Sometimes you can dance around the root. For Ex. 5, imagine you’re the rhythm guitarist for Sly & the Family Stone. There are a lot of single notes based around G7 that are played short and punchy. Once in a while, give the line some release by bringing it home to the root. This is another way to switch gears and draw some more interesting ideas out of your playing.
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I describe the concept in Ex. 6 as using “obtuse sustained three-note variations.” This is simply choosing three notes and working them rhythmically in different variations. The roots of this idea came while playing with Krantz and Carlock. It’s another nice device to have in your rhythmic toolbox.
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In the final two examples I’m going to play over a broken urban beat played by Mark Guiliana. This is a very current phenomenon right now. Many young cats have incorporated this skill into their repertoire. It requires that your time be very steady.
One of the most important approaches to dealing with this kind of beat is to not mix it up too much with the drummer. Playing longer notes and even chords like Pino Palladino is an effective way of creating a groove that is fun and hopefully listenable to your audience. In Ex. 7 I developed a little motif using space and not fighting the jagged beat much. At first, practice playing simply over messed-up beats.
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Finally, in Ex. 8 I’m playing eighth-note based lines and embellishing them on top. In this example, I intend the thrust of the line to be pulsating eighth-notes à la Pino or Sly Stone, then adding jagged tenths to keep the line moving. Practice playing steady eighth-notes against the beat, then toss in the occasional off-kilter note or fill.
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