On my website I notice that many people throughout the world visit, stay and eventually gain tremendous creative insight as well as more productive use into the nature of both their instrument and of musical scales for composition and improvisation using the M.A.M.I. (Matrix Approach to Musical Improvisation) Concept. Most have improved rapidly: instrumentally and theoretically beyond their expectations!

Sadly, I see many others who quickly dismiss M.A.M.I. Musical Scales Atlases for the
more basic...and very limiting...traditional chords and scales charts diagrams.

To this I say two things:
1) Reality says that you will get out of your music studies what you put into them.
I really wish that I could help you snap your fingers and become "the greatest" overnight.
But let's face it: you will have to study and apply yourself. You will be wise to choose the best methods
and instructors to help you maximize your efforts in getting there. If you take shortcuts
or engage in self-limiting thoughts, studies or actions...ultimately it is you that will be stunted.

2) Musicians so often complain of boredom, ruts, monotony, etc. with their studies.
While creativity is very difficult to teach, it does begin with an "open" mind. If you always
do things the same way and view things the same way, what more can be expected?
Whether on the instrument or in life in general, learn to take a moment to change / expand
your view and your vision. Until you do so, it will be difficult (at best) to create anything.

I will guarantee that if you do take the time to understand the M.A.M.I. Concept, you will be rewarded for life with a system that will help you to continually find creative ideas upon which to base your playing!

As a developing musician, I bought books containing 1000's of little chord chart diagrams and they did help me...to a point. Unfortunately, later on I realized that I was limited to playing only those chord "shapes" that I'd learned and practiced but still had no logical basis for creatively expanding or connecting these little "shapes" into extended musical ideas: let alone improvisations or compositions.

I've bought and studied "Real" books and not-so-real ... :-) books. Great stuff: but someone else's ideas.
It is good to study lines and "copy" on some level...as this can assist learning...but care needs to be taken if one wishes to develop their own musical ideas and identity. I've always wished to play well,
however just as important was (and is) to largely play creative ideas and using an approach of my own.

If you desire to do the same, take some time to experiment and create ideas with these scale note diagrams. I've incorporated the corresponding interval charts just below them as relational intervallic guides to further your understanding when applying these scales. Listen carefully and try to create your own ideas: both chords and melodies that emphasize each interval with relationship to the root. Always look for potential patterns upon which to base your ideas then work your fingers and ears to satisfaction.

Be sure to try to play ideas throughout and using the entire range of the instrument. You can also visit my website: www.MAMIMUSIC.com for audio demos and play along using them as a musical background.

It's easy to see that there is much more musical potential within a note grouping than is expressed with a "simple" little chord diagram or even with a scale chart diagram that only covers a single position.

So what about those cubes? What do they mean...and what do they have to do with music at all?

The 3 "Matrix Cubes" are what sets the M.A.M.I. Concept and the M.A.M.I. Musical Scales Atlases head and shoulders above any other musical chords / scales charts references. It makes them one-of-a-kind, valuable and World-Famous! Using M.A.M.I. pages with "Matrix Cubes" allows you to do something that no other chord or scale chart diagram does: they give you the ability to analyze, understand and utilize the musical potential of any given scale immediately...at a glance. By using them you can quickly know exactly what and all chords, inversions, as well as modes or even potential cycle of 4ths movements are available within the scale thus making it far easier to apply any scale creatively!

As you know and learn music theory, you'll realize how this becomes a critical and important benefit towards intelligent as well as creative musical scales use. So while it is good to see the scale's notes on the instrument for several practical reasons, it is far better to see any scale and know exactly what musical harmonic and melodic inferences are as generated from each scale degree: this dictates its use.

The bottom line is that in order to correctly and logically use note groupings (scales) you need to know the musical inferences (whether there is a D Major chord or Eb7 chord or whatever...for example) that can be generated from each degree of that scale. Such a point may seem trivial, but a brief example will help to underscore the logic. Try this quick challenge: write down any random group of over 4 notes on paper.

Now figure out how you could use this "scale" functionally to make music. In other words, what are all of the chords and modes that your scale generates by intervals from each of its degrees?

Let's just say you wrote B-Db-E-G-Ab. What harmonies (chords) are created by using B
as the root note, then Db, then E, then G, then Ab? Yeah...I'll wait...!!!

The point is that if you know what is "in" a scale…what a scale contains / implies both harmonically
and melodically…it is far easier to understand how to use, as well as create with it!

This is where the logic behind the unique, unusual M.A.M.I. Cubes makes sense. On every M.A.M.I. Musical Scale Atlas page you get a complete 8-way integrated visual and text analysis that helps you see and understand the musical implications of the subject scale for the purpose of creative process.

The beauty of M.A.M.I. Musical Scale Atlases lies in that they provide a system and the vision to allow you to find your own unique paths for creating and playing music using any scale on your instrument.
Like a Road Atlas, they do not tell you to "get in your car and drive to Cleveland at 55 mph"…they simply diagram all of the possible roads to get there from your starting point…including any potential destination points along the way. You have a guide to all of the roads…however the choice remains entirely yours.

Applying this same logic to music, M.A.M.I. allows you to "see" all harmonic as well as melodic destinations within a scale and then chart your own creative paths using that scale. In this way you are free to use that scales' musical character in anyway that you choose for the purpose of composition and improvisation. You decide how to play through the scale as your creative instinct, ears and fingers allow. All potential note locations are represented, so you can visualize and play more musically specific chord inversions plus melodic scale fingerings. Creative limitations become a thing of the past!

Furthermore, all scale chords are integrated within the M.A.M.I. scale chart diagram so that you learn the musical connection between both scales and chords. This is an important concept. Rather than learning a single chord inversion in isolation…like you do with an individual chord chart…you learn to connect chords (in any inversion) to form musical ideas using the scale. This allows you to think, hear and play much more musically. Instead of being restricted, this system frees you to build infinitely on your skills as well as past knowledge. Many chords that you already know can be quickly harmonized to form harmonic motion and beautiful movements that effectively extend "static" chords in a very musical way.

Given M.A.M.I. music scale chart diagrams you can create your own music or even re-compose / re-harmonize existing tunes. Say for example you see a basic C Major 7 chord stated to be played on a chart for 8-measures: you can logically use the M.A.M.I. C Major "Arpeggio" chart to find various chord and melodic voicings to quickly create your own musical substitutions and extensions on the theme of that measure or tune. You can easily apply these same concepts to melodies as well. Once again, using M.A.M.I. Musical Scale Atlas analysis provides unlimited options.

There are so many uses and ideas that are beyond the limitations of this demo material.
However in my books and on my website, I discuss many more concepts for unlocking musical creative thought plus  logical approaches to playing your instrument. Please find the time to check out www.MAMIMUSIC.com to learn more  …as well as to share your own knowledge!...

Remember that through the process of analysis and understanding, great knowledge results…
It is this philosophy forms the unique basis of the MAMI "Matrix Approach" concept.

The one-of-a-kind 8-way integrated musical scale (chords) charts diagrams from MAMI are conspicuously characterized by the inclusion of three cubes like the one depicted below.

Keep in mind that it is entirely possible to use any MAMI Musical Scale Atlas page to full benefit without understanding the Matrix Cubes (since I provide a complete text interpretation of each cubes' revelations on every page as part of each scalar analysis) but it is necessary to explain their significance.

Despite that they look really complex, using the cubes is actually quite simple. Pictured below is the MAMI "Harmonic Matrix Cube" for the C Major 7 -with- an added b5 "Extended" Scale.

By adding an interesting extension to the plain C Major 7 Scale it becomes an 8-note scale consisting of these notes:

Free MAMI instrument diagrams, analysis and an audio demo for this scale are available by clicking the links below but for now I really need you to "start from scratch". Follow me: we will work through the concept slowly.

Hear the C-Jazz Major Bebop Musical Scale Audio Demo

Visit the C-Jazz Major Bebop Musical Scale Chords Charts Lesson Page

See the C-Jazz Major Bebop Musical Scale Instrument Note Chart Diagrams

Although it is difficult to tell right now, this scale has remarkable potential for both compositional and improvisational use!
As you begin to analyze many various scales using M.A.M.I., their strengths for use as compositional or improvisational tools…sometimes even both…become much more apparent.)

The basic questions are: How can we use this scale and why is this scale so great?

Well, forget my opinion…let's just do some analysis to see for yourself!...

Obviously, I've already given you a head start and hint as to the nature and use of this scale. Had I just given you the notes without the name (description) the task would be even more difficult and time consuming. However by name alone, surely we can see that the musical implication from its C root tone forms both C Major Seventh plus C Major Seventh flatted 5th ideas and characteristics. So we could logically use this scale both harmonically and melodically in some way over these chords. But this only scratches the surface!

The fact that this scale contains 8 notes provides far more options than just a basic C Major 7 (with a natural 5th or a flatted 5th) 4-note chord. There are effectively 4 more notes that can be used as extensions / alterations to this basic chord.
Furthermore from a modal standpoint, there are musical implications (chords) that can be generated using the 7 remaining notes as chord root tones. 

To fully use the musical potential of this scale effectively as well as for the purpose of creativity, all of these implications must be both discovered and understood. So do you know all of what is contained within or even how to find out?

All of these answers are below...

At this point you have a few choices:
1) You can completely give up on this whole MAMI and "scale" thing in frustration…
2) You can spend a few hours trying to figure out all of this scale's implications from each degree and then try to locate all of the notes and chords locations on your instrument. Keep in mind that you have yet to really begin any systematic musical creative exploration after any of this time.
3) You can dig the quick M.A.M.I. "Matrix Harmonic Cube" lesson below and be on your merry way towards understanding, experimenting and playing with this scale. If you check the free M.A.M.I. Musical Scales Atlas analysis page you'll be logically creating on your instrument in minutes.

How to use the C Major 7 with added b5 "Extended" Scale MAMI "Matrix Harmonic Cube"
(or any M.A.M.I. "Matrix Cube"…to reveal a scale's deep, dark musical potential from each note)

Rule 1: Read and interpret each cube row from the left to right ' always!!!
Rule 2: The uppermost (top) row is an intervallic reference that shows the interval
degree relative to the notes listed in all columns below it.
Rule 3: The leftmost (1st) column is a modal reference column that shows the
interval relationship of that row's root note from the scale's true root tone.
Rule 4: A "period", "dot", ".", within the cube means that this note is not contained within the scale.
Rule 5: If any 2nd (from the left) column's row begins with a "period", "dot", ".", that row is disregarded.
Using these rules, let's use our "Matrix Harmonic Cube" to determine all potential chords in this scale.

Starting from the C note on the 2nd row, 2nd column, (which is the chord root from the 1st degree of the scale) we read across the row and see that the next note at 2nd row, 4th column is an E (a Major 3rd from the chord root). Continuing right across row 2 the next chord note is a Gb (a flatted 5th interval from the chord root). Going further right, the next note is G (the perfect 5th from the chord root). Continuing further right, the next note is B (a Major 7th interval from the chord root). 

So now we know that our base chord for this scale can be considered either a C Major 7 or a C Major 7b5 chord....wow! This already presents some interesting musical options. There are still three notes left on the row: these notes represent potential extensions and / or alterations to the base C Major 7 or C Major 7b5 chords.

Continuing right along row 2 is there is a D (9th / 2nd interval), an F (11th / 4th interval),
and finally an A (a 13th / 6th interval). Therefore given these 8 notes using C as our root tone, the base scale application is a C Major 7 or C Major 7b5 chord with the following potential extensions / alterations to these basic chords (9,11,13). Through analysis, we have now begun to make logical sense out of this scale for its use in composition, re-harmonization and improvisation.

Hopefully using the MAMI system and chord now makes sense since there is much more to be discovered!
Using a modal approach and thinking, there are still 7 more scale tones that can serve as the potential scale "root": all of which we can build similar harmonic and melodic ideas upon. As you begin to discover these modal harmonies, things get really interesting. The true nature of this scales' musical potential explodes into a true creative tool. I actually learned of this scale by studying one of my favorite composers: Duke Ellington: a tremendous composer who frequently uses this scale both melodically for improvisation and harmonically as a device to freshen up Major Scale based compositions.

Further modal analysis of this scale begins to make sense of the power of MAMI Musical Scales Atlases analytical capability. Furthermore it provides a strong logical value for the use of this scale as well as some insight into Ellington's methodology and the process of creating with scales from a uniquely talented composer. The beauty of studying scales in this way is that you have a system: the Matrix Approach that can guide you towards finding and creating music using any scale that you choose. Unlike using traditional chord and scale charts, the process and logic is completely transferable for use on any of the 1000's of scales that exist in the musical world. Rather than studying, duplicating and playing someone else's "signature" lines, you become free to easily find your own creative ideas.

There is a proverb: give someone a fish…they eat for a day, teach someone to fish…they eat for life. This is entirely true. Using MAMI, you can "fish" in the musical scales "pond" for creative ideas forever!

So using our MAMI Harmonic Cube, the rules from above and the same exact process you can see that beginning modally and reading across our cube from the D note (which is technically the Major 2nd / Major 9th note of our scale) but using it now as the "root" note we discover the following fresh harmonic choices given the implications of a
D Minor 7 chord that has the following extensions / alterations (9th, 11th/4th, 13th/6th plus a tension-filled b3rd/#9th). 

You could also consider the D Dominant 7th chord option as well. There is also a potential D7 chord with the following extensions (9th, #9th /b3rd, 11th/4th and 13th/6th) Beware that some of these extensions generate a lot of musical tension / dissonance and require careful application as well as good judgment to sound musically "correct".

Repeating this process beginning on the E and making it our modal "root" a number of useful chords and interesting extensions can be generated: E Minor 7 (b9th, 9th/3rd 11th/4th and b13th/b6th), E Minor 9th, E Minor 7b9th, E Minor 7b13 are all useful chords and potential melodic implications.

The real treasures in this scale now really begin to reveal themselves! Complete the process using the rest of the notes and you will have it all figured out! With this discovery you can create interesting chord and melodic fingerings based on all of this scale's notes that will allow you to generate fresh ideas beyond the basic Major Scale and easily transpose them to make some really amazing music as many Jazz Masters have done. 

MAMI make this process easier, I give you the "cheat sheet" on scale use! See the answers for this one below...

With the M.A.M.I. logic and system for creating with music scales now in hand, use the available free demos to expand your thinking, ideas and playing. Although I've analyzed somewhat of an unusual scale, the process is the same for all. 

If you begin with just the basic 4 note scales (arpeggios) it becomes easy to see how you can find many great musical ideas for extending, substituting and playing over simple chords like C Major 7th, C Minor 7th, C7th, etc. within tunes…on the way towards composing your own.

If you use MAMI Musical Scales Atlases and this same creative process on every scale that you see your musical knowledge, vocabulary and instrumental proficiency will increase easily as well as exponentially.
Before long, you will be creating, improvising and playing ideas you would have never dreamed of!