How to play in octaves carre

Octave Playing - Guitar Lesson With Licks and Theory

What's Octave Playing?

Octave playing is a big part of jazz guitar language, this technique has been popularized by guitarist Wes Montgomery one of the greatest improvisers and jazz genious of all times.

 Theoretically, the principle is quite easy to understand. You just have to play lines using two simultaneaous notes separated by twelve semitones. In practice, it is more difficult because of the fingerings.

Indeed, you have to move two fingers at the same time while keeping the same hand position. This lesson provides guitar diagrams and easy guitar lines for a good mastery of this technique.

What's An Octave? 

An octave relates to the number 8, it is made of 12 semitones. It is the name of the interval between the first note and the eighth note of a heptatonic scale

When playing one octave higher you play the same note but higher, when playing one octave lower you play the same note, but lower. 

What is an octave

What is The Range of a Guitar?

The range of a standard tuned guitar (E-A-D-G-B-E). Each pitch is identified by a system named Octave Identification System or Scientific Pitch Notation.

The principe is that each pitch is labeled with a number. This system is generally used by piano players. For example, the lowest C note of a piano is labeled C1 whereas the highest note is named C8.

It works the same with guitars. As shown in the shapes below the lowest E is E3 and the highest E is E6.

E octaves on guitar - Range

Why Learning Octaves Is Important?

Locate octaves on your guitar neck will help you learn much easier scales and chords. This way you will learn in-depth you guitar fretboard and you will be able to transpose any scales, melodies and chords.

How To Find Octaves On Guitar?

Any guitar player should be able to find easily the notes across the neck. You will reach that point by learning the octaves shapes below. Each shape below shows an octave, the two notes in the diagram share the same name.

In other words, one note is higher or lower than the other. This way you can find the name of any note on the entire guitar neck.

Octave Diagrams 1 & 2 

These first two shapes have their lowest roots on the sixth string. Meaning that there are two methods of playing an octave with roots on the sixth and fourth string.

For example, if you take the first diagram and place a finger on the 6th string at the fifth fret you get an A. So, the note on the fourth string is the same note an octave higher. 

The second shape produces exactly the same notes, but the highest note is on the third string instead of the fourth.

Octave Shapes 3 & 4

The lowest root on the third and fourth diagrams is on the fifth string, the highest on the third on second string. All these notes have the same name.

Octave Shapes 5 & 6

Here are two other ways of playing an octave. The two forms have the lowest note on the third string and the highest on the second or first string. 

Octave Shape 7

The only option to play an octave with the lowest note on the third string is represented by the diagram 7.

Guitar octave shapes

How To Play Octaves?

The most common way to play octaves on guitar is to use the diagrams 1, 3, 4 and 7 previously seen. The most effective execution of octave playing technique is to play the two notes simultaneously using the first finger and the little finger of the left hand (or right hand if you are left-hande) on the following string sets : 6 and 4, 5 and 3, 4 and 2, 3 and 1.

You can eventually use the third finger in place of the pinky finger to play the highest note of the octave. Wes Montgomery wich is considered the best representative user of octave playing technique used to strike the string with his thumb, but you can of course use a pick.

Octave Exercises

Octave Exercise 1 - Diatonic Major Scale

The following octave exercise in G major illustrates the positions covering all the guitar neck. Please note that the G major scale interval pattern is 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 giving the notes G - A - -B - C - D - E - F#. The positions used in the tab on the right are related to the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th octave shapes above. 

 

G major scale in octaves guitar lesson

Octave Exercises 2 & 3 - Circle of 4ths

The two examples below show how to play octaves following the circle of 4ths aka cycle of fourths. The progression is C7 | F7 | Bb7 | Eb7 | Ab7 | Db7 | Gb7 | B7 | E7 | A7 | D7 | G7.

Octaves in cycle of 4ths
Octaves in circle of 4ths guitar

Octave Exercises 4 - Diatonic Arpeggios

You can now try to play octaves starting on each tone of diatonic arpeggios. The arpeggios used are built from the G major scale:

  • Gmaj7 (G-B-D-F#)
  • Amin7 (A-C-E-G)
  • Bmin7 (B-D-F#-A)
  • Cmaj7 (C-E-G-B)
  • D7 (D-F#-A-C)
  • Emin7 (E-G-B-D)
  • F#m7b5 (F#-A-C-E)

Octaves in tetrad arpeggios
seventh arpeggios in octaves

Octave Exercise 5 - Minor Patterns

This YouTube video provides 10 easy octave patterns in D minor. These lines in the style of Wes Montgomery are mostly based on the Dorian mode and the minor blues scale.

Once you're comfortable with these lines, try to play them in 12 keys and try to apply them to your favorite changes.

10 Minor Jazz Guitar Octave Licks For Beginners (Dm7)

Octave Exercise 6 - Dominant Patterns

Another video providing ten easy dominant patterns to play over a Bb7 chord. Once again try to transpose them in twelve keys.

10 Easy Dominant Jazz Guitar Octave Licks With Tabs

Octave Exercise 7 - II V I progression

Here is an easy octave line to play over a classic II V I sequence in C major.

II V I  octave lick guitar lesson

Octave Exercise 8 - II V I progression

This II V I phrase contains notes from D dorian (D-E-F-G-A-B-C) and G Mixolydian (G-A-B-C-D-E-F). It ends on a C69 chord (C-E-A-D) (1-3-6-9).

 

II V I octave lick guitar lesson 2

Octave Exercise 9 - II V I progression

Two scales are used here, D Dorian over Dm7 and G altered (G-Ab-Bb-B-Db-Eb-F) over G7alt.

II V I octave lick

Octave Exercise 10 - Jazz Blues Line

This guitar line is transcribed from an Emily Remler solo, it is taken from the PDF eBook "49 Essential Jazz Guitar Lines".

It contains of a repetitive pattern built with the 5 (F), b7 (Ab) and root (Bb) of Bb7. You can play it over the first four bars of a Bb jazz blues tune.

 

Octave lick jazz blues guitar

Octave Study

Blue Monk (Thelonious Monk) Octave Study

Lastly, to conclude this lesson let's take one of the 10 jazz blues tunes that every guitarist should know. Blue Monk is a 12-bar blues in Bb composed by the great pianist Thelonious Monk. 

The tune is characterized by the use of four-note chromatic scales in bars 1,2,4 and 5. Blue Monk is an interesting variation of the basic blues progression. There is a IV chord (Eb7) in the second measure and a diminished seventh chord (E°7) in measure 6.

Blue monk jazz blues guitar octave study

Octave Playing And Basic Jazz Chords Over A Bb Blues

This study implies octave playing patterns and basic jazz chords over a blues in Bb. You'll find below the related YouTube Short Video and a link to get access to the Free PDF file available on the GUMROAD STORE.

 

 

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Comments

  • 123mjjanus
    • 1. 123mjjanus On 2021-10-20
    Excellent selection of topics and excercises ...
    • jazz-guitar-licks
      • jazz-guitar-licksOn 2021-10-21
      Thanks

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