're happily using an A Dorian scale. But then you decide to use an Eb Dorian
scale for 2 bars, you go back to A Dorian and then you play C Dorian for two bars (you've kept the same
mode, but changed the root). You could play C# Lydian, C
Altered or B Locrian (changing key and mode) - almost anything, really...it depends on what you like the
sound of and how far "out" you want to go!
This technique can become too obvious if overused, so only dip into it once during a solo for maximum
effect...
• Conviction: you have sound like you know what you're doing
• Logic: if there is an inner logic to the line, the listener will be able to follow that without being
disturbed by the clashes with the underlying harmony
The principle is inside - outside - inside. You start in, go out for a while and then come back in. In this
way you establish normality, then create tension and ultimately the tension is followed by release.
We are going to look at some common techniques for "outside" playing. These are seqencing, fourths,
triads, altered cadences, chord substitutions, "Coltrane Changes", mode substitution and playing a half-step
up ( side-slipping).
Sequencing
Take a small motive, a seed. Repeat it, transposed up and down and you get an interesting line for playing
"outside":
An interesting fact about the above line is that it is very rich pitch-wise. It happens to contain every note of
the chromatic scale except one: g#/ ab...
Mike Stern used this idea to great success in his rhythm changes tune Suspone. This is discussed in detail
in lesson 45.
Fourths
A fourth is a very strong interval. This makes it ideal for "outside" playing.
Triads
Triads are also very strong. This makes them very suitable for "outside" playing.
Altered Cadences
or this one:
The I-VI-II-V/ III-VI-II-V cadence can be varied in a million ways. Check out lesson 7 where this is
discussed in detail.
Chord Substitutions
Here's an easy II-V-I example using side-slipping with the pentatonic scale:
Check out this ingenious II-V-I lick by Bob Russell using side-slipping with the pentatonic scale: