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Perception vs. Harmonic in Rock Fusion

Richard Lundmark

Welcome guys, to a perhaps somewhat "out there" tutorial =) What we will set out to do here is to open our ears and improvising up to the harmonic context of any chord of choice we might be laying over, be it generic pop or hard core fusion. we want to try and alter our (and our listeners) perception of the harmonies we play over, by our note and scale choice when improvising. If your audience hears the voicing and think "now this is going to be some serious minor and altered playing", you might want to surprise both them and yourself by playing major, AND making both the audience and yourself really buy into the fact that it does work. At this point, I'm pretty sure you're wondering what I'm rambling about. Just stay tuned, and head on over to part one, and all shall be explained!

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10 Lessons

  1. 1 1:33 Lesson · 2m Perception vs. Harmonic Context in Fusion - Intro Welcome guys, to a perhaps somewhat "out there" tutorial =) What we will set out to do here is to open our ears and improvising up to the harmonic context of any chord of choice we might be laying over, be it...
  2. 2 7:34 Lesson · 8m Perception vs. Harmonic Context in Fusion - Part 1 Ok then. We begin our journey through these 4 chords with a simple Asus4! I've chosen this voicing because it sounds very "in-between", and can be easily tweaked to serve as a platform for both major and minor... Tab
  3. 3 5:22 Lesson · 5m Perception vs. Harmonic Context in Fusion - Part 2 The same thing applies here, listen to the video examples, and follow suit yourself over the backing. As I mention in the video though, certain chords, such as this one, might have a strong inclination towards... Tab
  4. 4 7:41 Lesson · 8m Perception vs. Harmonic Context in Fusion - Part 3 Nothing differs here, you get the idea by now. This articular chord shares notes with both the A Whole-Half diminished, but also with A Lydian (the #4 and 7 in common apart from the root). So try the A Lydian... Tab
  5. 5 6:36 Lesson · 7m Perception vs. Harmonic Context in Fusion - Part 4 & Outro This is the last chord of the sequence, and when practicing over the Part 4. Backing, start out by playing the tried and true A Whole-Half diminished. Treat A as the root, or "home-base", but also try to play... Tab
  6. 6 3:12 Backing track · 3m Perception vs. Harmonic Context - Backing #1 Here's the backing track for the first chord, the Asus4. Its just a vamp with the same chord for what will probably feel like an infinity :) But get grooving, and I'm sure you'll come up with some great stuff... Tab
  7. 7 3:12 Backing track · 3m Perception vs. Harmonic Context - Backing #2 Here is the backing track for chord number 2. As we discussed in the video part, try both whole-half, and half-whole diminished scales over this (as well as perhaps whole-tone or what not). Tab
  8. 8 3:12 Backing track · 3m Perception vs. Harmonic Context - Backing #3 Over this third backing track, you might want to try out Lydian as well, since both the #4 and the 7 is present in this voicing. Tab
  9. 9 3:12 Backing track · 3m Perception vs. Harmonic Context - Backing #4 Over the fourth chord, the A half-whole diminished will fit like a glove! However, you might also want to try playing it as if Ab was the root, to "alter" your perception of "home base". Tab
  10. 10 3:12 Backing track · 3m Perception vs. Harmonic Context - Full Backing Ok! Time for the full backing track! I have chosen to keep the drums very, very basic. This because I want you to focus mainly on note choice and harmony here, and not on playing fast, or going with rhythmical... Tab

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