Easy Listening Improvising - Key of G

So you've learnt your scales, you have good rhythm and you're been playing a few licks here and there. Now it's time to put the theory into practice. This improvisation MP3 uses the G Major & E Minor scales with a definite Laid Back Easy Listening feel to it. So get your fingers ready and see what you can do with this backing track.

Title: 70's America

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Chord Progression...

Progression 1
| Am7     | Dsus2   | Am7     | Dsus2   |
| Am7     | Dsus2   | Am7     | Dsus2   |
| G  D/F# | Em      | C  G/B  | Am      |
| G  D/F# | Em      | C  G/B  | D       |

Repeat Progression 1

Variation
| Bm7     | C       | G       | D       |
| Bm7     | C       | G       | D       |
| Am      | C       | Em      | D       |
| Am      | C       | G       | D       | D        |

End
| Am7 | Dsus2 | Am7 | Dsus2 |
| Am7 | Dsus2 | Am7 | Dsus2 |

Use the E Minor Pentatonic Scale...

R = Lowest Root Note
r = root note (other)

---|-r-|---|---|-o-|---
---|-o-|---|---|-o-|---
---|-o-|---|-o-|---|---
---|-o-|---|-r-|---|---
---|-o-|---|-o-|---|---
---|-R-|---|---|-o-|---

R --> starts on the 12th fret or Open (E Minor Pentatonic)

...or the G Major Scale

---|-o-|-r-|---|---|---
---|---|-o-|---|-o-|---
---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---
---|-o-|---|-o-|-r-|---
---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---
---|---|-R-|---|-o-|---

R --> starts on the 3rd fret (G Major)

...or the E Minor Scale (Relative Minor)

---|---|---|-r-|---|-o-|-o-|---|---
---|---|---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---|---
---|---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---|---|---
---|-o-|---|-o-|---|-r-|---|---|---
---|-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|---|---|---
---|-o-|---|-R-|---|-o-|---|---|---

R --> starts on the 12th fret (E Minor)

Scale: D Major Scale

1 - [T] - 2 - [T] - 3 - <S> - 4 - [T] - 5 - [T] - 6 - [T] - 7 - <S> - 8

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
G	A	B	C	D	E	F#	G

Chord Key Relation (Common chords used in this key):

1th Major	2nd Minor	3rd Minor	4th Major	5th Major	6th Minor	7th Diminished	8th Octave
G	Am	Bm	C	D	Em	F#dim	G

Degree Formula	Chords	Chord Formula *	Chord Notes *	Progression Chords	Chord Formula **	Chord Notes **
1st Major	G Major	1-3-5	G-B-D	G	1-3-5	G-B-D
2nd Minor	A Minor	1-3b-5	A-C-E	Am7	1-3-57b	A-C-E-G
3rd Minor	B Minor	1-3b-5	B-D-F#	Bm7	1-3-5-7b	B-D-F#-A
4th Major	C Major	1-3-5	C-E-G	C	1-3-5	C-E-G
5th Major	D Major	1-3-5	D-F#-A	Dsus2	1-4-5	D-E-A
6th Minor	E Minor	1-3b-5	E-G-B	Em	1-3b-5	E-G-B
7th Diminished	F# Diminished	1-3b-5b	F#-A-C	D/F#	3-1-3-5	F#-D-F#-A
8th Octave	G Major	1-3-5	G-B-D

Degree Formula - This is a formula that work out the chords used in any key
Chords - These are the common chords used in the key of D Major
Chord Formula * - This is the formula that creates chords, 1-3-5 representing the 1st, 3rd & 5th notes of any 8 note Major Scale
Chord Notes * - These are the notes created from the previous column, Chord Formula
Progression Chords - These are the chords used in the song
Chord Formula ** - This is the formula that creates the chords in the previous column
Chord Notes ** - These are the notes created from the previous column, Chord Formula

All of the chords used in this song are made up from the notes in the G Major / E Minor scales (G Major & E Minor are the same scale only the root notes are different). Below is a great starting pattern for improvising in a Major key. Since the riff below starters on a G note then the riff is in the key of G. You could play this same riff up 2 frets then you would be playing in the key of A Major.

|----------------------------------------10--------10-8-7------|
|---------------------------------8--10b----r10--8--------10-8-|
|---------------------------7--9-------------------------------|
|-----------------5--7-/-9-------------------------------------|
|-----------5--7-----------------------------------------------|
|-3--5-/-7-----------------------------------------------------|

Play up and down this scale, get it fluent and improvising will flow more naturally.