Night Thoughts

I've been playing with this chord progression for the last few evenings:

|: EM7 | EM7 | Em/M7 | Em/M7 | C#dim | C#dim | C#dim | C#dim :|
|: G#7 | G#7 | G#7| G#7| C#m9 | C#m9 | C#m9 | C#m9 :| Gdim | Gdim | Gdim | Gdim :|

I'm not sure if the chords are exactly functioning the way I've described them, for there are many ways to think about the chords in the progression, but what I've written gives an approximation.  I played the first eight measures over an E pedal tone.

For the solos, I thought about the first eight bars as chords within G# harmonic minor (Ab made the chords harder to name), the first chord suggesting the sixth mode, the second chord suggesting some sort of hybrid of the sixth mode, and the third chord suggesting the seventh mode.  At times, I thought of the third chord as an inverted A7.  I used the G# Phrygian Dominant scale for the G#7, the C# pentatonic minor for the C#m9, and the Locrian #2 scale for the Gdim.

I used the Boss RC-2 Loop Station for the chords, my Eric Johnson stratocaster, my VOX amplifier, and all fingers for my picking attack.

I'm very happy with the mood of the piece and with the inventiveness of the solos.  These are my nocturnal meditations, my contemplations of Nyx for these last few nights.  Al Di Meola was definitely an influence on this one.

Funksylvania

I don't know when I wrote Funksylvania.  It's a jam that I've tinkered with for many years.  Explaining it will be more complicated than the blues and major mode pieces I've posted so far have been.

Some of my favorite scales for funk music are the modes of the jazz minor scale.  The jazz minor scale is a synthetic scale, which means it is derived from the traditional major scale by altering one note by a half-step.  This one alteration creates drastic differences in the character of the chords spelled out by the scale.

When the rules of creating tertian chords are applied to the traditional G major scale and its modes--G(do) A(re) B(mi) C(fa) D(sol) E(la) F#(ti) G(do)--most of the chords that result are very stable, commonly used, consonant chords: GMaj7, Amin7, Bmin7, CMaj7, D7, Emin7, F#-7b5.

When the rules of creating tertian chords are applied to the jazz minor scale and its modes--G A Bb C D E F# G--the chords that result are filled with commotion and dissonance:  Gmin7b5, Amin7, Bbmaj7#5, C7, D7, Emin7b5, F#min7b5.  The dissonant tritones in these chords, and the lack of any stable resolution of them, are perfect for colorful jazz-funk music.

Funksylvania can be divided into three repeating sections.  The first section begins with a funky riff based on the E Locrian ♮2 mode of the jazz minor scale.  The second section contains ascending power chords formed from the various flat, natural, and sharp fifths that appear in the jazz minor scale.  After repeating these two sections a couple of times, Funksylvania shifts into a funky vamp that climbs from C7, to D7, to Emin7b5, to F#minb5.  After the vamp climaxes, the whole piece returns to the first section.  Tasty chords and riffs formed from the jazz minor modes are peppered over the top of all three sections.  The form may be repeated as often as desired.

An improvised solo begins the first time the funk vamp of section three is played.  This section allows for improvised melodies based on the exotic Lydian Dominant, Mixolydian b6, Locrian ♮2, and Super Locrian modes.  The solo continues over the repeating form until the soloist decides to be done.  All of the jazz minor modes are given a chance to sing.

If this all sounds a bit complicated to some of my non-musician readers, that's because it is.  But don't worry--as a listening experience, Funksylvania offers easy, tasty, funky goodness with some unexpected but pleasant melodic and harmonic twists.

I recorded this version with my Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster.  I used a Vox AC15 amplifier.  I prerecorded all guitar parts on my BOSS RC-2 Loop Station, except for the improvised solo beginning at 1:12, which is played over the top of the looped recording.  The  BOSS pedal also provided the prerecorded drums.