Watermelon Man Chord Scales

Note collections for improvisation

Here we’ll focus on the chord scales for the F7 chord, but these concepts should be applied to the C7 and Bb7 chords as well.

Let’s start with the F Blues scale. The notes in orange are common to the scale and the chord. The notes in blue only to the scale. This scale works nicely over the entire progression.

Next we get specific to the changes with this dominant pentatonic scale; a mode of the minor six pentatonic.

Here we have the major pentatonic. We have one less chord tone, so a little more tension. This will also help to set up the next scale shape.

Now that we have the major pentatonics under our fingers and in our ears, let’s add tones. Here we have the major blues scale.

That previous scale includes six tones, a hexatonic scale. Now let’s add another tone for our typical seven-note scales, heptatonic scales.

We’ll add an eighth tone between the b7 and the root. This is a type of bebop scale applied to the dominant seventh chord.

That works nicely, but let’s add more language. We’ll have a bluesy sound with this hybrid of the major blues and bebop scales.

Now let’s get really chromatic by combining the Hybrid above with the Bebop, then add a tone between the root and the ninth.

These scales will provide a lot of note choices that will help create a wider variety of lines. You can download the full pdf here. https://shop.fretprints.com/products/watermelon-man-chord-scales