Guitar Lesson: More Displacement Ideas
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Guitar Lesson: More Displacement Ideas

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Figure A is an A Dorian kind of sound. Working over your typical II – V progression – in this case Am to D7 – the first bar take some chord tones and lands on the 3rd of D7 on the first beat of the second bar. This is a strong sound, which adds some rhythmic variety and a few tasty note choices (C and Eb) creating a D7b9 arpeggio.

 

With Figure B you’ll see the same phrase that now starts on beat 2. The note choice still seems to work although the movement creates a longer phrase in the second bar.

 

Figure C and Figure D take a B Dorian type idea and again combine some chord tones and passing notes to state the Bm7 – E7 – D – E7 progression. Figure C feels more ‘on the beat’ in the first bar with the F# creating a dominant 9 sound on the E7 chord. By starting the phrase one semi quaver (to start on the e of 1), Figure D then has a slightly more disjointed feel thanks to the later start.

 

Figure E takes a repetitive pattern that could work on Gm/G7/Dm/Bb (and plenty more). As a group of 3 semi quavers in 4/4 with two semi quavers rest in between phrases it moves on each iteration. So starting on the 1 of the first bar, it already sounds rhythmically interesting.

 

Move onto Figure F and you get the phrase starting on the ‘1 e’. Listen carefully to where the phrase starts and finishes and get used to hearing and counting 4/4 making the down beats strong. Like last month, a metronome or drum loop can be handy to really lock into. And turning these into music, rather than just licks or exercises, really helps you get a feel for how and where they might fit into your playing.