An interesting jazz solo will take into account various layers of our perception of the tune, all of which influence each other. So - the song is "in the key of C," and even though every chord can't be found in the actual key of C-major, the ones which aren't are knitting together the ones that are. So that deep layer, "C," influences the way you'll play over the chords. You can play "chord specifically," you can run the scale of any given moment, you can emphasize "key of C-ness;" real interest can come out of your travel through these various layers.
Let's look at a simple one-octave C-major scale as the generator of your solo. Now, while you're playing over the range of "just" an octave, don't worry about all the things you're not doing. In other words, just
Be where you are.
It's a beautiful place and besides, a lot of great soloing has gone on within an octave, and nobody knows anyway. The only thing your audience is picking up is if they like it. The changes to this beautiful tune are written out in the previous post where we discuss accompaniment. So here's the C-scale, two different ways. Let's start using this to work a strategy.
Of course, it starts on Dm7, the II-chord.
Same thing for the V-chord, G7, but we put B back in and remove C. The second measure shows a cool lick you can play over an "altered" G7 "Alt" means a dominant 7th with any combination of #9 or b9, #5 or b5. This is as opposed to 9th or 13th chords (go back to the "Music Theory for Banjoheads" series if this is confusing).
It doesn't have to say "alt" or #9, etc, for you to throw that lick in. Don't take chord symbols too literally. It does need to be a G7 leading to a C chord though.
G7 leads to Cmaj7 - C-scale, right? - then A7. Usually another altered 7th, which actually does have kind of a C7-ish feel, so the note C (the #9 of A7, technically B# but who's counting?) generally figures prominently, usually as a starting point.
What takes this chord out of strict C-major is the presence of C# and Bb. So what you've got there is a "C-scale-but-with-C#-and-Bb." Here's a way to arpeggiate it with an A7#9 voicing at the end.
The next different-from-C-major thing you have to deal with is C7. C-but-with-Bb (also known as the key of F-major).
When we reach the target of that C7, Fma7, listen to what happens when you leave Bb out.
Fm in the following measure is still "the IV-chord." I think of it as "C-majer-but-with-Bb-and-Ab." I practice all my major scales with flatted 6ths and 7ths as this is a common device in jazz. It's also F melodic-minor, but I really prefer you to think in terms of C.
The final II - V's of the A-sections use D7 rather than Dm7. This is one of those dominant 7ths I call "non-dominant dominant 7ths." (I'm really sorry my terminology is not very technical!) The altered 7th trick won't sound good with these (that's a "dominant-dominant" thing, ya dig?), as they are generally played as the IV-chord of melodic minor. So this D7 is sort of A melodic minor, and has the following chord tones
D F# A C E G# B
If you see the chord symbol 7#11, you know you've got one of these guys. So, here are a regular D7 run, then D7#11:
Notice how the D13 chord above (misprinted as "D713") is the same shape as Ab7#9? Just is.
The next thing you have to deal with is the II - V in Em in the bridge, that is, F#m7b5 - B7. Technically we're in E harmonic-minor here, but nobody is ever in harmonic minor. OK maybe sometimes, but a lot of time something in harmonic minor just sounds like you're running harmonic minor. We're going to alter that B7 chord, and the scale that works for B7alt is C melodic minor (don't forget, there's no "descending" version of this, we're only talking about the so-called "ascending" scale). For the II-chord I don't know what this is, but it works pretty good. I call it
expressed in a C-ish way of course. Now B7:
I think that's got it all... Now really, just be here, practice it here. Learning the whole neck has to start somewhere, and it is very easy to try to be everywhere, be nowhere, and sound like it. Make something beautiful where you are. There's nothing to apologize for!
seeya
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