Just The Tip. . . PAT-METHENY-ISM

The" Pat Metheny-ism" doesn't roll off of the tongue very well.  However, this tasty lick is convenient when you find yourself in a group in which there is more than one, or even two harmonic instruments.

Played on the highest 2 strings, this idea outlines or implies the chord, without clashing with instruments in the lower two registers.  This solves the problem of "What to play" when you find yourself on stage with multiple guitar players strumming barre chords, "Farmer's Corner" open string chords, or the standard jazz guitarist approach of playing the 3rd and 7th (of the chord) on the D and G string.

I believe it is also a meaningful and interesting way to begin a solo, provided you are starting from a very low dynamic point i.e. super chill part of the song.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

This example is not shown in the video.  The overall concept is the same, yet instead of outlining a major 7 chord or resolving sus4 to Major 3, I play a tritone (which is self-inverting, meaning Do to Fi is the same interval, number of half-steps, and shape on the guitar as Fi to Do).

This works well in a blues context, either a Minor Blues or a Dominant 7 Blues, or even a vamp where only the root is played behind you.  Think, Tension/Release...

Example 4

In this example I am playing the idea and moving it up, through the scale.  Try this and observe the shapes and the consonance and dissonance.

Context is of extreme importance in music!  Ask yourself: What is the key, the chord, the mode, is the chord diatonic or non-diatonic, what chord precedes the chord in question, what chord succeeds it...  If a player or student does not qualify the Musical Context it leads to unending frustration and confusion, particularly when it comes to the Modes.  Many thousands of people do not understand Modes because they get caught up in the relative aspect, with no consideration of what is the most relevant question What is the key of this song? or What chord am I playing over?  If you ask this first, the other questions are irrelevant.

Play this sequence in Example 4 and hear G as the root.  Second, play the exercise and hear the root of the diatonic chords underneath.  Decide what sounds good to you, and file the shape and musical context in your brain-space for later!

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