Joe Stump's "Harmonic Minor Shapes and Fragments" Lesson
[Click here to download a PowerTab file for the lesson below]
Hey guys (and gals too, of course), Joe Stump here with some brief lesson action for you. I thought I’d do a lesson about something I’m quite versed in and that’s usage of the Harmonic minor scale. What I’ve done is given 3 fairly short examples displaying some cool shapes I like to use when improvising in this scale. If you’re not familiar with the scale then I suggest you get the basic shapes of it down before messing with the stuff enclosed in this lesson. One thing I like to do when working on different scale shapes and trying to make them feel natural under my hands is to create a run / lick / exercise type of bit, where I’m linking several shapes together. Some of the examples might seem a little exercise-like, but when used in the context of a solo you can break them up with various phrasing ideas to stretch more out of them.
Example 1 contains 4 different scale shapes and this lick would be used over an E dominant Phrygian chord sequence (the 5th mode of A harmonic minor) . The first part of the run is a diminished hexatonic shape, hextaonic meaning 6 tone scale shape. It’s a G# diminished arpeggio with the middle note from the scale added on each string. I play this run in 3 octaves using economy picking while ascending (down up down, then down up down on the following string). The 3 octave six tone shapes are great for blazing across the neck. Then, in measure 2 of the run, I descend playing a 3-note-per-string dominant Phrygian shape but doubling one note instead of just going down diatonically. After that, in the 3rd measure of example 1, I play another diminished hexatonic; this one is just an inverted version of the first diminished shape once again in 3 octaves. The run ends with a symmetrical run right down the harmonic minor scale playing a 4 note / 3 note scale shape in 2 octaves. I’m using economy picking on all of the ascending portions of example 1 and strict alternate picking on the descending parts. With any of these examples you can play them at any speed. I’ll use these over a fast double bass speed metal groove with the quarter note anywhere between 116-140 or over a slower kind of gothic metal feel with the quarter note at 100-116. But of course practice them at whatever tempo is comfortable and start out playing them cleanly and articulately.
Example 1:
|-----------------------------------------------10-12-13-|
|---------------------------------------9-10-12----------|
|-------------------7-9-10-------7-9-10------------------|
|-------------6-7-9--------6-7-9-------------------------|
|-------5-7-8--------------------------------------------|
|-4-5-7--------------------------------------------------|
|-16-13-12----------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------15-13-12-------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------16-14-13----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------15-14-12-------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------15-14-12-11-12-14-12-11----------11-|
|-------------------------------------------------------------13-12-13----|
|----------------------------------------------------------------16-17-19-|
|-------------------------------------------------------15-17-18----------|
|----------------------------13-14-16----------13-14-16-------------------|
|-------------------12-14-15----------12-14-15----------------------------|
|----------11-12-14-------------------------------------------------------|
|-10-12-13----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-20-19-17-16------------------------------------------------|
|-------------18-17-15---------------------------------------|
|----------------------17-16-14p13---------------------------|
|----------------------------------15-14-12------------------|
|-------------------------------------------15-14-12-11------|
|--------------------------------------------------------0---|
Example 2 starts with another 6 tone shape, a cool E dominant Phrygian hexatonic with the root of the E dominant Phrygian scale on the 5th string. The first 2 measures are all alternate picked just playing that standard ascending six note Al Di Meola style picking fragment. Then the descending portion is right out of the Uli Jon Roth / Yngwie Malmsteen school of harmonic minor playing (two of my favorite players and main influences), once again using that 4 note / 3 note symmetrical shape that was played in the last measure of example 1, but adding some alternate picking fragments to it to create a more complex melodic idea. The last run is a 2 measure example once again starting with yet another economy picked hexatonic, this one being just the first 6 tones of the A natural or A harmonic minor scale.
Example 2:
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------9-10-13-|
|-------------------------------------------9-10-12---------|
|---------------7-8-11-7-8-11--------7-8-11-----------------|
|-7-8-10-7-8-10---------------7-8-10------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------12-13-16--|
|-------------------------------------------------12-13-15-----------|
|-----------------9-10-13-9-10-13---------9-10-13--------------------|
|-9-10-12-9-10-12-----------------9-10-12----------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-20-19-17-16-17-19-17p16----------16-------------------------------------|
|-------------------------18-17-18----18-15-17-18-17-15-21-15-17-18-17-15-|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|-17-16-14-13-14-16-14-13----------13----------------------|
|-------------------------15-14-15----15-14-12-------------|
|----------------------------------------------15-14-12-11-|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
You can play example 3 in either A natural or harmonic minor. The second half of it is quite a bit more difficult as you have what’s known as a mixed minor run, this is where I’m playing both A natural and harmonic minor combined using the 7th tones from both scales. The 7 note groupings in the second bar of example 3 are tough to get the hang of, but it’s really just a flowing wave of notes played inside the time. The toughest part is where you’ve got 4 notes on the second string. What I end up doing is playing a slide from A to G# on my b string so I can get the next string on a down stroke, once again using economy picking for the last ascending portion of example 3.
Example 3:
|--------------------------------------------------10-12-13-|
|-----------------------------------------10-12-13----------|
|--------------------7-9-10--------7-9-10-------------------|
|-------------7-9-10--------7-9-10--------------------------|
|-------5-7-8-----------------------------------------------|
|-5-7-8-----------------------------------------------------|
|-13-12-10--------------------------------------------------------------8-10-12--|
|----------13-12-10-\9------------------------------------------9-10-12----------|
|----------------------12-10-9--------------------------9-10-12------------------|
|------------------------------12-10-9----------9-10-12--------------------------|
|--------------------------------------12-11-12----------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Well there you go, best of luck! And if you enjoy this type of European / classically-influenced playing then by all means check some of my recordings out as well as my instructional DVD’s.
Thanks,
Joe Stump
Essential Joe Stump links:
www.joestump.com
www.myspace.com/joestump
... and don't forget to buy "Speed Metal Messiah"!
-- Dave B.