One of Henderson’s favorite colors for dominant 7th chords is the Lydian Dominant scale (1, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, b7).
Over a Dominant 7th chord (e.g., G7), Henderson often plays a triad built on the flat 5 (or sharp 11).
Restrict yourself to playing lines that feature skips of a fourth or a fifth. This breaks the habit of running up and down scales linearly.
A recurring theme in his written materials is the proportional rule : for every four bars of inside playing, no more than one bar of outside. This avoids the "college fusion" problem where students play chromatically simply because they can, losing all emotional core. scott henderson jazz fusion improvisation pdf work
: He is famous for using the whole-half diminished scale over minor 7th chords to create tension. Melodic Phrasing
What truly separates Scott Henderson from other fusion virtuosos is his unique touch and articulation. He rarely picks every note, preferring a highly legato style that mimics the fluid phrasing of a saxophone player. Advanced Whammy Bar Articulation
A common mistake in fusion is playing long, continuous streams of 16th notes. Henderson breaks up his solos into sentences. One of Henderson’s favorite colors for dominant 7th
Instead, I can provide you with a analyzing the pedagogical principles Scott Henderson teaches regarding jazz fusion improvisation. You can then apply these principles to any worksheet, PDF, or transcription you find legally.
What separates Scott Henderson from many sterile, overly academic fusion guitarists is his deep grounding in the blues. He famously advises jazz fusion players to never lose their blues feel. Bending with Jazz Harmony
E|------------------------------------|-6-7-9-11-12 (slide to 14) B|-------------------------|-6-8-10-11------------------- G|--------------|-5-7-9-10------------------------------- D|---|-5-6-8-10------------------------------------------ A|-6-8---------------------------------------------------- E|-------------------------------------------------------- This breaks the habit of running up and down scales linearly
To break old habits, practice soloing over a backing track while imposing strict limitations on yourself. For example: Solo using only for an entire chorus. Limit your phrases to a maximum of three notes per breath. Improvise using only intervals of a fourth or larger.
Practice playing the same lick over a backing track with different starting points and durations, focusing on phrasing over speed. Conclusion
When analyzing any , look for these three pillars: