Diminished scales.......

[Riffmeister]

Re: Diminished scales.......

I haven't gotten a chance to try it yet, but I'm going to tonight. Did you play that over all the measures that it stayed on F# , or just the one right before it goes to A?

[diablomozart]

Re: Diminished scales.......

the one right before it goes into a as a transition...d.m.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Diminished scales.......

to me the diminished scale is cool if used rather sparingly.. a bar or two mixed in with the minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor scales. Diminished arpeggio's after minor ones etc....

[lerxstcat]

Re: Diminished scales.......

Rick, D.M. is exactly right; harmonic minor on F# just before you go to A, a diminished scale doesn work there IMO.
The progression is too traditional rock
nor does it use a C# 7th chord to go back to F#.

A cool way to get your diminished arpeggios into a solo is to have a chromatic chord progresson going from the
6th up to tonic, and alternate between major and diminished arpeggios. In Em it's:

C M chord w G E C G C E Arpeggio
C#d chord w G E C#G C E
D M chord w A F#D A D F#
Ebd chord w A F#EbA EbF#

Ending on an Em chord, preferably with the E below the F# of the last arpeggio,
but you could go up to the G as well, or play an Em arpeggio and shift to a minor scale for continued soloing over Em.

There's a similar passage going from Eb up to Gm (using F to A forms, detuned guitar to D) in "I Spit On Your Grave"
by Sinergy except that he alternates the
major arpeggios with 7th chord arpeggios
instead. A 7th chord arpeggio is a major triad with a minor 7 on top, but also is like a diminished triad with a major 3rd
interval tacked on the bottom. It makes
the progression feel like it's:
Eb C F D G, but it's really Eb E F F# G

Of course, Alexi's arpeggios are much more artfully phrased than mine are!

[img]graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[Riffmeister]

Re: Diminished scales.......

We'll guys, I can't get the harmonic minor thing to sound right [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] I think the problem is that I can't play it fast enough. A shredder I am not, and the nerve damage in my hands doesn't help me any.

I'm just gonna try and do what I can, and I'll see if you guys can suggest anything based on what I CAN play. Thanks for your help.