TOOLS TO CREATE SOLO GUITAR MUSIC
Example is an analysis of Ottmar Liebert’s
“Bombay”
From the cd “The Hours Between Night & Day”
E Major Scale (3 notes per string - Open position)
\
. ||---|-F#|---|-G#|-A-|---|---
. ||---|-C#|---|-D#|-E-|---|---
. ||-G#|-A-|---|-B-|---|---|---
. ||-D#|-E-|---|-F#|---|---|---
A ||---|-B-|---|-C#|---|---|---
E ||---|-F#|---|-G#|---|---|---
/
E Major Scale ( 4th position)
\
||---|---|---|-G#|-A-|---|-B-|---
||---|---|---|-D#|-E-|---|-F#|---
||---|---|---|-B-|---|-C#|---|---
||---|---|---|-F#|---|-G#|-A-|---
||---|---|---|-C#|---|-D#|-E-|---
||---|---|---|-G#|-A-|---|-B-|---
/
Chords in E Major:
E F#m G#m A B C#m D#dim E
---0----2----4----0----2----4------2----0---
---0----2----4----2----4----5-----------0---
---1----2----4----2----4----6------2----1---
---2----4----6----2----4----6------1----2---
---2----4----6----0----2----4-----------2---
---0----2----4--------------------------0---
Ottmar’s chords for “Bombay”:
Eadd9 Eadd9 F#m7 F#11 A Aadd9 Am9 Bsus4 C#m G#
---0-----9-----2-----0----0----0-----0-----0-----4----4--
---0-----9-----5-----0----5----2-----1-----0-----5----4--
---1----11-----2-----3----6----4-----4-----4-----6----5--
---4-----9-----2-----4----7----2-----2-----4-----6----6--
---2-----7-----4-----4----0----0-----0-----2-----4----6--
---0-----0-----2-----2--------------------------------4—
THE EXAMPLE
The example is not identical to the cd as my intention was to show how a composition can be created and improvised
by combining a major scale and the related chords from a chosen key.
Played free time (no set rhythm or speed)
Part A (Play 2x)
Eadd9 Chord is established Start on a chord note and create melody with scale Chord re-established
||---------------0----0--|--------------------------------------------|---------------0------0--|
||--------------------0--|--------------------------------------------|----------------------0--|
||----1-------1-------1--|--1--2--4--6--6--6--6----4--2--1----4--2--1-|----1-------1---------1--|
||---------4----------4--|--------------------------------------------|---------4------------4--|
||------2-------------2--|--------------------------------------------|------2---------------2--|
||--0-----------------0--|--------------------------------------------|--0-------------------0--|
Start on a chord note and create your own improvised melody with scale
Eadd9 Chord re-established
More melody… Eadd9
|----------------------------------|---------------0----0--|---------------------------9-------||
|----------------------------------|--------------------0--|--------------------------9-9------||
|--1--2--4—“insert your own idea”--|----1-------1-------1--|-------------------------11--11----||
|----------------------------------|---------4----------4--|--2--4--6--7--4----------9----9----||
|----------------------------------|------2-------------2--|-----------------7--7---7------7---||
|----------------------------------|--0-----------------0--|-----------------------0--------0--||
Part B (Play 2x)
New chord from Again start on chord
Key is established note & improvise melody etc…
A F#m7 Eadd9
||------------------------0--|-----------------2--2--|--4--5--4--2--0--2--------------0---||
||------------------------5--|--2--4--5--4--5-----5--|------------------------------------||
||-----------------4--6---6--|--------------------2--|------------------------1-----1-----||
||--------4--6--7---------7--|--------------------2--|----------------------------4-------||
||-----7------------------0--|--------------------4--|--------------------------2---------||
||--0------------------------|--------------------2--|----------------------0-------------||
Part C (Play 2x)
C#m A C#m
||-----------------4--|--------------0--|-----------------4--|--4--7--5--4-----0---|---0--||
||-----4--5--4--5--5--|-----4--5--7--5--|-----4--5--4--5--5--|--------------5--5---|---0--||
||--6--------------6--|--6-----------6--|--6--------------6--|-----------------6---|---4--||
||-----------------6--|--------------7--|-----------------6--|-----------------7---|---4--||
||-----------------4--|--------------0--|-----------------4--|-----------------0---|---2--|| br>
||--------------------|-----------------|--------------------|---------------------|------||
Note: Below you will find chords that do not belong
to the key of E Major. A nice way to introduce an
outside chord is turn a major chord from the original
key into a minor chord or a minor from the original
key into a major chord.
Part D
Chord from the This section play an improvised solo
Original Key was G#m using your E major scale and
every now and then play the low E string
G# as a drone effect behind your solo…
||--------4--|-------------0------------------------|---------------------------9-------||
||--------4--|-------------0------------------------|--------------------------9-9------||
||--------5--|----2--1-----1------------------------|-------------------------11--11----||
||--------6--|----------2--4------------------------|--2--4--6--7--4----------9----9----||
||--------6--|-------------2------------------------|-----------------7--7---7------7---||
||--5--4--4--|--0----------0------------------------|-----------------------0--------0--||
Part E (Play as many times as you
wish)
Hold “Aadd9 ” chord …………………………… Hold “Am9 ” chord ……………………………
||-----0----0--0--0-----|-----0----0--0--0-----|-----0----0--0--0----|-----0----0--0--------|
||-----2----2--2-----2--|-----2----2--2-----2--|-----1----1--1----1--|-----1----1--1-----3--|
||-----4----4--4--------|-----4----4--4--------|-----4----4--4-------|-----4----4--4--------|
||-------------2--------|-------------2--------|-------------2-------|-------------2--------|
||--0----0-----0--------|--0----0-----0--------|--0----0-----0-------|--0----0-----0--------|
||----------------------|----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
Hold “Eadd9 ” chord …………………………… Hold “F#11 ” chord ……………………………
||-------------0--------|-------------0--------|-------------0-------|-------------0-------||
||-----0----0--0--0-----|-----0----0--0--0-----|-----0----0--0--0----|-----0----0--0--0----||
||-----1----1--1-----1--|-----1----1--1-----1--|-----3----3--3----3--|-----3----3--3----3--||
||-----4----4--4--------|-----4----4--4--------|-----4----4--4-------|-----4----4--4-------||
||-------------2--------|-------------2--------|-------------4-------|-------------4-------||
||--0----0-----0--------|--0----0-----0--------|--2----2-----2-------|--2----2-----2-------||
Part F (The Ending)
|---------------0----0--|---------------------------9-------||
|--------------------0--|--------------------------9-9------||
|----1-------1-------1--|-------------------------11--11----||
|---------4----------4--|--2--4--6--7--4----------9----9----||
|------2-------------2--|-----------------7--7---7------7---||
|--0-----------------0--|-----------------------0--------0--||
