Interval Riff Basics

8/14/2019 Interval Riff Basics

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Interval Riff Basics

Many guitarists use chords for rhythm guitar without considering another option:

intervals.

While a chord has at least three notes, an interval has two. This might seem a trivialdifference, but using just part of a chord lets you play intervals for specific reasons,

and using only two fingers creates other more advanced possibilities. Let's take a look

at chords and see the two main intervals at our disposal.

Chords

It may seem that with only two pitches, the sound would be thinner than a chord, but

hard rock and metal players have been going with two notes for decades. A healthy

distortion more than makes up for a thin sound.

Playing a full barre chord is mostly avoided because many players feel the higher

notes don't sound good with distortion. Significantly, one of the higher pitches

omitted is the chord's third. In theory, all chords have at least a root, third, and fifth.

Simply put, the third is what makes a chord major or minor, without it you have a

somewhat empty voicing, which is why it sounds more stable and more powerful with

distortion.

Consider the case of the octave, which is the same note at a higher or lower pitch. All

octaves are "perfect", and along with the unison, are as stable as an interval can be.

Similarly, the fifth is also perfect (usually) and also very stable. When distortion is

added, this stability is exaggerated. This is why the "power chord" of root-fifth-octave

is a "sure fire" voicing that always sounds strong.

In the same way, the sound of a third is also exaggerated, but it is a less stable

interval, a fact that becomes increasingly apparent if the interval is held alone for

several seconds. The interval will "wobble" just like when you're tuning your guitar, a

dissonant effect that is tolerated by some listeners more than others. It is less

noticeable in the midst of a larger chord, but with the third removed, stability is easier.

Intervals

If a guitarist isnt going to play full chords or single notes, there are several intervals

to choose from (in the order of increasing dissonance and decreasing stability):

perfect octave or perfect unison

perfect fifth, perfect fourth

major third and major sixth

minor third and minor sixth

major second and minor seventh

major seventh, diminished fifth, minor second

Our purpose is to use parts of a chord instead of the entire thing, so our two main

choices are fifths and thirds. The other intervals will be used when we get to

ornamentation, but let's have a look and listen to our core intervals.


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Fifths

For most guitar players, the fifth needs no introduction. It's what you get when you

only play the two lowest notes of a barre chord

As shown in the example, some also play the octave, which adds some brightness and

stability but otherwise has no effect. This is one reason many people don't play it,

especially in heavier or darker music. Another reason to omit the octave is that,

instead of using your pinky for that note, your pinky can hold down the fifth, which is

a more comfortable hand position for many.

One advantage is that in standard tuning, the same hand position can be movedaround the guitar neck without much thought. All a player has to do is know which

notes are in the key, put the index finger there, and retain the same hand "shape". This

has one unintended side effect, however. There is always one diminished fifth, not

perfect fifth, in a key, but players tend to ignore this as if a fifth is a fifth is a fifth. In

E minor, for example, the F# voicing should include a C natural, but most players use

C#, introducing a raised sixth scale degree to the music (Example 2). This is fine, but

be aware that this might affect lead guitar work.

Thirds

Intervals of a third are not very common, which is odd because thirds are the building

block of chords, and one would expect to see them frequently. We can only guess the

reason is the aforementioned effect of distortion.

A big advantage to thirds is that they are richer intervals, with more tone colour. They

are moodier, more dramatic, and thicker.

The intervals are E minor 3rd, D major 3rd, and C major 3rd, as shown in Example 3.

Thirds come in two varieties: major thirds and minor thirds. This is more diverse than

playing a perfect fifth everywhere, but is also one deterrent to using them. To play

and/or write an entire riff in thirds, you must know which one you're supposed to playas you move through a key and change your hand shape accordingly.


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If a full chord would be minor, then you want to play a minor 3rd at each of those

points. The same is true of major thirds. In E minor, the first, second, fourth, and fifth

intervals would be minor, and the third, sixth, and seventh intervals are major: E

minor, F# minor, G major, A minor, B minor, C major, D major.

The tonality of major or minor is immediately apparent, which can be useful formaking a noticeable key change, such as from E major to E minor. If you were to do

this with fifths in the rhythm, the change wouldn't be noticed at first. In addition, if

you want to play an unexpected sound, such as using an E major chord where an E

minor one is expected, using a third easily accomplishes this.

Like the fifth, thirds can also be played with the octave included (Example 4). Unlike

the fifth, a third has more than just added brightness this way, for the character is

changed somewhat.

This shape is unusually difficult to move around the guitar.

As mentioned earlier, the third is less stable than a fifth and sounds less desirable the

longer it is held. One trick for using it successfully is to play it briefly. While this

might seem too limiting, consider that many metal players have a palm-muting style,

the interval is momentarily sounded in between muted 8th-notes, meaning it never has

the chance to deteriorate. On the repeat, the interval is held open longer to provide a

clearer example of the sound.

As a final note, thirds become muddier and less useful lower on the guitar, but this

can be overcome with the above technique.

Alternating Intervals

Switching between thirds and fifths can help provide variety within a riff and between

two music sections. One simple trick is to take the same chord succession and do it

twice: once using fifths and once with thirds. Another is write two sections of music

where the first interval is different. This helps creates separation between musical

ideas.

Coda

Though chords and fifths are frequently used, the addition of thirds to your repertoire

will give you other options, which is always a good thing. This simple technique can

be the foundation for an empire of ideas.

Counterpoint

Counterpoint is defined as two or more simultaneous melodies that maintain their

independence while still forming a harmonic relationship. A single instrument like

classical guitar can perform counterpoint with three or four lines seeming like a single

part. However, rock guitarists seldom do this for a variety of reasons, but that doesn'tmean it can't be done.


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Previously we examined intervals, how to write riffs with them, and different ways to

melodically ornament them. The two main intervals were fifths and thirds, with each

having neighbor and/or passing tones. Now we'll go further to using mixed intervals

and introduce two basic ideas in counterpoint: oblique motion and contrary motion.

Mixed Intervals

Using three implied chords: E minor, D major, and C major, in that order. The lower

line has also been E, D, and C, and the main interval has either been thirds or fifths.

What we'll look at now is retaining that bass line, but changing what interval is above

it. Take a look at Example 1.

Using three different intervals, a third, fourth, and fifth, we have this riff as performed

in Example 2.

The upper part remains on G while the lower line descends. As this happens, the G

forms an E minor third with the E below it, and when the passage ends, a fifth with

the C below it. G is a common tone for E minor and C major (it is in both the first and

last chords).

In between at measures 5-6, while the lower note is D, G seems like a non-chord tone.

After all, the notes of D major are D, F#, and A. There's no G, but we're playing it

anyway. There are two interpretations.

One: G is a non-chord tone that works with D because G is in the chord before and

after it. This makes the temporary dissonance of G not being in the chord smoother.


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Two: The chord has changed from D major to being G major in second inversion (i.e.,

the fifth, D, is the lowest note). G major is spelled G, B, and D. Any time you're

playing a perfect fourth, the higher note is the root, as if it's a root-fifth-octave voicing

without the lower root (Example 3).

Simple Counterpoint

In previous examples, when using thirds or fifths, we were always doing parallel

motion, which means the two notes were a third apart on the first chord and remained

that way as the notes moved to other chords (Example 4). Fifths were always a fifthapart.

Now, one line moves and the other one doesn't, which is called oblique motion. It

might seem that less note movement would be less interesting, but both oblique and

contrary motion create a sense of depth and space within the guitar part. The

stationary note causes the following changes in this case:

1. There are two independent parts

2. Three different intervals and sounds are used: a third, fourth, and fifth.

3. The chord changed from D major to G major, which also gives the bassist two

options: playing D or G. If you listen carefully to the mp3s, you will hear the bass

move from D up to G and then walk down to the C chord.

A good use of oblique motion is to perform a V-I progression, since the fifth note of a

key is in both chords. In E minor, that note is B. The V chord of B major is B, D#, F#and I chord of E minor is E, G, B). You can hold down the B while alternating the E

with a D# (Example 5).


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Contrary Motion

When the highest and lowest lines move in opposite directions, it's called contrary

motion. This technique is useful for switching between a third and fifth in particular.

Contrary motion in a ii V I

Putting It All Together


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Chord progressions

The most important chord progression in jazz is the ii-V, which may or may not

resolve to I. Most tunes will have ii-V progressions in several different keys sprinkled

throughout. For example, consider the chord progression:

| Cmaj7 | Dm7 G7 | Em7 | A7 | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 |.

There are three ii-V progressions here. Bar two forms a ii-V in the key of C, although

there is no actual C (I) chord in bar three. Bars three through five form a ii-V-I in the

key of D minor, and bars five through seven form a ii-V-I in C again. There are many

devices that can be used when playing over ii-V progressions.

After the I - IV - V progression , the ii-V-I progression is the second most common

because it uses the cycle of fifths to move through the changes.

Recognizing the ii-V-I progression by ear will help you sketch out tunes you don't

have the tab for. When you hear a new key occur in a piece of music, chances are it's

part of a ii-V7-I or some variation of it. Knowing that lets you work out a song'schords much quicker.

The ii-V-I progression is a succession of chords whose roots descend in fifths from

the supertonic to the dominant and finally to the tonic. In a major key, the supertonic

(II) triad is minor, while in a minor key, this triad is diminished. The dominant chord

is, in its most basic form, a major triad. With the addition of chord alterations and

extensions (most often sevenths), limitless variations exist on this simple formula.

The ii-V-I progression in the key of C would yield the following chords:

Dm7 (ii), G7 (V), and Cmaj. 7

Notes in C Major:

C D E F G A B C

Next, we must build the chord. Since we're talking jazz, most chords are 4-part chords

(triads + some form of 7th usually). We use the I, III, V, and VII notes from the

appropriate mode of the C scale. For the II chord, the appropriate mode would be D

Dorian.

Using the notes from C, but using D as a root, we arrive at our first chord:

D F A C - Also known as a Dminor 7th chord.

Next, we would be interested in making the V chord. Using the above process, we

arrive at:

G B D F - Also known as G dominant seventh.

Finally, the I chord, is

C E G B - Also known as C Major 7.

The same thing is done for a minor progression; however, the minor C scale would besubstituted in for the major one to arrive at the chords. Actually, you can substitute


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Harmonic and Melodic minor scales in, but it just gets more and more confusing from

there on.

Also, parts of the major II-V-I and minor II-V-I can be mixed and such, resulting in an

exponential increase in exhileration..

The minor II-V-I is a bitmore complicated. The fifth mode of the natural minor scale

is a minor seventh chord. This doesn't sound dominant, and doesn't want to resolve to

the I. So the harmonic minor scale was invented, with a raised seventh. In C natural

minor, the fifth is Gm7, which as you can see by looking at its notes: G Bb D F

doesn't have a tritone, and doesn't sound dominant, so naturally, we'll take the fifth

mode of the C harmonic minor scale: G7: G B D F. So, using the harmonic minor

scale (C D Eb F G Ab B C), we get the following II-V-I progression:

Dm7b5 (D F Ab C)

G7 (G B D F)

C minor major 7 (C Eb G B).

However, the minor sound we are more used to hearing, and that occurs much more

often than the minor major seventh chord is the minor seventh chord. The minor

major seventh chord is rather harsh sounding, and so is rarely used. So the regular

minor II-V-I progression will be IIm7b5 - V7 - Im7.

Or in C minor - Dm7b5 - G7 - Cm7. Although the C is taken from the natural minor

scale (has a minor seventh), the II and the V are taken from the harmonic minor scale.

(As a note - the minor chord can be Cm7, C minor major 7, Cm6, or simply a C minor

triad, but in jazz it is most often a minor seventh.).

Obviously, we have different scales here, (Cm7 has a Bb, G7 has a natural B), so what

scales can we play over the chords? OverDm7b5, we could theoretically play the

second mode of the harmonic minor scale, locrian natural 6. In fact, theoretically, this

is the most logical scale to play, as it is from this mode that the chord was constructed.

In practice, this is rarely done. Why?, you may ask. And it is a good question. The

answer I got was "because it sounds like crap," which is basically the only reason that

matters, and is true. The natural 6 doesn't sound good (that would be B on Dm7b5),

and it makes it sound too much like a diminished chord. So the locrian scale is used.

The locrian was virtually the only scale used over m7b5 chords until somewhere

areound the 1950's, when the locrian natural 9 started being used. This is much betteras it has no avoid notes. However, you have to learn to recognise the sound, before

you can play it well, so I suggest starting on the locrian. (So on Dm7b5 that would be

D Eb F G Ab Bb C).

OverG7, the possibilities are just about endless. The most basic scale to play here is

the mixolydian b9 b13, which is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale. This is a

good choice, because it has the flat 13, which is the minor third of the minor chord it

resolves to (i.e on G7, the Eb is the b13, and Eb is the minor 3rd of Cm.) Also, it has

the b9, which is the b13 of the minor chord it resloves to (On G7, the b9 is Ab, which

is the b13 on Cm). The b13 is very important, the b9 less so. The b13 is so important,

because it helps make clear that the dominant chord is going to resolve to a minorchord.


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If we played a natural 13 (E on G7), it would give the feeling of resolution to C major.

This is generally bad, so you will usually want to play scales with the b13 on a minor

II-V-I. Other options include the G7b13 (the fifth mode of the melodic minor scale),

though this is hardly ever used, and the altered scale and combination scale (aka half

step-whole step diminished). These are both good choices, especially the altered,

although you are going to have to get to know the sound before you attempt to play it.This takes a lot of practice, as the sound is rather foreign to the untrained ear.

On the Im7, the most obvious scale to play is the aeolian scale, the scale

corresponding to the natural minor. The natural minor is the most natural sounding

minor to the ear, so this makes sense as a resolution chord. Despite this, though, it is

possible to play the dorian scale on the Im7 as well. This is because the dorian sound

is very deep-rooted into jazz. Again, in order to play the dorian scale, you should first

get acquainted with its sound. If the resulting chord is a minor major 7th, it is possible

to play the melodic or harmonic minors. In this case, the melodic is often the

preferred scale, as it does not have the troublesome augmented second of the

harmonic minor.

Here is a II V I progression in C with embellished chords used to create a chromatic

melody


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The 12 bar blues

Playing the blues scale over the basic three chord I IV V blues progression in a jazz

setting gets boring very rapidly. Musicians began to make additions to this simple

formula. One common adaptation of the blues progression, which is still considered

the standard for jam sessions, is:


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This progression offers a wider range of scale possibilities than does the basic three

chord blues.

In most songs from cultures in the Western hemisphere, the notes of a song's melody

usually match a chord tone, when those melody notes fall on strong beats. Forexample, if I'm playing a C major chord during a tune, and I'm also singing along, and

tapping my foot on the strong beats, when my foot hits the ground, chances are pretty

good that the note I'll be singing will be one of the notes in the C major chord: C, E,

or G. At the least, *most* of the strong beats will have chord tones in the melody.

To test this fact about melody notes and chord tones yourself, strum a C chord, and

sing various notes from the C major scale over it: C, D, E, etc. When you sing notes

D, F, A or B, they should sound a bit uncommon to you, compared to the notes C, E,

and G.

Heres a procedure you can use to come up with chords to any song. Remember to letthe final decision on what chords to use rest with your ears. Also note that this is just

one of many ways you can use to choose chords for a melody.

To choose chords for a melody:

1. Play the melody.

2. List the notes on the strong beats.

3. For each note, list all chords in the key that have that note.

4. Select the chord that sounds best.


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In general, a chord with the 3rd on top sounds sweeter than a chord with the root, fifth

or another note on top. However, sweeter isnt always better. Remember, a chord and

its top note have to be neighborly and get along well with the notes of the chords

before and after it.

A similar notion applies to a chord's bass note. A strong chord progression willgenerally have chords whose root notes are the lowest (bass) notes. To verify this,

play a short progression like Dm, G7, C, with the B in the bass of the G7, instead of

the G. Then put the G back in the bass and decide which sounds better to you.

Here's one approach you should definitely *not* take to learning a new chord: do not

learn a new chord or chord shape by simply playing it all by itself, up and down the

fretboard. This is not music, and it's not fun. You could ruin your motivation to learn

by doing this.

Trying to learn chords in isolation is like trying to learn the meaning of a word byspelling out all its letters.

How do I practice and learn a new chord? Here's one way:

Ask yourself, "Where does this chord fit in a ii-V7-I progression?" Example: if the

chord is a C7, that's our V7.

That means we need two more chords to round out our ii-V7-I: the ii and the I.

What are they?

Use your knowledge of theory, or a chart like the one following this procedure, to

answer this.

- The chart tells me that if my V7 is a C7, then my I (One) is F major.

- The chart also tells me the ii is G minor.

- I now have all the chords I need: G minor, C7 and F.

The following is list of ii-V-I progressions for each key. Here's how to read this. "Key:

Two (ii), Five-seven (V7), One (I)"

C: Dm, G7, C

Db: Ebm, Ab7, DbD: Em, A7, D

Eb: Fm, Bb7, Eb

E: F#m, B7, E

F: Gm, C7, F

Gb: Abm, Db7, Gb

G: Am, D7, G

Ab: Bbm, Eb7, Ab

A: Bm, E7, A

Bb: Cm, F7, Bb

B: C#m, F#7, B


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Once you know the ii-V-I progression to use for practicing a new chord, where on the

fretboard do you play the ii-V-I progression? For example, there are lots of G minors,

C7s and F majors all over the fretboard. How do I choose where to play each?

For maximum comprehension of the fretboard, you'd want to practice a new chord

with each of its notes as the melody note. For example, for a C7 chord, you wouldfind a chord shape that puts the C as the top note or melody note, then play shapes

that have the remaining notes -- E, G, and Bb -- on top.

Then, for the other chords in the ii-V-I progression, the F and the G minor in this case,

you'd find places to play them where their melody notes were close to the melody

note of the C major. For example, if you're playnig a C7 with the E on top, like the

good ol' C7 in open position, you'd do well to choose the F major bar chord that has

the F note on top, fret 1, string 1. And for the G minor, you might choose the G minor

bar chord with the G on top, fret 3, string 1.

In short, if you want to truly know a new chord, practice it with each of its notes asthe melody note within a ii-V-I progression. And keep the melody notes of each of the

ii-V-I chords close together.

Interval Riff Basics

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