A 12-year-old student of mine, who wanted to win a prize in the electric guitar category at "Jugend musiziert" (Youth Music Competition), asked me what might impress the jury. I advised him to play something using the half-tone-whole-tone scale. He won the first prize in the national competition with it. Of course, it was mainly due to talent and not a scale, but the anecdote also contains some truth. Due to its symmetrical structure, the half-tone-whole-tone scale (HTWT) has only one fingering. You can also think of it (if you start with the second note) as a whole-tone-halftone scale (WTHT). In my playing, I focus my thinking on the half-tone-whole-tone scale, because it's very confusing, and it doesn't make sense to me to use both scales separately. So you can safely forget about WTHT, because its sister scale HTWT does the job excellently. I'll show you how to localize the scale on the fretboard, and you'll learn how to use this modern sound using a II-V-I-progression and you'll learn many exciting licks over II-V-I.
Level
Easy peasy
Lessons
3 Lessons | min
Lesson 1Introduction
Duration: min
Let me introduce you to the topics covered in the course "Easy HTWT".
Lesson 2Basics and use over II-V-I
Duration: min
In this video, you'll learn the fingering of HTWT. It's relatively easy to learn due to its symmetry, but it's precisely this symmetry that makes it confusing. I'll then show you how to use HTGT using a II-V-I progression in D. The chords are Em7, A13(b9), and Dmaj7. You can play HTWT over the A13(b9) chord, and I'll show you exactly how to do it. Some sample lines will show you ways through the confusing architecture of the scale. And, using licks in other positions on the fretboard, I'll demonstrate the big advantage of HTWT's symmetry.
Lesson 3HTWT-Licks
Duration: min
Fortunately, since you're enrolled in the Jazz-School, it's not necessary for you to reinvent the wheel and create beautiful sequences in HTWT yourself from scratch. I'll show you lines that sound exciting and modern, that are logically structured, and that will inspire your own ideas. Practice the licks and try to incorporate them into your own lines. Be patient, because (like everything) it takes time to get these sounds into your ear and be able to play with them.
