modal vamping?

[bluenotex24]

I picked up Mick Goodrick's book The Advancing Guitarist because it has so many recommendations on this site. He "suggests" that I practice playing melodies out of a scale one string at a time over a modal vamp...what is a modal vamp?

Thanx for taking the time to respond

Joel

[guitarjazz]

I picked up Mick Goodrick's book The Advancing Guitarist because it has so many recommendations on this site. He "suggests" that I practice playing melodies out of a scale one string at a time over a modal vamp...what is a modal vamp?

Thanx for taking the time to respond

Joel

He has some modal vamps written out for you to record and practice with, as I recall. When I get my hands on my copy I'll post the page number.

[bluenotex24]

Thanx for the reply I'll take a look at it you'll have to forgive me it's just that the terminology is new to me... I was under the assumption that vamping was a term for improvising... but it seems to also be a term for accompanied? I'm relatively new to taking the guitar seriously and some of the terminology out there is kind of baffling for me...

Thanx again

[guitarjazz]

I picked up Mick Goodrick's book The Advancing Guitarist because it has so many recommendations on this site. He "suggests" that I practice playing melodies out of a scale one string at a time over a modal vamp...what is a modal vamp?

Thanx for taking the time to respond

Joel

He has some modal vamps written out for you to record and practice with, as I recall. When I get my hands on my copy I'll post the page number.

[bassist]

vamping means repeating somethign over and over again.
i don't have the book, but what he must mean, when he says modal vamping, is that you should practice those melodies over a rhythm section playing the same chord over and over again.

for example, the Aebersold book Major & Minor (volume 24)... each track on the accompanying cd is a "modal vamp", if you want to use that terminology: it is just the rhythm section playing F major, or Bb minor, or G major, or whatever (one chord per track) to a groove for however long the track is. i know that talkign about it like this makes it seem like it'd be REALLY excruciatingly boring, but that is not the case. the effect is sort of like there is a palate created for you, and you can work on one scale or mode or set of melodies or whatever at a time, hearing how it fits in its context.

does that clarify things?
dan

[bluenotex24]

I also notice that in the C Ionian modal vamp he provides, there are two chords... a Cmaj7 and a G. The notes in the G are GFAC. Is there a reason he uses the ii (a) and the IV (C) of G? Is it an inversion of C ionian? If it is, I still ask why the A and F, since they are the vi and IV of C? Any insight to help a completely lost beginner is appreciated beyond belief, trust me...

[bassist]

yeah, he's just using the dominant (that's the chord built off of scale degree 5) to create a little bit of motion, so the whole thing doesn't sound TOO static/boring. but, you can play C ionian (major) over the whole thing, i promise. the voicing of the G has the 9th (A) and 11th (C) for a little bit of color. i wouldn't worry about them too much... just think of the whole thing as C major... as C ionian... and work on your scale patterns over it!

dan

[bluenotex24]

Yeah man thanx I'm definitely going to work on this I think I've gotten more out of this than a whole year of dinking around with random chords

[Jakeweiser]

I believe the point is to create a sustained sound of a given mode that you are working. You create a vamp between two chords that spell out the mode and it repeats indefinately.

In Major modes, you can define any given major mode by vamping over slash chords with the upper triad structure being the IV and V of the parent scale...

In simpler terms, pick a mode.


C Dorian

To create a mode vamp, what is the Parent Scale of C Dorian, the answer is B flat major.

what are the Major Triads built off B flat, answer is E flat and F.

So take those two modes, and place a C in the bass note over them moving between E Flat and F chords to create a fundamentally Dorian sounding system.

Then improvise over the Eb/C F/C progression using C Dorian.

Just an example of how to create them... try E Lydian

the Parent scale of E lydian is B.

The IV and V B major is E and F#

Use a chord progression of F#/E to E and improvise an E lydian scale over this vamp.

[bassist]

I believe the point is to create a sustained sound of a given mode that you are working. You create a vamp between two chords that spell out the mode and it repeats indefinately.

In Major modes, you can define any given major mode by vamping over slash chords with the upper triad structure being the IV and V of the parent scale...

In simpler terms, pick a mode.


C Dorian

To create a mode vamp, what is the Parent Scale of C Dorian, the answer is B flat major.

what are the Major Triads built off B flat, answer is E flat and F.

So take those two modes, and place a C in the bass note over them moving between E Flat and F chords to create a fundamentally Dorian sounding system.

Then improvise over the Eb/C F/C progression using C Dorian.

Just an example of how to create them... try E Lydian

the Parent scale of E lydian is B.

The IV and V B major is E and F#

Use a chord progression of F#/E to E and improvise an E lydian scale over this vamp.

well i learned something here!
thanks, jake.
dan

[EdByrne]

CMA7 (I) to G7 (V7) even in a vamp is the smallest component of a Tonal cadence. Therefore I would merely use C Major scale. Modal melodies are not based on tonal cadences--including Ionian. Somebody (Strunk & White) once said, "Never utilize when you can merely use." (Don't make it more complicated than it is.)

[bluenotex24]

let me just say that i'm just ecstatic about this web site. This is the part of the musical world I was missing out on. A whole bunch of people passionate about the subject and willing to discuss it openly. Thanx to all who replied

[guitarjazz]

One of my favorite modal vamps is the intro to Wayne Shorter’s tune, ‘Ana Maria’ from his Native Dancer recording. It’s on iTunes as well.