Questions about what progressions to use with scale?

ThrowBackMan

New member
Hey Music Guru's..

I'm just now learning theory after playing the guitar mostly rock and blues for many years just doing bluesy stuff and playing the pentatonic scale of course.

So, I understand a little bit of theory as in the Major and Minor Chords, Augmented, Dimished, etc, and the scales and that they are used over the chords to solo, but I'm confused about something..

If I hear a certain solo that I have heard played by one of my favorite artists for instance and let's say for argument, or am example that I'm interested in playing a scale such as "Harmonic Minor" over any Rhythm I play. I know that certain chords or progressions lend themselves to the use of the Harmonic Minor Scale, but what chords or scales? Or, should I pick the chords first and then pick the scales or does it matter?

I understand if I'm writing music and I use 3 chords and they are whatever that my scales all have to use the same notes as those chords in my scale as the chords are being played, etc, but I want to color the song a certain way, and I want a certain scale to do so within the context of those chords, or progressions. So, If I play a A minor, C Major and E minor progression, how do I know what scales will sound correct or Harmonic Minor like, or Lydian Like and still work and be correct? If that's possible? Does that make sense? I hope so, as I'm confused! :)

I mean, can I get a Harmonic Minor scale sound out of any chord progression or only certain one's and how do I know which chords I can play Harmonic Minor over and which one's absolutely don't work? I know that in a I, IV, and V Minor Progression it works, but that's only because I saw that it works, but I mean, there has to be some rule or some scientific reason it won't work or will work over a certain chord besides the fact that they have the same notes, because it would seem to me many scales would have the same notes according to the position I start and end, where I start, what note and what string, etc,. etc,.

Thanks and I hope that was clear enough. I'm not good at explaining my thoughts like this on a subject like this: ..
Regards
T
 
As any scale harmonic minor, Lydian, etc will give you a certain sound(feeling). If you play the A harmonic minor over the a minor,c major and e minor chords. It should work,but it will give you more tension over the e resolving back to the a minor.


My suggestion would be play your chords and play the scale over with main part of the harmonic minor being the 7th note which is raised. Play the natural minor(aeolian) over as well......scales are great but I would encourage you to find riffs of a player you like using the example you're looking for.
 
steelehead":2irrnc97 said:
As any scale harmonic minor, Lydian, etc will give you a certain sound(feeling). If you play the A harmonic minor over the a minor,c major and e minor chords. It should work,but it will give you more tension over the e resolving back to the a minor.


My suggestion would be play your chords and play the scale over with main part of the harmonic minor being the 7th note which is raised. Play the natural minor(aeolian) over as well......scales are great but I would encourage you to find riffs of a player you like using the example you're looking for.


Thank you Steelhead. :D

I have just started my journey into scales and theory not long ago after playing many years. So, I get what your saying. I appreciate the help very much. I'm just now starting to get the relationship between the chords and scales. Certain chords begging for certain scales it seems to be played over them and working because of the notes in the scale match the notes in the chords, etc,.

T
 
I would first determine which key you are playing in, then figure out it's harmonization (which chords work within the key), and then then choose which scales you want to use over it.
 
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