0 DON MOCK'S musical upbringing probably closely parallels that of any ‘guitarist who started out in the Sixties. He was wooed from school band instruments like drums and clarinet by the appearance of the Beatles. A teen age athlete, his competitive spirit spilled over into his early playing experiences as all the local players tried to see who could learn the latest and fastest solos from rock guitar heros like Alvin Lee, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Mike Bloomfield, Don's reputation grew as he did, from the rock guitarist to the jazz guitarist in the Northwest. His ability to quickly learn the styles of other ‘guitarists turned out to be quite an advantage in the long run. After going through the various rock, blues and jazz phases, borrowing from ail the best, Don Mock is now the master of his own style, a style that is: Jiterally a “fusion” in the purest sense of the word. “When I got to be about 24, I started looking atthe realty ofthe situation. I was using about four diferent guitars on the gig ~ one for each of my'‘styles.’I wondered how conve the name guys always sounded like themselves no matter what musical situation they were in, and I started realizing that ! wasn't myself yet." In the past five _years or so, a Don Mack has emerged from al this. And now the search is to c be able to play with all those feelings from the past on one guitar. This search ‘has Jead to Don's latest endeavor, a custom double neck guitar synthesizer. Don designed both the guitar and the new “teft hand hammer” technique ta play it. “It’s been like learning a new instrument, but the possibilities are unbelievable." Generous helpings of Mock music can be found on Don's first album, Mock One and a soon to be released second album, as well as in his two excellent ‘books, Artlul Arpeggios and Hot Licks. And the Mock method for learning? “There's nothing that can outdo records, going to the soutce. Nothing is betier than submerging yoursell and listening to the music. | always had a routine of practicing all day, then sieting with headphones on till [fell asleep listening to a record. | think J learned more about, not what notes to play, but the feel of the music this way.”Mastering“Triads Over Bass Notes” ty ponMox Thave noticed a steady increase in the use of major triads with various bass notes in much of today's music, especially in pop, rock, fusion and jaze styles, ‘These chords seem to be replacing some of the standard chords a lot of us are used to seeing: major?, dominant?, minar7, etc. ‘This chapter is simply an analyzation of alt twelve major triad over bass note chords, sometimes referred to as “slash” chords. I would like to show you ‘some of the best fingerings and voicings of the chords, and the most common scale or scales used against them, and also an example phrase that could be. used on the given chord. ve chosen to use the “key center" approach when listing the recommended scales instead of mode or root names. Example: C major scale instead of F lydian or G mixolydian, ete. {think it's very important for the guitarist to not only know good fingerings ‘and voicings for these chords but also understand their construction, usage, how they can be substituted and of course how to improvise over them. More than once I've found myself faced with pages of “this over that” chords struggling to get through them. The twelve chord types are: Ys My Yr Sy CY A Bb Ba By FIA Gy ang Gif, Tye kept the note in the bass for all twelve chords to aid in comparing and explaining, Do not confuse triad over bass note chords with triad over triad chords (polytonal). ‘Triad over bass notes use a diagonal line: Fy; Trad over triads usea horizontalline; Ido agree that in many playing situations with bass or keyboard, the guitarist can leave out the bass notes on many of these chord types and simply play the triads, But you should still understand the complete chord being created. One of the big problems I've always bad with triad over bass note chords ‘was grabbing the fingering quickly. The chord had to be constructed on the spot. Usually locating the major triad first, then finding the bass note, and finally analyzing it harmonically, I couldn't relate them to moveable fingerings like standard major, minor or dominant chord types. So I came up with a ‘system for myself to help get a tittle quicker with the chords. inFor example: to remember F/G as a chord type, { would call it B7maj/1, ‘major being a major triad, a b7 interval above the root "G'" or 1. . A few examples: Amaj/1_ could be F/C or Bb/F 2maj/ could be C/Bb or CHB bémaj/1 could be DF H or ACH So i _ ! Ms Bh/y Ma Ys Bay ™% | Imaj/1 b2maj/it 2maj/t b3majit 3maj/t Amaj/1 Bb, WAN a7 Fis Yn Gia : | b5maj/1 Smaj/l —— b6maj/1 Gmaj/1 brmajrt 7majl1 ‘Now we can think of a chord type without thinking of a specific key. ‘The fingerboard diagram below shows the three master trad positions for D major, Within each position you can see at least three trind shapes. It will be {uch easier understanding and constructing the triad over bass note chords by becoming familiar with these shapes. (The numbers are the roots, 3rds and ths.) For you improvisors, 1 would highly tecommend practicing up on your major (1-3-5) arpeggios. These can be very helpful in creating the sounds of these chords in your playing. The first three chords we will look at are the major triads with their root, thitel and Sith inthe bass. These simple chords can fool you yhen they show up in a chord progression. . KEY For each chord type, I have shown what I consider to be the most common and useful voicings. The diagrams show the fingerings for the triad and a solid uumbered dot represents the bass note. Open circles are optional notes. The z SS 900 710, bsmaj1 Eb/, vil. Xi usually thik of this chord as an altered A7 (b5b9) although the chord can be thought of as an E major witha b5 in the bass or as a substitute for Ebmaj7b5. Try it ina I-VI-ILV progression || pmajz | Bz | Em7 | a7 | || pmai7 | Fm | m7 | eb |] For scales try a Bbmaj or Bb diminished, Eby © %@@ 11, Gmajit Fa/y O~® &@ 66 XIL 1X @ W) 1 The best use of this chord I've found is @ replacement for A13b9. Again, try this chord ina I-V-I progression. || Bmz7 | FHA | Dmajz |] ‘Suggested scales: Bbdiminished, D harmonic, or even a hybrid altered scale: (A Bb Cf DE FAG A). FY, A De t= the e s _ r @ @® @ ug ® 08 OOO| | | on Mock 12, 7majt G4/y vu xIL wv vu Probably one of the mast haunting and tense triad over bass sounds is the GH/A type. The chord probably lends itself best to jazz and fusion styles but definitely can be found in some of the modern classical music. hear this chord used primarily as a substitution for G¥7 and B7. If you try GHA in place of G47 this will give you a G#7b9 effect, This makes for a very modem V chord in a progression. GWA in place of B7 gives you a nice B13 sound, even though there is no B roat note. || Fam7 | aaa | Emaiz |] In the above example you could have a bass player play the B root and you play a higher voicing of GWA on top. Keep experimenting with other uses. If you think it ‘works, make a note ofit and start using them. Don't be afraid to trust your ear. Some seale suggestions: Adim, scale (G? A BC D Eb F Pa)C# harmonic minor, and E major or A melodic minor, Now that we have analyzed all of the major triad over bass note chords, let's take a look at some of them being used in 2 real life situation. ‘The following example is a rhythm chart similar toa tune you may encounter. The melody and bass parts would usually be written on separate charts. The tune is played in a pop-fusion style at about J = 104 ngRhythm Guitar a Fa a A Fou Amaj7 As Dy o Ee Ber Me Prog Fay Fim7 Fim7 Bet Fim? Eee Fim7 ween eee ee en et” sone eae Sa eae tee or aDon Mock “A BALLAD OF TRIANGLES" is a solo piece that uses all twelve major triad over bass note chords. It should be played in a somewhat rubuto fashion, waA Ballad of Triangles ‘by Don Mock Fig Giep Eb, Boab 4‘Don Mock @s' Although this chapter has discussed only the major triad over bass note chords, you may eventually want to analyze the twelve minor, suspended, augmented and diminished triad over bass note possibilities. These chords are ot as commonly used as the major types, but some very interesting sounds can be uncovered,