mikedodge

*Another way to look at/use a Major Scale is to realize it's a maj13 arpeggio*

I learned this from a sax player years ago when asking him "what are you doing when you fly from a low note all the way up to a high note? It doesn't quite sound like a linear scale. What is it?" He said most of the time he was using "13" arpeggios, or playing every other note of a given scale in two octaves.

To understand what he was saying let's take a look at the notes of a C Major Scale and the Cmaj13 arpeggio:

C Major Scale = C D E F G A B C
Cmaj13 arp/chord Intervals = C E G B D F A C

They both contain the EXACT same notes, just in a different order. This is due to the maj13 chord containing ALL the notes of the Major Scale it was created with.

Try this...play a C Major scale (CDEFGABC in order, 2 octaves):

E------------------------------------------------------7--8-
B---------------------------------------------8--10---------
G---------------------------------7--9--10------------------
D----------------------7--9--10-----------------------------
A----------7--8--10-----------------------------------------
E--8--10-----------------------------------------------------

Now look at a Cmaj13 arpeggio (CEGBDFAC in order, covering the 2 octave scale):

E----------------------------8--
B------------------------10----
G----------------7--10---------
D-------------9----------------
A-----7--10--------------------
E--8---------------------------

Actually let's use this (easier) fingering for the same thing:

E---------------------------------
B-------------------------10--13-
G---------------------10---------
D-------------9--12--------------
A-----7--10----------------------
E--8-----------------------------

This spreads your scale out more allowing it to sound less like a scale.

I kind of think of it as a Cmaj7 and Dm7 arp stacked together as one. Like so:

Cmaj7
E----------------
B----------------
G----------------
D-------------9--
A-----7--10------
E--8-------------

Dm7
E-----------------
B----------10--13-
G------10---------
D--12-------------
A-----------------
E-----------------

But, by looking at each note of the arpeggio (C E G B D F A C) along with it's two following notes, you can see ALL the "stacked" arpeggios/chords that are inherent within the chord/arp/Key:

C Major

E------------
B------------
G------------
D------------
A-----7--10--
E--8---------

Em

E----------
B----------
G----------
D--------9-
A--7--10---
E----------

G Major

E-------------
B-------------
G-------------
D------9--12--
A--10---------
E-------------

Bmb5

E-------------
B--------------
G---------10--
D--9--12------
A-------------
E-------------

Dm

E----------------
B------------10--
G-------10------
D--12----------
A---------------
E---------------

F Major

E---------------
B-------10--13-
G--10---------
D--------------
A--------------
E--------------

And by adding the a note from the next octave...

Am

E-----------12--
B--10--13-------
G---------------
D---------------
A---------------
E---------------

So you have each of these chords harmonizing against a C Major, Cmaj7, Cmaj9, or Cmaj13 chord...or within a C Major Scale.

C Em G Bmb5 Dm F Am

Right off the bat, playing the arpeggio's in this order "sounds" better or more "musical" than playing them linearly up and down the scale like C Dm Em F G Am Bmb5. The reason being if that you create an arp from EACH NOTE of the chord.

So, play a C Major chord or a Cmaj7 chord, then play those triads list above to play over to chord.

It really boils down to straight Diatonic Theory and how chords are built from a Tonic. But this allows you to incorporate a little harmonic movement/direction as oppose to only going Up and Down a linear scale.

Also, use these arps, or chords, when playing against a Major Key in general. And, build triads/arps from CHORD TONES rather than SCALE TONES.