23

CHAPTER 5 :
ADDING A MIDDLE VOICE
Let's practise on a 12 bar Ground.

Three Steps :
1. Create dyads.
2. Add a middle note on the courses between the upper and bottom voices.
3. Invent melodic lines. Incorporate scalar passages but don't be reliant on them!

These 3 steps should be rst practised separately until you feel comfortable and then try to
improvise on-the-spot melodic lines combined with the middle and bottom voices.
Be aware of the intervallic relationships !!
Slowly
Ground

4
4 a
a
a a
a a

a a c a a
a

Play a melody note on top of the bass note (dyad).

c
c c a
a
a a a

c f e a
a a
a a

a
a d c
c a a
a

Gilbert Isbin All rights reserved

24

Add a note in the middle voice on the available courses from the C Major scale
between the upper and bottom voices. I like to include open courses along with fretted notes.
They can oer your musical palette some surprisingly fresh and original sounds.

Here are the possibilities for the dyads we created on the blues ground:

c c c c c c c
c c c c c c a c d
a c d a c d
a c a a a a a a a
a a a a a a

f f f f f f f e
d a a a a a a c d
a c d a c d
a c a a a a a a a
a a a a a a a

e e e e e e e e a e e e e e e e e
a c d a c d
a c d a c d
a c a c
a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

4
a
a a a a a a d d d d d d d d d
c
a
c
c
c
d
c
a
c
c
c
a c d a c d
a c 4
a a a a a a a a a a

Gilbert Isbin All rights reserved

 25

This might be the result:

Example 1

4
c c f
c a c a c
4 c
a
a
d
a
c
a
d
a a

e a a
a a d c
c d a a d
a a c a a
a

Improvise a melodic line on top.

j
a e c e f e a a
c a c d c a c a c c a c a a c
c d d d a c d d
a c
a a a

j
c f a e a e a e
a c d c a c c a a a c d c c a c
d d d c a c d c d
a a
a a

e a c a a
a a d c a d a c c a c d c c a c
d d d a a d a d d
c a c
c a a
a

Gilbert Isbin All rights reserved

26

or
Example 2

c c f
c c a a
d c a c d
a a a
a a a

e a a
c a d c c
a c d
c
a a c a a
a

With a melodic line on top:

j
e
j
c
j
f
j j
e
j j
a
c a c c c a a d c
d c d a d c
a
a a a

c
j j
f
j j
c f
e
j
c
j
a
j
e c
j
a
a c a c a c
d a d a
a a
a a

j
c
j j
e
j
a
j
a
e
j
a a d a c a c c
d c a d d
c
c a a
a

Gilbert Isbin All rights reserved

 27

Your turn

1. Create dyads.

a
a a a

a a
a a

c a a
a

2. Add a middle note on the courses between the upper and bottom voices.
13

a
a a a

17

a a
a a

21

c a a
a

3. Invent melodic lines.

25

a
a a a

29

a a
a a

33

c a a
a

Gilbert Isbin All rights reserved

28

In chapter 4 we treated the root-root alteration. Let's practise this again on the Ground

1. Create dyads.

a a a a
d c c c d
d d a
a a a a a a
a a a a a a

c
a c c c a c c a
a d c
c
a a a a c c a a a a
a a

2. Add a note in the middle voice on the available courses from the C Major scale
between the upper and bottom voices.

a a a a
d c c c d c
d a d d d a c a d d a
c a a c a a a a a
a a a a a a

c
a c c c a c c a
d a c a a d a d c
a c a c a c
a a a a c c a a a a
a a

Gilbert Isbin All rights reserved

 29

3. Improvise a melodic line on top.

j j j j j j j
c a f a e a c a a
d a d c c c a d c c c
d a d d d d a d c c d a
c a a c a
a a a a a a

j j j j
a a f a e a c a a a f a a
c a c d d a c a d c c c d c a c d c
d d a d a
a a a a a c
a a a a

a c a e f a c a
a c a a d a c d a a d c
c d c d a d a a d d a d c
a c a c
c c a a a a
a a

Gilbert Isbin All rights reserved

30

Your turn

1. Create dyads (root-root alteration).

a
a a a

a a
a a

c a a
a
2. Add a middle note on the courses between the upper and bottom voices.

a
a a a

a a
a a

c a a
a

3. Invent melodic lines.

a
a a a

a a
a a

c a a
a

Gilbert Isbin All rights reserved