Bbmaj7

  • Thread starter Thread starter apl
  • Start date Start date
apl

apl

Stand Up Comity
If someone asked, "What's the best scale to play over a Bbmaj7?" how would you answer? Why?
 
I'd kick 'em in the nutz and say "there's no best scale to play over anything!" Then I'd explain and say, well, there are a few scales that would WORK over this chord, but depending on what you're after, some might be better than others.

The obvious ones are Bb major, Bb pentatonic, gmin. F would also work, it would give an aug4 over the Bb chord. Hell, you could play Cmaj if you wanted. I've never been a fan of just playing scales over a chord unless its for practice. I guess if I HAD to choose, I'd choose F.
 
All I know is that the last scale I would play would be Bb.

:D
 
Don't play any scales, just play the next note that comes into your head.

Also, Bb is the happiest of all keys. In fact, it's so happy that you'd think it would be the relative major of Dm. You'd think that, but you'd be wrong :p

For example, follow up a Bbmaj7 with a Dm7 (or even better, Ddim7), and you will see what I mean. Also, you'll start thinking "Hey, this sounds like mshilarious' Ramones Rumble! entry making fun of Sixpence None the Richer!" :mad: :p
 
dirtythermos said:
Bb Ionian, Bb Lydian, or Bb Pentatonic
Click to expand...

well there it is although i would stay away from the pentatonic depending on which forms you mean... a maj7 chord only happens naturally as the I and/or the IV so Bb and F are your 2 key possibilities...
 
Break free from the tyranny of scales. Use a Bb maj7 arpeggio with some chromatic movement moving to the arpeggio tones tossed in. Of course you could say that the pitches of that arpeggio fall within the Bb Maj scale, but thinking in arpeggios is different in its feel than thinking in linear scale movement.
 
mshilarious said:
For example, follow up a Bbmaj7 with a Dm7 (or even better, Ddim7), and you will see what I mean. :p
Click to expand...

actually what happens in the first case is your ear hears it as an extension of the first chord as it's so close... and one of the easiest substitions... so you get the feeling of a BbMaj7 9.... in the second case it turns it into a Bb7b9...which the expected resolution would be to some form of Fmin....
 
dementedchord said:
actually what happens in the first case is your ear hears it as an extension of the first chord as it's so close... and one of the easiest substitions... so you get the feeling of a BbMaj7 9.... in the second case it turns it into a Bb7b9...which the expected resolution would be to some form of Fmin....
Click to expand...

I am not into expected resolutions. I would follow it with something like Dmaj7, or if I was feeling plucky, maybe F#aug. Also, the bass line should be completely unrelated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top