We are delighted to welcome back session virtuoso Carl Verheyen to show us some great fusion ideas over Jason Sidwell’s track, Good To Go. Jon Bishop is your guide.
We are thrilled to welcome back Carl Verheyen for another fantastic video masterclass. There’s plenty of great instrumental rock vocabulary to dissect this month, so let’s get cracking.
Carl is an experienced studio musician so his first job was create his own chart for Jason’s piece, Good To Go. This is a valid approach to see where all the chord changes are; it also skips the need to memorise the track. This chart is shared on both the video and in the magazine so you too can see where all the changes are. The tempo is 111bpm with a shuffle feel, so we have opted for a 12/8 time signature since Carl plays many phrases using a triplet rhythm, so using 12/8 makes for a tidy way to notate the piece.
As Carl explains, the first verse uses A Lydian mode which has the same notes as
Carl soloing on Jason’s track, Good To Go the A Major scale only with a raised 4th (A-B-C#-D#-E-F#-G#). Another way to access this sound is to play the E Major scale but base the phrases around the key centre note of A. The track is quite busy so Carl uses high string bends to stay clear of the other moving bass and guitar parts (Example 1).
The chorus toggles between the F and Gm chords, the first and second chords in the key of F Major. The obvious choice of scale here is F Major (F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E) but Carl also uses the more concise sounding F Major Pentatonic (F-G-A-C-D).
One of Carl’s key concepts is his use of wide intervals. As he explains, he likes to break up scale runs with intervallic leaps since a predictable ‘up and down the scale’ run is not the most musical idea to his ear. Another concept he demonstrates is the use of a pre-composed motif that can be used as a jumping off point for improvisation. This ensures a strong initial statement and allows for interesting departures into other areas such as the blues.
For the chorus’s turnaround Carl likes to outline the chord changes by using guide tones from the chords. This ensures a melodic line is maintained through any tricky chord changes. If you are new to this concept you might like to start by aiming to hit the G# when the E7 chord is used, then resolving to A as Verse 3 starts. The middle section moves to F# Minor and the scale of choice is F# Blues scale (F#-A-B-C-C#-E). Carl demonstrates a novel way to change position by utilising the open second string (see Example 4). He also makes the phrases come to life using articulations such as finger slides, string bends and vibrato, with legato smoothing out the delivery.
If you find an idea you like then memorise it for future solos, especially if wide interval phrasing appeals. Then create a solo of your own over the spirited Goo
