Improvising country and funk

Improvisation yesterday.  I love it.  

Playing country music in G pentatonic with a  flat 5 too.   Chords? Simple I, IV, V ( although in country the order of the chords is simetimes more mixed - rather than following the blues progression).  Double stopping is a big feature in country fiddling.

Then played funk!  THAT was good fun.  The stress is on beat 1 and is 1/16th beats - fast and using modal approach eg D mixolydian and Dorian (with a flattened third and seventh , in other words).

I have been listening to a lot of country to soak in the style,  Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, The Dixie chicks, Hayseed Dixie, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.   Naturally I particularly like anything with fiddles in and country music has a lot of fiddle accompaniment and fiddle singing.  Bluegrass in particular lends itself well to the fiddle.  

Bluegrass instrurments often include, guitar, fiddle, banjo - all my favourites.  I am thinking about buying a tenor banjo - such great instruments - and they can be tuned to fiddle an octave down.  I don't think they would be difficult to learn to play for a fiddler.  I am thinking of writing a country song for composition.  But I like some the songs with minor chords. Witchata linesman, Landslide, Like a Rolling Stone - which  I play it on guitar.  I might write a song.using similar chords.

Here is a great Bela Fleck and the Flecktones with a great track Big Country with a range of instruments that are unusual for country - strays into other territory.  Sounds like us on a Wednesday morning!