V IV Licks

[maciej dominik]

Hi. All best from Poland. Thanks for all your great work Johhny.

It would be great if you can record some video about playing V IV progresion

I’ve read your book , and I watched all your videos and I still have problem with V IV progresion.

I noticed that standard scales sound not good on this progresion. ( some chromatic scale lick sound better )

But I still have big problem with that.

[john]

Best way to approach a V 1V is to do a lick, then do it again one step lower. For example…
We’re in C. At the V which is G, play G B D as your lick, then the next bar is a 1V, which is F, so you play F A C.
You just keep in mind that the V chord is one whole step up from the 1V chord.

[maciej dominik]

Thanks for answer.

but when I play dominant chord in G scale. – D7 and my end note is on C ( 7 of D scale ) my lick is ending like this – D C# C
I have no idea what play on the last C chord…… everything what I play sound bad……

My ending is on C and now i must play C chord …..and it’s hard to do something close to this c ……..

When I playing clear chords like D F# A / C E G it’s working but there’s no nice melody…….

That’s why I was asking about some examples of playing connecting V to IV……….

I find beautifull lick on your video when you playing Eb E F F# – D ( high ) ( start of lick ) so i find chromatic scale are better …….

Anyway thanks for your help – I will be waiting for your video school for little more advanced players.

Here In Poland we got many many great jazz musicans but very few guys who know about roots rock n roll playing…….
Many people plays John Coltrane but nobody can play nice melody in rock n roll……..very strange thing 🙂

[john]

The example I gave was not a nice melody you’re right! Just to make a point.

But, if you play the scale exercises in the Killer Blues book/videos it does the V 1V and the patterns used work over it. The idea is to learn it the way I wrote it and then alter and change it with your own ideas, but based on the scales given.

It can work and be fun if you experiment and come up with something that repeats one tone lower like I said before, but another way to go about it is don’t even think about the 2 scales that are supposed to go over the 5 and 4, just use the tonic blues scale over both chords.
For example:
We’re in G again. On the 5 chord (D7) play a lick using the notes D E and G. Simple lick up and down, down and up whatever. These 3 notes are part of the G blues scale but you can play a little lick with them over the 5 4 progression and it will work.

Granted, the 3 notes are limiting with only so much we can do but it’s a good start and a good exercise. Keep doing it and then once you have found a lick or two that work using these 3 notes, add an A when on the 5 chord. Next add a C when it goes to the 4.

Now you’re using 5 notes instead of 3. This continues and soon you’re adding a high C then a Bb etc. Each time altering the melody a little bit to suite the new note you’re bringing in.

This is the way to learn and get to be able to improvise melodies which are good and work over these progressions. It’s not magic. So, you can also copy someone you like playing over this progression and learn a couple licks he did…now you got another idea or 2.

Yes, some jazz players say that rock and blues is easy. The theory behind it is easy to understand and much simpler than jazz but it’s not so easy to play some great melodies and solos over 3 chords… even harder over one chord!

[maciej dominik]

thank you very much !

I immediately go to practice. ( I got 10:00 a.m here 🙂

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