Duration: 6:15 · 1080p Stream
Master video playlist mapped. Ready for batch offline download to media/videos/improv101-3-6.mp4.
Bring the rectangle and stack together over a D7 vamp — the last module built on a single chord, so really dig in. You'll practice moving vertically between rectangle and stack inside one pentatonic form (Forms 1 and 4), switch between the bright major and the bluesy minor pentatonic, and learn call and response: end a "call" phrase off a chord tone like a question, then resolve the "response" onto a root or third. A downloadable D7 backing track is included so you can put in the reps.
What follows is this lesson’s section of the Course Guide — you can read it here or in the full guide →
Your goal in this module is to gain a level of comfort with creating phrases using the rectangle and stack to play the major and minor pentatonic scales across the fretboard.
Exercise 1: Choose a five-fret span on the fretboard and improvise over the D7 vamp using either the D major or D minor pentatonic rectangle or stack. This will correspond to playing one of the five traditional pentatonic forms. Practice transitioning from a rectangle to a stack and vice versa. Practice ending your phrases on a chord tone from the major triad (if you target the flat 3rd in the minor pentatonic scale, give it a small bend).
Exercise 2: Once you become comfortable playing in a single position, use the diagonal pathways formed by the stacks to change positions while you play.
Call and Response is the idea of playing two phrases: the call acts like a question, and the response acts like an answer. You can achieve this effect by ending your first phrase on a note that isn’t the root. It’s common for the response phrase to be similar to the call, but it doesn’t have to be. You can also try using the major pentatonic scale for the call and the minor pentatonic scale for the response.
Exercise 3: Practice creating pairs of phrases that act as call and response.
D7 Vamp
D · 120 BPM · 1 chords · 16.0s loop
Eight bars of D7. The board opens on D major pentatonic, but these exercises ask you to move between rectangle and stack and between the major and minor scales, so treat what is drawn as a starting point and not the whole territory. This is the last one-chord vamp in the course — from Module 4 on, the chords change under you.
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