--- In jazz_guitar@y..., dan@d... wrote:
It's explained By Pat himself on his web site:
under the 'Nature of the Guitar'
link. Follow the links at the bottom of the pages, it's
around page 3 or 4.
Okay Graham, now that you're _thoroughly_ by Martino's musical
mysticism... ;-)
I'll explain _half_ of Martino's chord-building system, the
diminished half. You can work out the augmented half on your own.
Martino says that to build four-note chords up and down the neck in
all inversions on all string-combinations, you must learn the
diminished chord forms on all string combinations (1234, 2345, 3456,
1345, 1456, etc.).
Diminished chords (1-b3-b5-bb7) are symmetric so you can use the same
diminished chord form three frets (a minor 3rd) up or down the neck
to get a different inversion of the same diminished chord. Now if
you slide any one note down from that diminished chord you get a
dominant-seventh chord.
For example, C dim is C-Eb-Gb-A (or C-D#-F#-A). Slide up three frets,
a minor 3rd and you get Eb-Gb-A-C which is both Cdim/Eb and Ebdim.
Lower the C and you get B7 (B-D#-F#-A). Lower the Eb and you get D7.
Lower the Gb and you get F7. Lower the A and you get Ab7.
Okay, using all combinations of strings you can now make a tremendous
number of dom7 chords in all inversions. Next learn to alter those
dom7 chords to create all the other chord forms (m7, 6, m7b5, 9,
etc.). Now wherever your hands happen to be, you're less than three
frets away from _any_ chord you need. (In theory. In practice you
may need Martino's long fingers to play some of those chords.)
This means you can choose an area of the neck and just sit there,
making smooth transitions through the changes. Or you can use your
new knowledge to contruct elegant little chord melodies.
I've never been able to do this in real time on the bandstand. But
I've found it useful occasionally when working out chord
progressions. Generally these days, I just apply my knowledge of
harmony and of the fretboard to construct new chords from scratch.
However, there are many roads to Rome and this one's Pat's. Maybe it
will be yours as well.
Cheers,
Kevin
www.TheNettles.com
