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barncat · May 27th, 2009, 11:12 AM

Someone requested "Tequila" by the Champs at our last gig. I think it will be a fun song to add to our setlist, but I am pretty much a pentatonic guy and when I try to improvise on it, nothing seems to fit. Do any of you have suggestions on how to approach improvising on that song? Are there certain scales that would fit it?

strat a various · May 27th, 2009, 11:46 AM

It's like playing over the first section of "Killer Joe", if it were in "E", over E and D7. If you want scales, the notes that fit are E major with a flatted 7th, or a E Pentatonic blues scale with a major 3rd, over E7, and the same basic thing, but in D for D7. It's more fluent to think of the D7 (Mixolydian here) as a G major scale, but in practice, you can just play E pentatonic minor(blues) over the D, it has the same notes in it as most of a G major.
So, to clarify, play E Pent minor(blues scale) over E7, adding a "G#", which is the major 3rd.
Play E Pent minor(blues scale, regular with a G) over D7. That will carry over to the G7 chord in the turnaround ... play F# major with b7 over the F#7, the II chord.
If the song is in a different key, just transpose.

strat a various · May 27th, 2009, 11:54 AM

By the way, I think the sax player on the original is playing an "A" scale over some of the D7 chords. It sounds like E min Dorian at first, but I think he's getting more Paul Desmond on us.
I don't have a copy of it here, but I heard it in Pee Wee Herman's movie a few years ago, that's what I remember.

Valvey · May 27th, 2009, 07:12 PM

The tune being in E, I would try B dorian, simply because I have a crapload of dorian licks.

strat a various · May 28th, 2009, 02:02 AM

Barncat, according to Valvey, Tequila is in "E". So, I transposed my previous posts to "E". If it's in a different key ...let me know.

Dano · May 28th, 2009, 01:09 PM

The E major scale with a flatted 7th is also called the Mixolydian modal scale, which has the same notes as in the A major scale. The same notes are in the B Dorian scale. The notes designated as the root notes are different, but the notes that the scales comprise are the same.

E mix: E F# G# A B C# D E
A maj: A B C# D E F# G# A
B dor: B C# D E F# G# A B

barncat · May 28th, 2009, 02:07 PM

Thanks everyone, that helps.

May 27th, 2009, 11:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
barncat Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: cazenovia n.y. Age: 49 Posts: 237	Which Scales to Use to Improvise Over the Champs' "Tequila"? Someone requested "Tequila" by the Champs at our last gig. I think it will be a fun song to add to our setlist, but I am pretty much a pentatonic guy and when I try to improvise on it, nothing seems to fit. Do any of you have suggestions on how to approach improvising on that song? Are there certain scales that would fit it?

May 27th, 2009, 11:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
strat a various Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2008 Location: the high desert Age: 51 Posts: 1,083	Transposed It's like playing over the first section of "Killer Joe", if it were in "E", over E and D7. If you want scales, the notes that fit are E major with a flatted 7th, or a E Pentatonic blues scale with a major 3rd, over E7, and the same basic thing, but in D for D7. It's more fluent to think of the D7 (Mixolydian here) as a G major scale, but in practice, you can just play E pentatonic minor(blues) over the D, it has the same notes in it as most of a G major. So, to clarify, play E Pent minor(blues scale) over E7, adding a "G#", which is the major 3rd. Play E Pent minor(blues scale, regular with a G) over D7. That will carry over to the G7 chord in the turnaround ... play F# major with b7 over the F#7, the II chord. If the song is in a different key, just transpose. Last edited by strat a various; May 28th, 2009 at 01:59 AM. Reason: transpose key

May 27th, 2009, 11:54 AM	#3 (permalink)
strat a various Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2008 Location: the high desert Age: 51 Posts: 1,083	Transposed By the way, I think the sax player on the original is playing an "A" scale over some of the D7 chords. It sounds like E min Dorian at first, but I think he's getting more Paul Desmond on us. I don't have a copy of it here, but I heard it in Pee Wee Herman's movie a few years ago, that's what I remember. Last edited by strat a various; May 28th, 2009 at 02:00 AM. Reason: transpose key

May 28th, 2009, 01:09 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dano Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 105	It's unanimous The E major scale with a flatted 7th is also called the Mixolydian modal scale, which has the same notes as in the A major scale. The same notes are in the B Dorian scale. The notes designated as the root notes are different, but the notes that the scales comprise are the same. E mix: E F# G# A B C# D E A maj: A B C# D E F# G# A B dor: B C# D E F# G# A B

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May 27th, 2009, 07:12 PM	#4 (permalink)
Valvey Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: morgantown wv Posts: 302	The tune being in E, I would try B dorian, simply because I have a crapload of dorian licks.

May 28th, 2009, 02:02 AM	#5 (permalink)
strat a various Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2008 Location: the high desert Age: 51 Posts: 1,083	Barncat, according to Valvey, Tequila is in "E". So, I transposed my previous posts to "E". If it's in a different key ...let me know.

May 28th, 2009, 02:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
barncat Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: cazenovia n.y. Age: 49 Posts: 237	Thanks everyone, that helps.

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