Creative Chromatics Masterclass: Advanced

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this JTC masterclass!

There are three parts: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. You can choose your level, but consider working through the whole masterclass. Even if you can play the licks or exercises from the Intermediate or Advanced parts, you might still learn something new from the easier parts.

The format is similar for all three parts. We’ll start by looking at some theoretical concepts, with exercises to develop your technique or fretboard knowledge. Next we’ll see how these concepts can be used in a real musical situation, using a series of short licks and a longer solo.

Are you ready?

THE CONCEPT OF THIS MASTERCLASS

This masterclass is all about the OTHER notes. The notes outside of the scale or arpeggio, the notes between the scale notes. The wrong notes? Well, maybe, but we’re going to show you how you can make them sound interesting, not wrong.

We’re going to work with these other notes in a few different ways, but the general term we use for this is “chromaticism” or “chromatics”. This refers to the fact that all the notes in our musical system can be found in the chromatic scale. For an introductory guide to the chromatic scale, check out the Beginner section!

THE PHYSICAL ELEMENT

One of the challenges in working with a new set of melodic ideas is that you have to force your fingers into new patterns. We all spend hours working on scale and arpeggio shapes, so it can be a challenge to start adding the “wrong” notes without hesitation. With that in mind, a lot

of the exercises in all three parts of this masterclass are designed to work on a physical level, increasing your flexibility... the physical flexibility of your hands AND your knowledge of the fretboard layout.

SELF SUFFICIENCY

And on that subject, it’s always a good idea to design your own exercises. Think about what you find difficult (finger combinations, string crossing, etc) and build short phrases that force you to deal with those difficulties. In the context of this masterclass, that would mean focusing on lines using the chromatic scale in various ways.

You only need short phrases; the aim is to isolate your problem as starkly as possible. In the privacy of your own home, no one can hear you scream! You can then loop the phrase, or move it around chromatically. And with that in mind...