Fusion Frollicks - Exercise Time!

So. If you've read all of my columns so far you should be able to get some inside / outside sounds over some popular minor and dominant progressions. It's ok to play pre determined licks, but I like to use any harmonic improvisational device as I would speak.  In this instalment we'll look at some ways to get familiar with the 'sounds of the outside' by creating excercises and by extending our phrase ideas.

I recently played on the alloutguitar. com stand at the London music show, where I had a few people come up to me and asked:

"Exactly how do you use these scales and sounds over a simple chord progression?"

A few other elementary fusioneers commented that

"when I throw in an outside lick it doesn't fit and sounds wrong!"

My knee jerk reaction to these comments is that you just have to practice and internalize the sounds so they become second nature. Most people want to use the "outside" in one sitting.

As you've probably heard or read, it all comes down to phrasing. This is my normal answer also. What exactly does that mean and how do you suddenly start 'phrasing'?

If you have a conversation with a friend about a piece of music, a good beer or movie, then the conversation might go like this;
"How's your beer?"
"OK"
Imagine that's the phrase you use when you start off improvising! Imagine listening into that conversation on the radio!!! Boring!
Once you've been playing a while and develop your improvising skills you might answer;
"Yeah, it's really nice. It's got a good head and not too gassy."
A bit more descriptive, but short and the next sentence will be unrelated.
if you think of outside playing as describing in more depth, using bigger words and more descriptive analogies then you might hear;
"It's a really good ale, with it's own personality and a flavor that really dances on your tongue. Each mouthful is like looking in your wallet and finding a lost tenner!
(and if your jamming and exchanging fours...)
Have a taste!" 

You can see that everything relates to the subject and the analogy of the wallet helps you fully understand the quality and elation that this quaff provides (in my case it's Innes & Gunn cask ale. Best beer in the world and it's Scottish!). It makes you fully understand the subject.

The master of this in an accessible verbal way, the Scott Henderson of the distorted anglo Saxon we speak is Jeremy Clarkson! He goes pretty outside in his monologues, but you can always follow him (although you may not agree with him!). 

You wouldn't say;

"Yeah, it's zipafastic, like a wardrobe in a quasifastical wibble nano octopus weed!"

Thats what using the wrong "notes" in a sentence sounds like. There are people who speak like this and good luck to them.

It takes time to learn the sounds, but that is the key. You can (or should be able to) sing a Major scale. Can you sing a pentatonic? What about an altered scale?

I had a real masterclass in phrase development when I went to see Return to Forever at the O2 centre recently (it was like watching the Gods play!). Chick Corea is well worth studying if your serious about this concept.

My old teacher, Dave Latchaw used to say if you can't sing it you can't play it!

A wise man indeed!