Hrsito Vitchev – “harmonic Expansions”

HRSITO VITCHEV – “Harmonic Expansions”

www.hristovitchev.com

Throughout this lesson the usage of the chord symbol M describes a “Major 7” chord. Ex: EM7(#11) = Ema7(#11)

DROP 2 VOICINGS COMMONLY USED BY GUITAR PLAYERS

MAJOR CHORDS AND THE LYDIAN MODE

I will take the Lydian mode and use it as my template when generating the major chord voicings. This is mainly because the Lydian mode contains the raised 11th degree. (For those of you who are not yet familiar with the use of the 11th or 4th degree, the natural 11th is the only avoid note in a major chord since it is a half-step above the third and that creates a sonic clash) Then, I will start by building down a major voicing starting on each note of the Lydian mode and using mostly the intervals specified above (trying to get away from the standard tertian harmony). Ex: If I want to build different Emaj7 voicings, I will take the E Lydian mode and voice down an E major chord from each one of the mode’s scale degrees. The result will be a few different Emaj7 (#11) (or any combination of extensions from the Lydian mode) voicings with all the different Lydian mode scale degrees as their highest (melody) note. In order to achieve the greatest level of fluidity throughout the entire range of the instrument and to be able to execute the desired voicings in any position available I will generate three different voicings to harmonize each and every single melody note. One will be

the Central (build directly above the location of the melody note), one will be the Left Expansion (build to the left of the melody note) and the last one will be the Right Expansion (build to the right of the selected melody note). I will encourage each and every one of you to play around with this concept and find voicings that resonate with your inner muse since the possibilities of interval combination are vast. But, here in this lesson I will present the ones that I have discovered and identified with. For the purpose of illustrating this I will take the E Lydian Mode and harmonize each of its scale degrees with the three types of voicings mentioned above: Central, Left Expansion, and Right Expansion, on all three string sets discussed earlier.

E LYDIAN – 1 ST STRING SET (HIGH E STRING TO D STRING) MELODY NOTE: ROOT (SCALE DEGREE ONE)

Let me start by demonstrating the different ways in which I like to harmonize the root of a major chord on the first string set. Below you can see the three different types of voicings we can generate.

MELODY NOTE: 9 TH (SCALE DEGREE TWO)

Next we move to the second note of the E Lydian mode (the note F#). Here are the three options of harmonizing the 9th degree of a major chord.

MELODY NOTE: 3 R D (SCALE DEGREE THREE)

Moving up through our mode we reach its third note (G#). Here are my three choices for harmonization of the third degree of a major chord.

MELODY NOTE: #11 TH (SCALE DEGREE FOUR)

Now is time to harmonize the raised 11th (#11th) of a major chord. In our case that would be the note A# or, enharmonically Bb.

MELODY NOTE: 5 TH (SCALE DEGREE FIVE)

To harmonize the fifth degree of a major chord we follow the exact same procedure. Here are the choices which I like the best (Keep in mind that I’m trying to pick intervals like seconds, fourths, and sixths as much as possible in the construction of my voicings).

MELODY NOTE: 13 TH (SCALE DEGREE SIX)

Here once again I try to generate different voicings that will harmonize the 13th degree of a major chord using the various intervals mentioned earlier. Below, you can see my favorite options.

MELODY NOTE: 7 TH (SCALE DEGREE SEVEN)

Finally, we reach the last scale degree of our E Lydian mode and therefore, the last three voicings in the first string set to harmonize the leading tone (seventh degree) of our mode. Have in mind that there are tons of other possibilities, but the ones presented here, are the ones that resonate the best to my ear.

The Right Extension voicing that harmonizes the seventh degree of a major chord shown above, can sometimes get too stretchy to execute comfortably in the first positions of the instrument because of its six frets span. Therefore, we can displace the lowest note of the voicing (scale degree nine - 9th) one octave lower to reduce the stretch.

HORIZONTAL VOICING MOVEMENT OF A MAJOR CHORD – 1 ST STRING SET LEFT EXPANSION VOICINGS

Now that we have completed all of the three types of voicings (Left, Central, and Right Expansion) for each scale degree of the E Lydian mode, let’s put them in a horizontal order (harmonizing the scale/mode in ascending way). First we will walk up the E Lydian mode with the Left Expansion set of voicings.

As you can see above, we have the entire E Lydian mode harmonized using the Left Expansion voicings. The first two chords are written an octave higher because their fret span doesn’t allow for their execution in the key of E major at the lower octave. However, when you practice these voicings throughout all twelve keys you will be able to play them in the various positions of the guitar. Now let’s look at the sequence of the Central type voicings for E major.

CENTRAL VOICINGS

In the example shown above, the first chord is also raised an octave higher because in this particular key some of the notes of the voicing are lower than what the open position on the guitar permits. The rest of the sequence is in the right range.

RIGHT EXPANSION VOICINGS

Last but not least, we have the Right Expansion voicings presented in the ascending sequence through the E Lydian mode.

After reviewing each set of voicings and their horizontal displacement, I advise the students to practice mixing them up.

Ex: Ascend the E Lydian mode using the Right Expansion voicings and descend using the Left Expansion ones. Then ascend again using the Central voicings and descend using the Right Expansion ones, etc.

E LYDIAN – 2 ND STRING SET (B STRING TO A STRING)

For the second and third string sets I will try to select different intervallic configurations when generating my voicings in order to add to the independence of the sound of each chord type through the range of the instrument. Instead of transposing the already generated voicings from the first string group, I will start the entire process over again in the search for unique sounds and textures on each different set of strings. This way we can only amplify and enrich our chordal dictionary.

MELODY NOTE: ROOT (SCALE DEGREE ONE)

Here are my three favorite ways of harmonizing the root of a major chord on the second string set.

MELODY NOTE: 9 TH (SCALE DEGREE TWO)

Below I present to you my three choices for harmonization of the 9th degree of an E major chord on the second string set.

MELODY NOTE: 3 R D (SCALE DEGREE THREE)

Following the same procedure we move onto generating three different voicings to harmonize the third degree of a major chord.

MELODY NOTE: #11 TH (SCALE DEGREE FOUR)

Next we move to the raised fourth (#11th) degree or also called sharp eleventh. Here are the voicing which I choose.

At this point I want to address again the fact that there are many more possibilities of intervals to be combined for the generation of each one of the three voicing types (Left, Central, and Right Expansion), but the ones presented here are only the choices that sound the best to my ear and the interval combinations that exemplify my interpretation of harmony. I encourage the student to try and explore more options of interval combination and layering within each one of the three voicing categories in order to achieve an optimal harmonic control of the instrument. Next let’s look at the harmonization of the fifth scale degree.

MELODY NOTE: 5 TH (SCALE DEGREE FIVE)

The following chord voicings are amongst my favorite ways to harmonize the fifth degree of a major chord on the second string set.

MELODY NOTE: 13 TH (SCALE DEGREE SIX)

We continue on with the harmonization of the 13th degree of a major chord. Below are the three options that sound the best to my ear.

MELODY NOTE: 7 TH (SCALE DEGREE SEVEN)

Finally we reach the leading tone or scale degree seven of our E Lydian mode. These are my choices for harmonization of the leading tone of a major chord on the second string set.

Now that we have completed the harmonization of all the scale degrees of the E Lydian mode on our second string set, let’s put the voicings in their respective horizontal order.

HORIZONTAL VOICING MOVEMENT OF A MAJOR CHORD – 2 ND STRING SET LEFT EXPANSION VOICINGS

Here I present to you all the Left Expansion voicings for an E major chord in their natural sequence that occurs within the E Lydian mode. Practice slowly and try to internalize all the voicings by transposing them to all twelve keys.

Notice that the last two voicings (the one harmonizing the leading tone and the one harmonizing the root of the chord) have the same three lower notes (B, F#, G#), but only the melody note is different. There are of course more options to harmonize the seventh of the chord with an entire different voicing so that all the voices can move independently when transitioning (voice-leading) between the two chords. However, I really like the sound of only one note moving, especially when that is the leading tone going to the tonic in the top voice. Feel free to experiment with other options following the same guidelines for chordal construction.

CENTRAL VOICINGS

Here is the horizontal sequence for the Central type voicings.

RIGHT EXPANSION VOICINGS

Below is the last set of voicings for a major chord (Right Expansion) on the second string set in their horizontal order through the E Lydian mode. These are the Right Expansion voicings for our E major chord.

After reviewing each set of voicings and their horizontal displacement, I advise the students to practice mixing them up. Ex: Ascend the E Lydian mode using the Right Expansion voicings and descend using the Left Expansion ones. Then ascend again using the Central voicings and descend using the Right Expansion ones, etc.

E LYDIAN – 3 R D STRING SET (G STRING TO LOW E STRING)

At this point we have reached the last string set on our instrument. The voicings generated on the third string set would be more suitable for adding texture effects and for pure harmonic mapping of the entire fret board. Because of their low range and mostly rootles note arrangement, voicings this low on the instrument (especially on the first positions) wouldn’t be the most appropriate when playing with a larger ensemble containing bass, piano, horns, etc. However, they can add a very nice touch to any solo guitar arrangement or simply open the sonic dimension as pure sound effects over vamps or pedals.

MELODY NOTE: ROOT (SCALE DEGREE ONE)

We start by presenting the three different ways to harmonize the root of an E major chord on the third string set.

Notice that some of the voicings on the third string set are identical transpositions of other voicings covered earlier in the previous string sets and are not unique to that particular range of the instrument. However, like discussed earlier in the book, this set of voicings would

have the less unique interval combinations simply due to the physical stretch required for their execution as well as their position in the lower range of the instrument. It is still important to be completely familiar with the possibilities of building chords anywhere on the neck and therefore I advise the student to revisit this voicings thoroughly. MELODY NOTE: 9 TH (SCALE DEGREE TWO)

Next in our list we have the harmonization of the 9th degree of a major chord on the third string set. Here are my favorite ways to do this.

Notice that I have included two options for the Right Expansion voicings harmonizing the 9 of a major chord. The first voicing presented gets too large to be easily played in the first position of the guitar (for an Ab major to a C major chord) so the second voicing replaces the lowest note (the third of the chord in the first voicing) with the root of the chord and makes it fit within four frets instead of the original six. th

MELODY NOTE: 3 R D (SCALE DEGREE THREE)

Moving along, we are now positioned at the third degree of our E Lydian mode. Here is how I like to harmonize the third of a major chord on the third string set.

MELODY NOTE: #11 TH (SCALE DEGREE FOUR)

Next we move to the harmonization of the #11th of a major chord on the third string set.

MELODY NOTE: 5 TH (SCALE DEGREE FIVE)

Harmonizing the fifth degree of an E major chord, I produce the following three voicings.

The Right Expansion voicing shown above can get a bit difficult to execute in the lower positions of the guitar and therefore can have better application when used for chords with roots equal or higher than Eb major (on the third string set).

MELODY NOTE: 13 TH (SCALE DEGREE SIX)

At this point we are ready to explore the three different ways in which I like to harmonize the 13th degree of a major chord on the third string set.

MELODY NOTE: 7 TH (SCALE DEGREE SEVEN)

Last but certainly not least, we reach the harmonization of the leading tone (seventh degree) of a major chord on the third string set. Below are the voicings that I picked.

As we already did with the preceding two string groups, now we will put the three types of voicings in their horizontal sequences as they unfold through the Lydian mode, but this time on the third string set.

HORIZONTAL VOICING MOVEMENT OF A MAJOR CHORD – 3 R D STRING SET LEFT EXPANSION VOICINGS

Taking a closer look you can notice that the only difference between voicing number two and voicing number three shown above is the soprano note. There are many other possibilities to voice the chords in both positions, but I really like the sound of just the top note changing in certain occasions. Later in the book we will cover a different procedure to generate even more voicings (sub sets of each individual voicing presented so far) and this will produce even more variations and harmonic options.

CENTRAL VOICINGS

RIGHT EXPANSION VOICINGS

Finally, here I present to you all the Right Expansion voicings for an E major chord on the third string set. It is important to practice all of them in all twelve keys in order to achieve complete control in their execution and memorization.