Productive exercise/concept for automatically generating "variety"

[JakeEstner]

Just a small note, something I’ve been enjoying lately while still tinkering with DBX stuff.

Any melody or riff that’s within a 5 fret range, trying it in all keys but within the same fret range will automatically give a lot of variety for how many notes per string. And if doing pure alternate picking, that means the combinations of usx/dsx switches will change just based on the key.

It’s also just a great exercise regardless of pick technique, for fretboard/theory, ear stuff.

But it’s a nice thing for not getting stuck running the same sequences/licks…without having to take time to look for anything new.

Simple example, little minor run, all 12 keys, exclusively frets 4-8

Because I’m a nerd and make spreadsheets for everything, here ya go with the escapes marked and color coded:

(for anybody skimming - this is just an example of how a transposition within a fret range lays out - nothing special about this particular passage)

[tommo]

Great idea! Sounds cool and jazzy too

Edit: can I put it in a solo or will you sue me?

[JakeEstner]

Haha, man I guess my jazziness is subconscious at this point: I literally had the thought “what’s a short melodic figure that is logical, but generic enough to not imply any specific genre?” And up the minor scale, diminished vii to resolve seemed to fit that bill. But I guess once the jazz is in, it doesn’t get out.

[JakeEstner]

I guess now that I think of it that line would probably be at home in this:

" Bach in blue.. "

I wonder if Warren Nunes has been discussed much here.