What’s Mo Playing?

[sgfoutz]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyOIl4...Bob21lIHBsYWNl

The guitar break at 2:24. I know the song is in Bb played capo 3. Sounds like he starts on either the b or e string and ends on the g or D string. Looking at his fretting hand I don’t think he plays anything above the 5th fret.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[JonPR]

Without tabbing out the whole thing, he's basically playing chromatic transitions between chord tones, with a lot of blues scale content (b7s, not 6ths, on the Bb chord).

Speaking in terms of chord shapes (imagining the capo fret as zero!), it begins with a D major pent run on the D chord (D E F# A), leading to a chromatic run on the G chord (B C C# D, 0-1-2-3 on the B string).

There's a distinctive little phrase in bar 3 - still on the G chord - which is C-Bb-B-G-F-D - i.e., a G blues phrase. But notice it "encloses" the B chord tone (C-Bb first) - common technique in jazz - the pool ball bounces off the corners of the pocket before it drops . And of course the Bb and F are blues scale notes between the B G and D chord tones.

But those "chromatic approaches" (half-step resolutions to chord tones, mainly from below, sometimes from above) are a distinctive element throughout.

[sgfoutz]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Without tabbing out the whole thing, he's basically playing chromatic transitions between chord tones, with a lot of blues scale content (b7s, not 6ths, on the Bb chord).

Speaking in terms of chord shapes (imagining the capo fret as zero!), it begins with a D major pent run on the D chord (D E F# A), leading to a chromatic run on the G chord (B C C# D, 0-1-2-3 on the B string).

There's a distinctive little phrase in bar 3 - still on the G chord - which is C-Bb-B-G-F-D - i.e., a G blues phrase. But notice it "encloses" the B chord tone (C-Bb first) - common technique in jazz - the pool ball bounces off the corners of the pocket before it drops . And of course the Bb and F are blues scale notes between the B G and D chord tones.

But those "chromatic approaches" (half-step resolutions to chord tones, mainly from below, sometimes from above) are a distinctive element throughout.

Thanks, Jon. Very helpful.