7-6 · Improvisation: "Little Wing"

Before we get to “Little Wing,” let’s revisit the I - V - vi - IV progression in the key of D from Module 5. To improvise a solo over it:

1. Find a root (D) somewhere on the fretboard.
2. Visualize a major pentatonic rectangle or stack there, and optionally visualize neighboring rectangles and stacks.
3. Improvise using mainly the pentatonic scale, but use triad overlays based on the Nashville numbers to identify good target notes.

Exercise 1: Using a single D major pentatonic stack plus triad overlays, improvise over the I - V - vi - IV in D backing track.

Exercise 2: Repeat Exercise 1 with a D major pentatonic rectangle.

Exercise 3: Repeat Exercise 1, playing freely across the fretboard using the D major pentatonic scale and triad overlays.

Recall the Nashville numbers for the chords of “Little Wing”:

vi - I - ii - vi - iii - ii - IV - I - bVII - IV - V

Note that ♭VII is a borrowed chord, and we learned the extra overlay patterns for it in section 7-5.

Exercises 4-n: Improvise over the “Little Wing” solo using the E minor pentatonic scale with triad overlays. Start by doing this with a single stack or rectangle. Then, try spreading out to a full in-position pentatonic pattern or try moving diagonally between stacks.

If any of these exercises feels too difficult at first, don’t worry…that’s completely normal! Try creating some limitation exercises to help you focus on your bottlenecks. Here are some ideas:

• Don’t use a backing track at first. It’s okay to practice in “free time” and allow yourself extra time to think of which chord is coming next.
• Practice sections of the chord progression separately. Start by looping just two chords and expand from there. When the chords start coming quickly (after the Bm chord), you might try targeting every second chord.
• Use looper software like “Anytune” to slow down the backing track to a tempo where you can keep up with the changes.

This is the most challenging technique in the course, and this “Little Wing” exercise is probably the most challenging one in the course, so give it time, simplify things until you can play with good phrasing, and build up your ability over time.