How to Build Relative Melodic Lines and Chords Using Diatonic Sequencing

Honing your chops involves much more than sheer velocity. If you want to play
fast, concentrating on speed is fine, but you’ll also need to develop the ability to
generate interesting melodic ideas to hold the listener’s attention. One way to
accomplish this is by expanding licks and chord voicings you already know, via
diatonic sequencing, whereby each note is raised or lowered to its neighboring
scale step in accordance with its key center. Here’s how it works.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Guitarists often tend to think of licks and chords as individual entities, when, in
truth, both belong to families and have diatonic relatives and neighbors born from
the notes of a given scale. That’s why it’s important to know your major key
centers and what notes and chords they contain. Regardless of key, all major scales
(a.k.a. the Ionian mode) utilize the same step formula: whole, whole, half, whole,
whole, whole, half. In the key of C, this translates to C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, with scale
steps, or degrees, numbered as 1(root)-2-3-4-5-6-7-1(root octave). The G major
scale would be spelled G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G, the D major scale is D-E-F#-G-A-B-
C#-D, and so forth.

Major keys also allow access to six additional relative modes, which are formed by
re-designating each scale step as the root and relabeling the scale steps to
correspond with each shift in the major scale formula, resulting in the essence of
diatonic sequencing. The relative modes in the key of C and their respective scale-
step formulas are as follows: D Dorian (1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7-1); E Phrygian (1-b2-b3-
4-5-b6-b7-1); F Lydian (1-2-3-#4-5-6-7-1); G Mixolydian (1-2-3-4-5-6-b7-1); A
Aeolian, a.k.a., A minor (1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-1); B Locrian (1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7-1).

These modal shifts also apply to the family of chords generated by harmonizing
any major scale in diatonic thirds, as either three-note triads or four-note seventh
chords. The quality of each triad or seventh chord—major, minor, and diminished,
or major7, minor7, dominant7, and minor7b5—always remains consistent on each
scale step, regardless of key. Chord-scale steps are typically denoted using Roman
numerals: Imaj or Imaj7, IIm or IIm7, IIIm or IIIm7, IVmaj or IVmaj7, Vmaj or
V7, VIm or VIm7, and VIIdim or VIIm7b5.

KNOW THY NEIGHBORS

So what’s the point? Armed with this knowledge, you can transform any major or
minor lick in your current musical vocabulary into six related licks derived from
the same scale or mode. (Pentatonic-based licks will only generate four additional
relative lines.) Let’s take a simple four-note motif derived from the C major scale
and apply the diatonic sequencing process.

Ex. 1 begins with a 6-7-5-3 motif (A-B-G-E), played as eighth notes on beats one
and two.

By raising each note to its next ascending scale step we arrive at the 7-1-6-4 lick
(B-C-A-F) on beats three and four. Continuing the same process yields the
remaining five relative licks in bars 2, 3, and 4. A pair of TAB staves provides two
fingerings for each lick—one ascending the same string group, and one remaining
in position. The chord symbols show corresponding triads and seventh chords for
each four-note lick in both the key of C and its relative key of A minor (where the
original motif functions as a 1-2-b7-5 lick). Each four-note motif can be used as a
stand-alone lick or played as part of an ascending, descending, or intervallic
sequence over any related chord. Experimenting with different rhythms and
phrasing options opens up even greater possibilities.

MODAL MAGIC

Diatonic sequencing also works with longer modal-based lines. To illustrate, Ex. 2
puts a jazzy, eight-note, A Dorian-based 1-2-b3-4-5-b7-6-4 motif (A-B-C-D-E-G-
F#-D) relative to the key of G major through its sequential paces to produce six
relative lines that depict B Phrygian (bar 2), C Lydian (bar 3), D Mixolydian (bar
4), E Aeolian (bar 5), F# Locrian (bar 6), G Ionian (bar 7), and their respective
tonic (root) chords.
BLUES YOU CAN USE

The same process can also be applied to any major or minor pentatonic lick. Ex. 3
commences with a standard A blues lick—essentially a descending A minor
pentatonic scale—which then inverts sequentially as it diatonically ascends in
accordance with the notes of the scale, until we reach the octave. (Tip: All of these
lines play well with the I7, IV7, and V7 chords—A7, D7, and E7 in the key of A.)
The next two examples follow suit with a pair of A minor pentatonic blues licks,
but each diatonic ascent has been compressed into two beats, not to indicate a
faster tempo as much as to save space. Ex. 4 features a b7-to-5 pull-off (G-to-E)
followed by the 4, 5, b3, and root (D-E-C-A), plus its four ascending diatonic
inversions, all played on the same string group, while Ex. 5 gives a lower-register
4-5-b7-b3-1 lick (D-E-G-C-A) that utilizes a legato finger slide with the same
sequential treatment, albeit across three progressively ascending string groups.
(Tip: Move any of these licks down three frets to transpose them to A major
pentatonic, or leave them as is for C major pentatonic.)
CHORDAL CHEMISTRY

Chord families (a.k.a. chord scales) operate on the same principles and are also the
result of diatonic sequencing, with each chord tone ascending or descending to its
diatonic neighbor. Harmonizing a G major scale in triads produces G (I), Am (II),
Bm (III), C (IV), D (V), Em (VI), and F#dim (VII) chords, all of which can be
made much more interesting by applying appropriate suspensions, i.e., the 2, b2, 4,
or #4 in place of each chord’s 3, as illustrated in the root-position (root-3-5)
voicings notated in Ex. 6.
Here, each ascending triad is preceded by first its sus2 and then its sus4. These
can be used to add harmonic motion to static chords, or arpeggiated as single-
note lines. Note how the IIIsus2, IVsus4, and VIIsus2 voicings must be altered to
Bsusb2, Csus#4, and F#susb2 in order to remain diatonic to the key of G. The
same rules apply to the first-inversion (3-5-root) and second-inversion (5-root-3)
triads and suspensions shown in Examples 7a and 7b, respectively.
Finally, giving the Rundgren-esque Gmaj7, C, G, and C chords in bar 1 of Ex. 8 the
sequential treatment yields the lovely third-less Am7, Bm7, Cmaj7, D7, Em7,
F#m7b5, and octave Gmaj7 close voicings in bars 2 – 7, with each one followed by
its respective IV, Im, and IV chords. Some will sound familiar, while others will
seem foreign, but all are related and useful in stand-alone or sequential contexts.
Now it’s your turn to run with the concept and make the exploration of single-
note and chordal sequencing part of your practice routine, keeping in mind that
any chord voicing or major, minor, or modal melody qualifies. Beautiful surprises
await and your chops will thank you!