For this month’s Master Class, we’re changing up the format a bit. We want to know how top players bring their technique and theoretical knowledge to bear on the recordings we all know and love. In other words, what do they work on to do what they do? So I called Ric, and after a nice conversation, he said he’d send some musical material and we’d take it from there. Next thing you know I’ve got the whole article, well written, sitting in my inbox. It was unexpected, above and beyond the call of duty, and obviously how the universe wanted it to be. Ric Fierabracci, the floor is deservedly yours.

I’m really happy to do this article and give my take on a confusing topic among musicians: improvising over chord changes, particularly in a melodic way. This skill is useful not only for solos, but also for bass lines and writing melodies. I’m going to share how I approach and think of this, along with a couple of exercises to help you find your own voice.

To me, each note or interval has a different energy or flavor. When I play the 7th of a chord, I feel different than when I play a 3rd, 9th, or #11. Think of it this way: When you land on a chord tone, you sound somewhat melodic because you are reinforcing the chord change. Landing on a tone that is in the upper structure of a chord change can still be melodic, but it adds a certain amount of tension to the harmony. Landing on a note that is neither a chord tone nor a scale tone adds much tension. To me, this is not a wrong note; it’s simply a note that adds more tension. In essence, there are no wrong notes. The only wrong note is the one you play that you did not want to hear.

It’s important to become familiar with all of these intervals against all the chord types, so that you can play what you feel in a given moment as opposed to playing just pre-planned licks. For this article we will concentrate on just one chord type: the maj7#11 chord, also known as the Lydian chord, as derived from the mode built off the 4th note of the major scale. (Let’s stay within the confines of the Lydian scale and learn its flavor, and not play “outside” the chord for now.)

Try playing Ex. 1 over a Cmaj7#11 chord (ideally, you can have a guitarist or pianist play along with you—whatever it takes to get the sound of this chord in your head while you play the exercise). This chord comes from the Lydian scale. Just think of the Lydian scale as a major scale with a #4 (or, more correct, a #11). This exercise is for you to hear all the chord tones and upper extensions in relation to their neighboring chord tones.

After you play this exercise, try to improvise over that same chord. The whole exercise is over a C Lydian chord, so play around with the scale and the intervals and try to get a feel for the way that they sound. 

In Ex. 2, we have two Lydian chords back-to-back to practice voice-leading. What is voice-leading? For now, just think of it as the note you play that signifies each chord change. You want to land that first note of each chord change clearly. First, try voice-leading with only the 3rd and 7th of each chord. When that becomes comfortable, try voice-leading to the 9th, #11, or 13th. Try to voice-lead to notes you wouldn’t ordinarily play. The best way to do that is to play slowly and get in touch with all of the chord tones. You may want to play only whole-notes, then half-notes, and then quarter-notes. Then add double-stops, harmonics, etc. In time you will start to hear some great ideas. Again, ideally you’ll have some accompaniment while doing this so you can hear the scale tones in relation to the chords.

What I try to do when I practice is build upon an idea, and see how far I can keep an idea going. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but what’s important is that you try to find new ideas and grow. Have fun and remember that it doesn’t matter how slowly you go, so long as you don’t stop.