The target-note is the A on the 1st string. The expression ends with an Am9 voicing in bar 9. Minor Lick 5 Am7This one uses the A minor blues scale, which is a common scale option for George when soloing over m7 chords. Though it is an easy choice, masters such as Benson, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, and others were all specialists at creating hip-sounding lines using this typically studied and applied guitar scale.
Here's an example with double stops. The expression begins with a (partial) C6 arpeggio. The 2nd half of bar 1 has an Ebmaj7 arpeggio, a typical replacement for Cm7. Benson changes a lot between major (significant 3rd) and minor (minor 3rd) on dominant chords. In this example, Benson plays a C minor pentatonic scale over a C dominant chord (2nd half of bar 2 and bar 3).
This arpeggios highlights the b13 of the E7 chord, and is a strong method of describing modified chords without merely playing the modified scale in your lines. Cmaj7 # Arpeggio, CEG #BPlayed over E7b13135Listen & Play Along: Dominant Lick 3 E7alt to Am7The first bar of the next lick uses a Dm7b5 arpeggio, which offers a modified kind of sound over E7: Dm7b5 Arpeggio, DFAb, CPlayed over E7b7b93b13In the second bar, George plays an Abmaj7 arpeggio.
Abmaj7 Arpeggio, Ab, CEb, GPlayed over E73b137 # 9After the Abmaj7 arpeggio follows an Ab augmented triad (3, b13 and 1), which then fixes to the 9 of Am7. Listen & Play Along: Dominant Licks 4 E7alt to Am7Here's some terrific video footage from the early 70s of tap dancer Jimmy Slyde tapping on George Benson's guitar playing (Papa Jo Jones is on drums).
A young George Benson improvises a tune loosely based on bass gamer Ben Tucker's song Comin' House Child (1961 ). Here is the transcription of the style, there are a few hot licks in there: II-V-I Licks2 5 1 Lick 1 Eb Major, This first 2 5 1 lick is in the secret of Eb significant.
When playing Abmaj7 over Fm7, you are outlining the b3-5-b7-9 of that chord, so it's like playing a rootless Fm9 chord. Abmaj7 Arpeggio, Ab, CEb, GPlayed over Fm7b35b79Listen & Play Along:2 5 1 Lick 2 C Major, Another cool 251 lick in the key of C significant. In This Website , George Benson plays a G # 5 triad, followed by a G modified scale expression.