75% 1/5 Speed

1/2
 Chord Changes
• Entire song is in D major – following
chords.
• 4/4 ||: D Maj7 | Bm7 | Em7 | A7 : ||
• Given that the D major scale can work with
all of the chords.
• Start there then try to add in the blue notes
in D (C natural, F natural, Ab) can work if
done correctly.
• Listen to solo George Takes
 Other things to add in.
• Pentatonic scales: The D major or Bm
pentatonic scales work. Listen to solo
slow and hear pentatonics.
• Try the Em pentatonic scale. Go between
the Em and the Bm pentatonic scales.
• Try other pentatonic scales. It might
surprise you which ones work. Sometimes
only for 1 or 2 chords but they add in some
color to the solo.
 Develop ideas
• Play patterns such as 1 2 3 2 3 4 3 4 5 etc
in the scale.
• Move ideas in different registers.
• Play fast pentatonics that are not in
regular time but maybe 5 or 6 or even 7
notes per beat or every 2 beats. Fast
flurries – Benson does this quite a bit.
Listen and you should hear it
 Learn part of the solo
• Figure out various riffs that George
Benson does – use them.
• Learn the whole solo – note for note.
• Take one of the ideas and develop it.
• Start with the melody that is on the record.
• Add in other sources. Riffs from other
artists.
• Listen to Breezin by Gabor Szabo –
original recording.
 Add effects
• What about double stops. Use them.
• Hammers, slides, pulls etc.
• Playing open string between solo – a
pedal point.
• Rakes can add quite a bit.
• Superimposing triads – D, Em, F#m, G, A,
Bm, C#mb5. Really can build up solo
ideas.
 Now get to work
• Now you need to pick and choose what
parts you want to work on.
• Pick out the parts that really reach you and
start there.
• Don’t limit yourself to the playing it exactly
like the original. Take the ideas and
develop them yourself
Breezin’ How to approach the solo

There are a number of ways to approach a solo on a tune such

as this. These techniques apply to any song in any style.
While some rock and blues and maybe even country players
may feel that some of these don’t apply (in other words some
feel that solo’s should be unrelated to the rest of the song) the
bulk of players and listeners do not feel that way. Using the
techniques below will help you build solo’s. If you want to
play more outside of the song then some of the techniques
work better than others. It is usually better to learn how to
play inside the tune first and then work on outside.
Whatever you do sing what you play!!!!

Playing part of melody. This can be more than just the

melody but introduction ideas, the hooks, etc. For Breezin’
specifically, the main melody is the D major scale starting on
the 5th degree (Mixolydian mode), use this as a jumping off
point. Play only part of the melody, start the melody on a
different note, say the 1st note of the scale. Only play 4 notes
of the melody and repeat them. Do the 2nd 4 notes and repeat.
Do the first 4 notes, then go up one note and play 4 notes and
keep going up. Take the descending line and play it in the
same fashion. Embellish the melody by starting then going
back a note or two and finishing up. In any song quoting the
melody in the solo will help tie the two together. Does not
have to be the exact melody but part of it or starting on some
other note but keeping the basic shape.
Scale only, in the case of Breezin’ the scale to use is a D
major scale. This is a diatonic scale (7 note scale). You will
always sound good if you base your solo off of the scale. Be
sure to not just play scale wise though, mix it up with skips.
As a general rule when you do a large skip in one direction
try to make the next note move in the opposite direction of
the skip.

Backward – here you will play the melody or part of the

melody backwards. Try taking the opening melody and start
on the last note and play back to the first note. Then apply
everything listed above in playing part of the melody. Mix
these two up and you will have a plethora of ideas to rely on.
Motif’s – this is the method used by many jazz artists. Take a
small melodic idea and build on it in as many ways as possible. It
can be either a melodic or a rhythmic idea or a combination of the
two. In Breezin’ you could take the last part of the melody and
build off of it. Or even the last 3 notes of that section. Many
players call this ‘lick’ playing as a solo is built up of the various
‘licks’ that the soloist knows. Jim Nichols is an example of a
player who plays that way much of the time.

Playing passing tones – this is playing notes between notes in

the scale. For example, in the D major scale the notes are D,
E, F#, G, A, B, C#, to D. You could play a G to a G# to a A
using the G# as a passing note connecting the G to the A.
You must resolve this though by going to the A. You could
defer it for a note or two but not much longer than that. For
example, play G to G# to a B to the A. The B is a note used
to defer the resolution by one note. While this works all the
time you must be a little careful when using this technique.
1. Playing arpeggio’s – this means playing the notes in the chord
the background is on. For example, on the D chord you would
play D to F# to A or any combination of those notes such as F#
D, F# , A etc.
Quoting other tunes – this is done in all styles. Listen to the
opening notes that Clapton used on the solo to Sunshine of
My Love. He quoted Blue Moon. I mean a totally different
style song in the middle of a rock tune. It worked so well,
many consider this one of Clapton’s best solo’s. I like to
quote songs once in awhile. If you can hide it just a bit it
helps. I could even play a real easy tune like part of Tom
Dooley and make it work. How that might happen is to play
just the first 4 notes of Tom Dooley and mix it up a bit. The
listener will recognize part of it but not be able to tell where it
is coming from. On Breezin’ I will play part of a tune called
‘Four’ by Miles Davis, during the solo period. While most
people have heard the tune at one time or another they aren’t
so familiar with it that they figure it out. I get the advantage
of a great melody being played during the solo section.
While this is a good technique, it is also a very difficult one
to really master. You have to have lots of melodies worked
out before hand. This isn’t something that most people (even
great players) can just pull off on the moment.
Double stops – playing 2 notes in the scale together. Can be done
for one note or a series of notes. Intervals that always sound good
are 3rd’s and 6th’s, I also like 4ths with an added octave (gives you
the George Benson sound). This also takes work up front. Listen
to the various songs we have done with 3rd’s.

Chord melody – this doesn’t mean playing a chord melody in

the traditional sense. But playing melodies with chords that
work against the chord changes. This topic requires a whole
dissertation itself. But the basic idea is to create a melody
and then harmonize that melody to the chords that are being
played. This must be worked out beforehand.
Blues Scale – Or blue notes. In Breezin’ you can add in the blues scale for part of the
solo. Use the D blues scale or the D minor pentatonic scale.

Repeated riff – most people don’t understand that you can take an idea and repeat it.
This works really well to build tension. Eddie Van Halen uses this all the time.
You can also repeat the riff going up or down one note. Say the riff was in D
major and the notes were D, E, F#, to A, Repeat it or go up one step and play
E, F#, G to B.
Repeated up an octave – take any idea and play it up an
octave or down an octave. Can be really cool. Greg
Allond did this along with Dicky Betts. I use this quite
a bit in a church situation.

Patterns – this could also be a section by itself. #11

above had one of these but here are some in the key
of D major: D, E, F#, E, F#,G, F#, G, A, G, A, B etc.
Or any that follow intervals. If you did intervals
of a 3rd: D, F#, E, G, F#, A, G, B etc. or even
chromatically such as D, D#, E, D#, E, F, E, F, F#.
You have to be careful with this that you end
and start on notes in the scale and preferably in the chord.
Done right this can add lots of motion to your solo.
 More Ideas

1. Chromatic ideas – the idea above is a perfect example, D, D#, E,

D#, E, F, E, F, F#. but be sure to end properly.

2. Delayed resolution – this is when you play a note other then

expected then come back to the note that the listener expects.
See examples above.

3. Etc. There are many other ways to do this but this gives you a
start. Most of all sing what you play. Don’t worry at first about
speed – it will come.