building bebop lines

[RobertParticipant]

Rick, When running up the chords while constructing a line, can you start on any diatonic chord in the key? In other words, over a G7 chord, can you run up an A minor chord? Or an Eminor chord over the G7? Or is it best to start on the 1, 3, 5, or 7? I tried it with Band in a box and it doesn’t sound too bad.
Thanks
Bob

[Rick StoneKeymaster]

Bob,
You can certainly start on almost anything, but you’ll notice that for Dominant 7th Scales, running the chords on 3rd, 5th or 7th definitely retain more of the sound of the change. I think it’s also important to note that the ends of your lines (where you land) are far more important than the beginnings. And of course, the less time you have on a change, the more focused you want your ideas to be. Consider John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” solo; most of the phrases are just 1235, 1531, or a descending dominant scale with a single chromatic between 1 and b7. When changes move fast, you pretty much just have to nail it. On the other hand, if you’re playing over a chord that hangs out for awhile (as in a modal situation) you have a lot more leeway to stray because you’ll have time to resolve the idea.
~ Rick

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