Higher Octaves: Jazz Guitar Improvisation

Video Transcript

"CASEY CORMIER: Okay, so now, we've learned this excerpt of a melody so far in open position, and we know we had D flat, C, B flat, G, F, E flat, D flat, D, C, D flat, A, so far, that's what we need to know. That's nice, but if there's another bassist playing or something, if we played the melody down here, if there are other instruments, we want to be the higher instrument, we really want to know to go up. So, let's use octaves to figure out where you are. Remember, if we're playing on the high strings, two frets--two strings down, and three frets up, will give us an octave. Another way of thinking of it is this is a B flat, right. So, let's find the B flat on the E string, E, F, G, A, B flat, anyway a B flat to C, and this is interval stuff, so we understand this is a whole step away because of the B flat. Now, we have an F here--or the G, sorry. So, we can use our first finger to play B flat. Now what is this similar to? It's very much like a B flat Dorian scale. You going to want recognizing things like this so remember B flat Dorian. That way, you can, kind a, figure your position in, and you won't get lost if you end up, maybe doing some embellishments. So, we're now back in that position."