Not that kind of scale, knucklehead!

There are two primary schools of thought when it comes to scales and improvisation. The first is to treat each chord as a separate entity and improvise using certain scales/modes over each one individually. I like to think of this as “vertical improvisation” as the player deals with each chord individually.

The second is to think more linearly – “horizontal improvisation” – by finding the cadence patterns and chord progressions that fall under a certain scale/mode, and then adding certain alterations to spice up the lines.

Both ways work, but does one necessarily work better than the other?

Is there a secret method or special trick you can use to master the scales and chord progressions and be able to become the fiercest soloist on the block?

First and foremost, let’s answer the question:

No, there is no trick!

Hey, it's cheap...

C’mon folks, if you thought there really was a trick then I have some land to sell you. There are no tricks, no matter what people tell you. Both methods require hard work and lots of shedding, so let’s dispel any notions to the contrary.

Vertical Improvisation

As I mentioned previously, vertical improvisation deals with each chord as a separate entity. Surely, you would identify certain progressions such as ii-V-I’s as a single unit, but the overarching principle is to look at each chord on its own. For example, let’s take a ii-V-I in the key of Ab Major:

Bbm7 / / /  |  Eb7 / / /  |  AbMaj7 / / /  |  / / / /  |

A typical vertical improvisation approach to this progression would go like this:

Bbm7 = Bb Dorian mode
Eb7 = E melodic minor scale
AbMaj7 = Ab Major or Ab Lydian mode

This is obviously not the only way, but it is perhaps the most basic for vertical improvisation.

Improvising this way requires the player to first memorize all three of these scales and, secondly, know how to play them in all areas of the fingerboard.

Horizontal Improvisation

Let’s take the same ii-V-I in Ab:

Bbm7 / / /  |  Eb7 / / /  |  AbMaj7 / / /  |  / / / /  |

Jimmy Bruno

Using the Horizontal Improvisation approach, you would think of this whole section as being all in the key of Ab Major. In this way you really only need to learn one set of fingerings or scale (for lack of a better term). However, this in and of itself is going to sound very stale and boring. Jimmy Bruno, as an example, teaches in his Guitar Institute that you make certain alterations to address certain sounds in the progression – he calls them “outside notes.”

This approach requires the player to have all of the fingerings for the key figured out on the entire fingerboard, as well as knowing where all of the altered/outside sounds are within the larger framework. When playing a b9 during the Eb7 you essentially need to know where all of the ‘E’ notes on the guitar are, but you need to know these as b9′s and as the note names. It’s a lot harder than you think.

The Hybrid

Pat Martino

There is a pseudo third school of thought which I think of as something of a hybrid. Pat Martino comes to mind in this method. In his approach, everything is reduced to a minor sound. (It’s really more of a Dorian mode sound than a regular minor one.) His concept is similar to Bruno’s in that he thinks of everything as minor (as compared to Bruno thinking in Major), but all of the alterations are already included in Martino’s lines. If you study Martino’s approach you will see that it’s not just a “Dorian” sound but a highly chromatic/altered concept within a tonal center. The lines themselves inherently teach you all of the alterations and color tones by simply learning his approach to playing. There is no analysis or specific identification of one note being the b9 or this or #5 of that; it’s all about the sound.

Which Way is Better?

Well that’s the million-dollar question now, isn’t it. To be honest, I can’t definitively answer that. It’s really up to you to decide what works best for you. I have had great amounts of success with both. Bruno’s system filled in many holes I had in my fretboard knowledge in a very short amount of time. My knowledge of the guitar is 1000% better thanks to his method. But I’ve also had success with the vertical approach (and I’m studying Martino’s approach currently).

My suggestion, however, is for you to try all of the approaches and see what works for you. I recommend you work one at a time so as to not confuse yourself. Start with one and milk it for as long as you can. When you’ve gotten all you can out of it, move on to the next. It will probably take you a very long time in each one before you switch, so be patient.

Most importantly, have fun!