A classic example of vertical approach is “wrapping the chord”. That means that certain notes of the current chord and neighboring ones are played: Wrapping Chords.
Another vertical approach is to play modes according to the chord-changes. For this you will get help from the "Recommended Modes" table or from the "harmolod" program in the "Harmony" section of CAL Programs.
The vertical approach demands a perfect knowledge of harmony and quick-thinking. Sometimes the modes that the soloist plays may be too far out of the basic key of the song or of the section. That's why we got the horizontal approach:
If the current chord is the result of the harmonization of the basic scale of the song, there's no problem: one can improvise freely inside the scale. If a chord that contains one or two notes that don't belong to the basic scale emerges, the improviser may go on thinking about the same scale with one or two exceptions.
Some examples: Diagonal Approach.
Another situation is when sections of the song are written in other scales than the basic one: Modulation
Inside the scale one can play:
- 2-notes patterns: intervals
- 3-notes patterns: triads
- 4-notes patterns: arpeggios
- 5-notes patterns: pentatonic scales
- 6-notes patterns: blues scales
- 7 or 8-notes patterns: scales
Some examples:
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