Guitarists will find this tricky for several reasons:
- You have to switch scales over different chords. If you've never tried switching scales mid-solo, it's a technique you'll want to get accustomed to. Switching from a blues scale to a harmonic minor is relatively simple, since both scales have many notes in common. Examine both scales, and look for these common notes. Then learn to exploit the differences between the two scales. You'll also want to try and get a feel for how a note in one scale naturally wants to move when you switch to the other scale.
- The scale you play over the V7 chord doesn't have the same root as the chord itself. This is tough at first... especially when playing songs that aren't as simple as the example we're discussing. There aren't a whole lot of easy answers, but you might find playing the second shape of the harmonic minor scale we learned helpful. Remember, this second shape doesn't start on the root of the scale - it actually happens to start on the same note as the root of the V7 chord. So, if you wanted to play the A harmonic minor scale over an E7 chord, you could play this second shape starting on the note E on the sixth string (12th fret). Now, re-read this last paragraph until everything sinks in.
This is where the scope of this article ends. The rest is up to you... experiment with the exotic sounds of the harmonic minor scale, and see if you can't come up with some great ideas for solos, or even entire songs, based on it. Best of luck!
