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scale ideas for playing surf


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Posted

any one have any ideas as to a good "fool proof" scale that is good for playing lead work over a surf progression.??

 

someone suggested

 

1 b2 3 4 5 b6 7

 

this works ok.. but seems to lack something.

 

any ideas you theory buffs?

 

i would speculate that a minor scale would be better.

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Posted

The Blues pentatonic, particularly played in the Chuck Berry double-stop style should serve you well, as should a single-note minor pentatonic. I hear much hype about the so-called "byzantine scale" in creating a surf atmosphere, but I've had little success. I'd try a Gregorian mode here and there if you'd like, but remember that most of the surf bands were not terribly educated musicians.

Keep in 4/4 time constantly, and play hideously fast and repetivitively. Most of the surf songs were two riffs (verse and chorus) with a few fireworks here and there.

I say this as a fan of the music. As for timbre, be sure to turn your treble way too high and make sure you are not distorting unless it is a complete square-wave fuzz.

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Posted

yes yes

 

hey man you are right on the "dial it in" ideas.

 

also, crank up the reverb!

 

thanks. its amazing how crazy an audience goes over a cool surf progression. sometines it brings the entire house down.

 

thanks for the feed back.

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Posted

Here's a webring about surf music...there's also a Yahoo! Group on it that SOMETIMES is more than just rich people bragging about their vintage jazzmasters.

http://www.zptduda.com/cowabunga/

I forgot to mention that the twelve-bar is a good basis for a surf instrumental, and move the riff with the chord changes (!!!). You do not need reverb, although it's nice. Tremelo helps, but also is not needed. Much "surf music" actually predates reverb and tremelo being available in affordable amps.

Just about any progression that begins on the I and ends on the V will get the job done in surf, simpler is better IMHO. This ain't rocket science... play around with it and decide what you like. That's how it was originally made.

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Posted

Harmonic Minor (Minor with a raised 7th)

 

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7

 

This is what Dick Dale uses in Miserlou

 

 

 

 

Bebop Dominant (Mixolydian with and added M7)

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progressions to play over

 

 

1V7, 4V7, 1V7, 5V7, 4V7, 1V7

 

Ie

 

C7, F7, C7, G7, F7, C7

 

 

 

or

 

 

 

Im7, IVm7, Im7, II half diminished, V7 or altered, Im7, II half diminished, V7 or altered.

 

Ie

 

Cm7, Fm7, D half diminished, G7 or G7b9, Cm7, D half diminished, G7 or G7b9

 

 

 

Use all these Scales Starting on the root of the chord. You can also use blues scale in the same way.

 

 

  • Members
Posted

 

Originally posted by windmill

Can you post some of the cool surf progressions,please ?


Especially the one that drives audiences wild !!!

 

 

well, i have one main one that i call an orginal... but i most likely subconsciously ganked it from someone else...

 

i have never tabbed online.. so here goes.

 

the progression is basically

I IV I

turnaround VII9, bVI9, I9, IV9

 

 

here is the main riff over the one.and IV.. just move up to the A string and play the same riff for the IV.

 

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

____________________________

_______0-1-0___0______________

__0-0-3______3______________

 

this is a cool tune. i call it "Patsy" and people really dig it.. it is well out of our normal format of blues and rock.. so it is a nice curve ball.

if the above turnaround chords seem funky... here are there real names

 

d9, c9, e9, a9

although i have played for 15 years, i am only starting to understand theory.. so i apologize if i may have written them wrong.

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