Here's another head turning lick I transcribed from John Scofield's track Überjam from his similarly titled album. Starting at around 2:29, Scofield plays a Bb minor lick over a funky Bb7 groove. But rather than simply using the Bb pentatonic or natural minor scale, he includes the major 7 and major 6 to give his phrasing a modern jazz twist.
Notice his inclusion of both the major 7 (A) and b7 (Ab) in bar 1, which implies either a Melodic Minor or Dorian tonality over the V7 chord. In bar 3, he pulls off of a b6 (Gb) and slides into the major 6 (G). In both situations, these notes are played in a non-chromatic manner and are more than just passing tones. It's likely that Sco is thinking less about sticking to a particular scale, and more about intervals and the effects they have on colouring his phrases. Another notable move from this lick is Sco's deft string skipping in the last two bars. Follow me on Twitter @halwit and on youtube.com/halromusic for more lessons and transcriptions!Related links: Scofield Lick #1, Scofield Lick #2
