Addicted to the super locrian and Lydian flat 7 scales

mellowsun

I first came across the super locrian via a Frank Gambale technique book and cassette I bought in the early 90s as I felt I ought to learn this stuff.

I hated it - the chord progressions Frank played just sounded like Muzak to my ears, so I went back to playing Johnny Marr riffs.

Recently I was listening to Sister Moon on Stings 'Nothing like the Sun' album and at the end the soprano sax plays this beautiful descending line into the fade.

I picked this out on the guitar and had a lightbulb moment. It was the super locrian played in descending thirds! I realised that with the right harmony this scale is fantastic, and I now just trying to learn it all over the neck.

Anyone got tips and advice, e.g. non-Muzak licks and progressions that use this scale?

viz

Those sax notes are indeed beautiful - though actually to be strictly accurate he's not playing superlocrian, he's playing the notes from F# melodic minor. 

Superlocrian is obviously a mode of melodic minor and when it's used, it is normally used over the Dominant (V) chord. You could use it over the tonic but it would sound most odd - it would be F# G A Bb C D E and F#. Over the dominant (C#7) it would be C# D E F G A B and C#. 

What he's actually playing is notes from the scale F# melodic minor (ascending) - F# G# A B C# D# E# and F#. The bass seems to oscillate between the tonic, the dominant (C#) and the subdominant (B), so he's playing combinations of F# melodic minor, the C# Hindu scale (5th mode of melodic minor) - C# D# E# F# G# A B and C#, and the B Lydian b7 (they all have the same notes). 

They are indeed the notes from E# superlocrian, but he's playing over F# minor, so he's not playing E# superlocrian, if you see what I mean. 


For the full effect of wha superlocrian can do, try playing it over any dominant chord and enjoy the flavour it gives to any style of music. Take the big lead break in Rainbow's 'Stargazer' which is in Em - the lead break is nice and long and just sits in the V chord (B7) for like 16 bars. Just noodle away in B super locrian to your heart's content. The notes are B C D Eb F G A B. It's gorgeous

Lydian b7 is another mode of melodic minor of course - the 4th mode - and is the basis for The Simpsons tune.