Neo-soul & R&B
Lush chords, embellishments and laid-back grooves.
Lush chords
- Major 7, minor 7 and 9 voicings
- Sliding into chords
- Laid-back 16ths
Milestone: Play a neo-soul progression with feel.
Needs: 7th chords, Barre chords · about 8 hours
Embellishments
- Hammer-on fills inside chord shapes
- Double stops in 3rds and 6ths
- Mayfield-style rhythm
Milestone: Play a rhythm part that fills the gaps between chords.
Needs: Triads & embellishments, Bends & vibrato and Level 1 · about 12 hours
Modern soul
- Extended voicings and chord-melody fills
- Neo-soul licks
- Arranging a groove
Milestone: Arrange and record a full neo-soul part.
Needs: Extended & altered chords, Playing the changes and Level 2 · about 16 hours
Hear it, try it
A typical neo-soul & r&b phrase and a backing track to play along with. Everyone can use these, on any plan.
e|-5-----------5---------------| B|------5--h7-----8--p7--------| G|-7---------------------7-----| D|-----------------------------| A|-----------------------------| E|-----------------------------|
Harmony: maj9, m9, 11 and 13 chords, descending diatonic moves, borrowed chords.
Scales: Major pentatonic, Dorian, chord-tone fills.
Technique: Hammer-on embellishments inside chord shapes, double stops in 3rds and 6ths, slides, lazy swung 16ths.
Curtis Mayfield, Isaiah Sharkey, Mark Lettieri, John Mayer, Tom Misch.
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