In the key of G what to play for a Bm?

[pdidmh1]

I have a song in the key of G that has a Bminor. Do I use B Phrygian? Or some other scale?

[TJE]

B minor arpeggio will work��

[amyFB]

Originally Posted by pdidmh1

I have a song in the key of G that has a Bminor. Do I use B Phrygian? Or some other scale?

I feel like there needs to be more information before an answer could be provided.

My first reaction was "play a B minor chord" but I suspect that's not where you're going.

My second thought is: if you know about modes, could you just try them all until you hear the one that sounds correct? There aren't that many I don't think.

My third and final thought is: I'll be watching to learn more!

[Ed-in-Ohio]

How about D major, since it is the relative major of B minor, and it's the V of the key?

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by amyFB

I feel like there needs to be more information ..
My first reaction was "play a B minor chord" ...

Ditto. Listening intently. Many, many songs are in, or played in, G using a Bm chord at the 2nd or 7th fret.

[Llewlyn]

Originally Posted by pdidmh1

I have a song in the key of G that has a Bminor. Do I use B Phrygian? Or some other scale?

What's wrong with the G major scale?

Ll.

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

...snip...Many, many songs are in, or played in, G using a Bm chord at the 2nd ...snip... fret.

Neil Young does this like crazy, going from/to C major to/from the 2nd fret Bm while using basically the same shape for the two chords.

[paulp1960]

You could think about the B phrygian mode in that context but you are still talking about using the same scale notes contained in the G major scale.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Llewlyn

What's wrong with the G major scale?

Ll.

Since the 7 chords of a given major key are made up of the notes of the major scale of that key, this is certainly a valid choice. I would emphasize the notes of that chord though. B minor is made up of 1 b3 5 (B D F#), so emphasize those notes. How much attention you need to give that B minor chord really depends on how long it is being played. If it lasts only a half measure at most, it will be gone before you realize it went by, so just fake it. If it lasts for two measures, then maybe emphasize a B, D, and/or F#.

Thee are various other scales you can use, but then you have to be careful when the chord changes. It gets to be too much thinking. When you play out and have time on the bandstand, you learn fairly quickly that a lot of the in-depth music theory that is spouted here has probably not been tested on the bandstand. More often than not, simple is best. You can get all wrapped around the axle with too many possible choices, and end up doing either nothing or something that just doesn't sound good.

With all that said, I would spend practice time, maybe with a looper, figuring out what sounds good to you, not over just one chord, but over the progression you intend to solo over.

It is rather unfortunate that, rather than playing with sounds, we tend to boil the whole thing down to a bunch of formulas and the intellect. Music is heard and felt, and we need to keep that in mind to counter balance the strong intellectual approach we seem to take with music. Not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but to make sure that whatever we are learning, connects directly to making real music.

As we learn the theory, we need to make music with it. If we can't then we really don't need that theory. In doing this, you will find that there is surprisingly little theory you really need to know. What I find is that the more theory-oriented a person becomes, the more formulaic that person's playing seems to become.

I am not opposed to learning theory at all. However, my personal experience is that on my own, I didn't know when I had had enough. It took time on the bandstand to learn what worked in real life, and I was amazed at how simple the theory one really needs is.

So, try different ideas over the chord progression and decide what sounds good to you, as part of your practice time. Learn to trust your instincts. As a starting point, know the G major scale all over the fretboard. Work with that.

There is a YouTube channel that answers a lot of this kind of stuff in a very practical and musical manner. A very skilled guitar player and graduate of Musician's Institute, Andrew Wasson has quite the YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/user/creativeguitarstudio

... as well as a very informative web site:

www.creativeguitarstudio.com/

I would strongly recommend checking him out.

Tony

[macmanmatty]

I would use the notes B F# D A or E over a Bm chord possibly hitting B A D E F# E D A B in that order. or B D F# B D F# could also work or B D E F# E F# . But, When in doubt just play the melody though

[Llewlyn]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Since the 7 chords of a given major key are made up of the notes of the major scale of that key, this is certainly a valid choice. I would emphasize the notes of that chord though. B minor is made up of 1 b3 5 (B D F#), so emphasize those notes. How much attention you need to give that B minor chord really depends on how long it is being played. If it lasts only a half measure at most, it will be gone before you realize it went by, so just fake it. If it lasts for two measures, then maybe emphasize a B, D, and/or F#.

Thee are various other scales you can use, but then you have to be careful when the chord changes. It gets to be too much thinking. When you play out and have time on the bandstand, you learn fairly quickly that a lot of the in-depth music theory that is spouted here has probably not been tested on the bandstand. More often than not, simple is best. You can get all wrapped around the axle with too many possible choices, and end up doing either nothing or something that just doesn't sound good.

With all that said, I would spend practice time, maybe with a looper, figuring out what sounds good to you, not over just one chord, but over the progression you intend to solo over.

It is rather unfortunate that, rather than playing with sounds, we tend to boil the whole thing down to a bunch of formulas and the intellect. Music is heard and felt, and we need to keep that in mind to counter balance the strong intellectual approach we seem to take with music. Not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but to make sure that whatever we are learning, connects directly to making real music.

As we learn the theory, we need to make music with it. If we can't then we really don't need that theory. In doing this, you will find that there is surprisingly little theory you really need to know. What I find is that the more theory-oriented a person becomes, the more formulaic that person's playing seems to become.

I am not opposed to learning theory at all. However, my personal experience is that on my own, I didn't know when I had had enough. It took time on the bandstand to learn what worked in real life, and I was amazed at how simple the theory one really needs is.

So, try different ideas over the chord progression and decide what sounds good to you, as part of your practice time. Learn to trust your instincts. As a starting point, know the G major scale all over the fretboard. Work with that.

I see what you're saying but also feels that your discourse boils down to "play the G major scale with emphasis on the current chord". That would be the standard answer for a normal (i.e. on scale) chord progression.

It is indeed true that one can always resort to more exotic choices despite the underlying harmony being a mere II-V-I (let's say), but as the OP posed the problem it felt to me that there was something "wrong" with the Bm chord in the key of G. I don't think this is a strange chord in that key.

Perhaps, if the whole chord progression is posted, we could be more helpful about how to substitute that chord and/or what other scales could sound good.

Ll.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Llewlyn

I see what you're saying but also feels that your discourse boils down to "play the G major scale with emphasis on the current chord". That would be the standard answer for a normal (i.e. on scale) chord progression.

It is indeed true that one can always resort to more exotic choices despite the underlying harmony being a mere II-V-I (let's say), but as the OP posed the problem it felt to me that there was something "wrong" with the Bm chord in the key of G. I don't think this is a strange chord in that key.

Perhaps, if the whole chord progression is posted, we could be more helpful about how to substitute that chord and/or what other scales could sound good.

Ll.

Well, yes, but also don't get all wrapped up in the theory - don't forget to LISTEN to what you play and determine for yourself what YOU think sounds good. You seem to have left all that out. Curious.

Also, I suggested the G scale as a STARTING point.

As far as I am concerned, the OP should record the chord progression, either in a looper or other recording device and play over it, experimenting with sound. Rather than just flailing about, start with the G scale and then just experiment from there.

We don't really need to tell the OP any more than that, seriously. We tend to forget that music is a HEARING art, and that those who stick assiduously to the "rules" will be doomed to sound like the rules, while those willing to START with some simple guidelines and experiment, will come up with something new, and then somebody else can come along and make rules from that.

There was a reason I wrote that "discourse". Apparently, you missed most of it. I sincerely hope the OP didn't.

Tony

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by Llewlyn

What's wrong with the G major scale?

Ll.

Yes ...... +2

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by pdidmh1

I have a song in the key of G that has a Bminor. Do I use B Phrygian? Or some other scale?

Bm is diatonic to G major, so you use the G major scale.

It will sound like B phrygian for as long as the chord lasts, but that's the case whatever G major scale pattern you choose. So there is no need to "use" (or think) B phrygian at all. (And if the chord doesn't last long it will hardly sound phrygian anyway.)

However, you should base your phrases on the Bm chord tones - don't just noodle on the G major scale.
I.e., for any G major scale pattern you know, you should know where the Bm chord tones (B-D-F#) are; the others are passing notes.
Alternatively, for any Bm chord shape you know, you should know how the G major scale fits around it.

A simpler choice than the whole scale (a good subset of the scale) would be Bm pent, which is the 3 chord tones plus A and E.

NB: there are other choices, but work with the above to start with. (Eg, Jimi Hendrix put a C# on his Bm in Little Wing, which is key of G - just because he liked the sound of added 9ths. He didn't use a scale as such.)

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Bm is diatonic to G major, so you use the G major scale.

It will sound like B phrygian for as long as the chord lasts, but that's the case whatever G major scale pattern you choose. So there is no need to "use" (or think) B phrygian at all. (And if the chord doesn't last long it will hardly sound phrygian anyway.)

However, you should base your phrases on the Bm chord tones - don't just noodle on the G major scale.
I.e., for any G major scale pattern you know, you should know where the Bm chord tones (B-D-F#) are; the others are passing notes.
Alternatively, for any Bm chord shape you know, you should know how the G major scale fits around it.

A simpler choice than the whole scale (a good subset of the scale) would be Bm pent, which is the 3 chord tones plus A and E.

NB: there are other choices, but work with the above to start with. (Eg, Jimi Hendrix put a C# on his Bm in Little Wing, which is key of G - just because he liked the sound of added 9ths. He didn't use a scale as such.)

Some good suggestions here, though I do think some noodling has value too. I really think this about wraps it up, plenty to go with now from this thread.

Tony