Melodic and Harmonic minor improvisation

Techniques Used in "White Russian"

Unconventional Fingering

First of all, in the left hand, you may have noticed a slightly unconventional fingering using the thumb at the top.

• Sustain Pedal: This only works if you're going to use the sustain pedal.
• Classical Fingering: I find it more secure to use this method than to turn over, which would be more of a classical fingering. It's your choice!
• Your Options: Of course, you could play it like this, but I find that I can keep the bass note down easier. The middle note keeps ringing if I don't cross over, because that moves my fingers away from the bass notes.

Harmonic Minor Scale

You'll notice in the melody, there is quite a lot of use of the harmonic minor scale, especially over the C7.

• F Harmonic Minor: This is the F harmonic minor, sometimes known as the fifth mode of the F harmonic minor.
• Common Usage: It's quite a common scale over a dominant chord, especially if you've got that flat nine in there.

Example of Scale

I've used a turn symbol in this example:

• Here's an example of the scale coming down from G, resolving back to F.
• You can put a turn on any of those notes.

Instead of going:

[insert melody]

If you put a turn on the first note, nothing else changes.

Later on in the piece, you'll see that the turn symbol is in a different place. It might be here instead of:

[insert melody]

It might be here.

Experiment: I've put it in two different places, or you could try putting it elsewhere. A way to create a bit of spontaneity is to put the embellishments in different places.

Previous Lessons

Very much like how we did in the two, five cycle with Dorian scales, we were experimenting with the turns and the embellishments, weren't we?

Augmented Chords

You might also notice in this piece there's some augmented chords, which fit this harmonic minor scale.

• Sharp 5: It has the AB in there, which is the sharp 5 of the C7 chord.

C Augmented Triad

• Talking about this triad, C augmented fifth, or C augmented (sometimes written just C):
  • This is a unique triad because when you invert it, it doesn't change.
  • C augmented is the same chord as E augmented and is the same chord as Ab.

James Bond Sound

Another feature in the solo, particularly, but also in the head, is this moving top note on the minor chord, sometimes referred to as the "James Bond sound."

• Sharp 5 to Flat 6: The sharp five in the minor goes to the sixth, or the flat sixth, if you like.
• I've referred to it as G minor plus augmented fifth.

This is really nice to play in open position, as I did in the left hand. And then the middle note moves:

• There's the augmented fifth, and there's the ordinary fifth.

Alternating Chords

Finally, I'd just like to draw your attention to the way I alternated major, major seventh, and sixth in the minor chords in the solo.

• Same Scale: You can use the same scale over both of those.

Experimenting with Rhythm

You could try different rhythms:

"1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2."

Just to vary it so you don't always have the chords in the same place. You could also try a bit more syncopation, so I'll leave you to experiment with that.