When you enroll in the Paul Franklin Method, you will also have access to a private Facebook Group, just for students. This is a place to hang out, ask questions, post videos of your progress, and most importantly, have direct access to Paul himself.
Here’s an example.
A PFM Student asked:
Hi Paul – In the lesson called “Using Harmonies of the Major Scale II“, you have an etude PDF that has an amazing amount of material in it. At the bottom you have some handwritten guidance for continuing to practice these ideas. Can you post a video of you playing some things that illustrate that guidance? I’m not sure I’m totally getting what you’re suggesting to do. Thanks!!
Paul responded:
All of the positions for the Major scale’s harmony, often called, “Diatonic Harmonies” or “The Harmonized Scale” are the cornerstones you must commit to memory for your new musical home.
Knowing every possible place a 1, 2m, 3m, 4, 5, 6m, and 7half dim is found will remove all of the surrounding barbed wire so you can roam freely in any musical direction. That particular lesson- in fact, all of the lessons on Diatonic Harmonies – are to be viewed as choices you have available to play over typical basic Major scale progressions.
Such as changes like these: 1 5 1 1 . ..4 5 1 1 … 5 5 1 1 … 4 4 1 1.
The point is the 1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7 half dim always work and sound correct when applied over changes like these.
Paul: This is John Hughey…
Listen to his first couple of fills, then jump to the solo.
Paul: From 1:29 to 1:52, JH does his pickups on the 1 chord (the ascending part) by basically arpeggiating group 3 and the descending part is arpeggiating group 2, both of those out of the pedals down 1 chord.
Now when the band goes to the 5 chord JH plays a 2m harmony over the band’s 5 and then a 5 chord for a quick resolve as a release from the tension he has created by not playing just the 5 along with the band.
Next he plays a 3m, 1, 2m over the band’s 5 chord and then resolves the tension again, this time by striking the 1 with the band. By completely resolving the harmonic tension, he hands his solo part nicely back to Conway.
The high fill is exactly the lick I taught in that lesson. It’s over a 1 chord: JH plays (on group 1) a 1 2m 3m 2m 1 and repeats that move on group 2.
You will have to open your mind and let go of the way you have been taught Diatonic Harmony.
Listen to John Hughey and let your ears learn a much simpler process. Most have been taught to view each chord unto itself as a center of what can be played.
I am saying unless a song has changes other than a 1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7 half dim you are free to play any of those harmonies to create tension as JH did on this recording…
When a song has a 6maj /3 maj/ b7 etc at those moments you must switch to notes/harmony that fits those chords. For everything else you can go back to the tension release approach that the Diatonic Harmonies provide.
– Paul
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