Wessel07
Verified buyer
12/31/23
Great review for Melodic Patterns!
Just started - and it is great with the arpeggio/ use of scales on not often used base / also combining positions and patterns. Good exercises. Unique tone.Love it!
Melodic Patterns
57 melodic motifs & performance applications for improvisation
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About this course
Theoretically speaking, a melodic pattern is an intervallic and rhythmic repetition of notes, which you usually sequence through a scale or arpeggio. Technically speaking, melodic patterns are generally studied to build dexterity, and are especially useful for getting your picking and fretting hands in synch. Creatively speaking, melodic patterns are the building blocks of improvisation and composition. This new intensive from Brad Carlton, covers all three bases.
No, Melodic Patterns is not an exercise course, although you will certainly work your proverbial off. Nor is Melodic Patterns a technique course, although you'll get your hands doing things on the fretboard they've never done before. Melodic Patterns IS very much a right-brained approach for crafting melodic solos, compositions and improvisations over any changes, in any key, in any style.
TrueFire's resident educational guru, Brad Carlton authored Melodic Patterns in answer to the universal rut every musician encounters - playing the same old, same old, solo after solo. Melodic Patterns is both a boot camp and finishing school for developing the technical and cerebral skills that will pull you out of the rut and sling you up the mountain as an improviser and composer.
Carlton's 3-step approach starts with breaking your "muscle memory" by introducing you to dozens of new fingering and picking patterns, in a variety of positions. Next step, you'll vary the rhythms and intervals to create more textures and colors to tell your story with. These first two steps are worth the price of admission alone, but true-to-form, Carlton takes one step further, and this is where the fun begins.
No sooner do you learn a new pattern and various ways to twist it up rhythmically and melodically, than you learn how to convert that "melodic pattern" into themes and motifs that you structure your composition or improvisation around. And it's this last step in Carlton's approach that reveals how to morph "boring" scales and arpeggios into exciting, melodic and fresh improvisations.
No, Melodic Patterns is not an exercise course, although you will certainly work your proverbial off. Nor is Melodic Patterns a technique course, although you'll get your hands doing things on the fretboard they've never done before. Melodic Patterns IS very much a right-brained approach for crafting melodic solos, compositions and improvisations over any changes, in any key, in any style.
TrueFire's resident educational guru, Brad Carlton authored Melodic Patterns in answer to the universal rut every musician encounters - playing the same old, same old, solo after solo. Melodic Patterns is both a boot camp and finishing school for developing the technical and cerebral skills that will pull you out of the rut and sling you up the mountain as an improviser and composer.
Carlton's 3-step approach starts with breaking your "muscle memory" by introducing you to dozens of new fingering and picking patterns, in a variety of positions. Next step, you'll vary the rhythms and intervals to create more textures and colors to tell your story with. These first two steps are worth the price of admission alone, but true-to-form, Carlton takes one step further, and this is where the fun begins.
No sooner do you learn a new pattern and various ways to twist it up rhythmically and melodically, than you learn how to convert that "melodic pattern" into themes and motifs that you structure your composition or improvisation around. And it's this last step in Carlton's approach that reveals how to morph "boring" scales and arpeggios into exciting, melodic and fresh improvisations.
What you'll learn
- Apply arpeggio patterns over both shuffle and 16th note funk grooves
- Apply hybrid picking and sweep picking to arpeggio execution
- Use rhythmic variation to make patterns sound musical rather than mechanical
- Combine multiple patterns seamlessly in improvisation
- Incorporate modes (Ionian, Mixolydian, Lydian) while using arpeggio patterns
Release date: 11/14/2007 • 2h 08m runtime
Sample lessons
Major Arpeggio
Example 6
Major Arpeggio
Example 10
Major Arpeggio
Example 16
Major Arpeggio
Example 20
What's included
60 lessons • 30 charts • 4 Jam Tracks
Major Arpeggio
One of the most useful tools for a musician is the study of melodic patterns. This series of lessons will explore the application of patterns to a simple C major arpeggio in fifth position. You will hear examples of improvisation using one or more patterns over two jam tracks; a triplet feel and a sixteenth note groove. You will learn how to disguise a pattern so it won't sound like you just inserted a passage that you practiced for a week. The principle of phrasing a pattern different ways will be presented and you'll be exposed to different fingering options. You'll also learn how to play a pattern four different ways by changing the way you read it.
Major Arpeggio Example 1 First we'll start with the C major arpeggio in fifth position based around the G form of a C chord. Memorize the notes with their respective chord tones (root, third, and fifth). Practice this arpeggio with the suggested fingering(s) as well as random "hopping" of one finger. Be sure to see the information on the fingerboard.
Major Arpeggio
Major Arpeggio Example 2 is based on the following patterns: third down to root, fifth down to third, and root down to fifth. This is an example of a descending motif played in an upward direction. Carefully consider your articulation so that the notes are legato. Don't let them bleed over each other.
Major Arpeggio
Major Arpeggio Example 3 is an ascending motif played in a descending direction. It is in reality example 2 played in reverse (retrograde). This concept pf playing a pattern in reverse is a very important tool in coming up with new ideas. Keep that in mind for anything you ever learn.
Major Arpeggio
Major Arpeggio Example 4 skips chord tones for a more angular pattern. By skipping chord tones it will increase the difficulty of executing this pattern in a clean and legato fashion. You may need to implement some dampening so listen closely as you play this pattern.
Major Arpeggio
Major Arpeggio Example 5 is a variation of example 4. An ascending motif in a descending direction. Try playing this not only with the pick but with hybrid picking, and if you're using fingerstle use your thumb and middle finger or thumb and index.
Major Arpeggio
Major Arpeggio Example 6 can be viewed as a triplet pattern using an ascending motif based on adjacent chord tones. You can vary the rhythm outside of strict triplets. You may use various approaches with your picking hand to execute this pattern. Alternate picking, a down down up picking pattern whenever it applies to different strings, and you can also use hybrid picking using the pick,middle and rings fingers. Be sure to try all of those right hand approaches.
Major Arpeggio
Major Arpeggio Example 7 is the reverse of example 6 but with the motif direction the same. For variety be sure to try using different left hand slurring techniques on these patterns. For example on this one, whenever you have two notes on the same string, try either a hammer on, pull off or a legato slide.
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Reviews
9 results
Osokin
Verified buyer
11/21/21
Climb Out Of Your Soloing Rut!
Learning to play melodic patterns to break out of our usual soloing habits sounds like a really good idea on paper - but the problem can be that these patterns sound unmusical and contrived. Fortunately Brad Carlton knows how to fix that, and in this course he shares that knowledge and demonstrates how we can create interesting melodies and melodic motifs to freshen up and enrich our solos. Great stuff!
GiampieroLeo
Verified buyer
05/13/20
Melodic Patterns
Excellent
gardinerbrent
Verified buyer
04/30/20
Well done Brad.
I have been using this programme for three weeks and find it very well organised and helpful in my practice. It helps me to move away from playing scales and by using the patterns to begin playing more melodically. by mainly using the first third and fifth. Well done Brad.
dprudho
11/25/19
Amazing course
There's a lot of food for thoughts in this course. No quick fix here but so much material in this course that you can put into practice. Brad shows 20+ different ways to practice the Am pentatonic box 1. This will definitely shake your neurons.
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