Improvising - One Note Jams
The possibilities are almost endless with a one note jam!
Before I say anything about playing over one note, I want to mention that when you improvise, you can play anything you want. You don't need to be restricted to any rules.
The rules, if we are to call them that, are simply a way for our brains to absorb sounds and be able to classify them. Give them a name essentially.
One note jams may seem a bit boring but they are actually quite fun to play over. And the number of options you have to practice different scales and arpeggios is huge.
This page presents a few different tracks to play over. One thing I have just come to realize though is that if you are using the speaker from a phone or laptop, it is a bit hard to hear the bass. You will find these more helpful if you plug into some speakers.
C Harmonic Minor Scales
One Note G Jam
There are a lot of options for improvising over this jam. The bass is mostly playing a G however there is an F being played on the run which is limiting our options a bit. For example, we would not want to play in the key of G major because G major has one sharp and that one sharp is an F#.
One Note G Jam - Different tempo and feel
This particular jam presents even more possibilities from the one above. Because it is just a G we could play in many keys. Let's explore:
Mixolydian - treat as the V chord in C.
Lydian - treat as IV chord in D
To let your ears get used to this sound try playing an A chord on strings 1 2 3 for two measures then resolve it to a G chord for two measures. This is a great sound but may require some getting used to. I will try to get a video and page up for this particular topic very soon.
Aeolian - Treat as the 6th chord in Bb (So in this case you are thinking about the chord as a Gm or Gm7)
Ionian - Treat as I chord in the key of G major
Dorian - Treat as ii chord in the key of F (again would be thinking of as a minor chord)
Phrygian - Treat as iii chord in the key of Eb (Bb, Eb, Ab)
Locrian - Treat as vii chord in key of Ab (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db) This would mean you are thinking of chord as diminished or Gm7b5.
One Note E Jam
E7 Arpeggio
A Harmonic Minor
Tempo = 90 bpm
There would be a lot of possibilities playing over this jam track with the bass essentially just playing an E. To keep on track with our Harmonic Minor sounds though, let us treat this as E7 - The V chord in the key of A Harmonic Minor.
However, if you feel like exploring other sounds, you can use:
- E Lydian (Key of B with 5 sharps - F#, C#, G#, D#, A#)
- E Major Scales (Key of E with 4 sharps - F#, C#, G#, D#)
- E Mixolydian (Key of A with 3 sharps - F#, C#, G#)
- E Dorian (Key of D with 2 sharps - F#, C#)
- E Minor Scales (Key of G with 1 sharp - F#)
- E Phrygian (Key of C with no sharps or flats)
- E Locrian (Key of F with 1 flat - Bb)
- E Blues Scale
- E Minor Pentatonic
E Major in 9th
E Mixolydian in 9th
E Dorian in 9th
E Minor in 9th
