Josh Smith sits in with David Grissom and his band at the famous Saxon Pub, Austin, TX June 12, 2018

Grissom played through a Jim Kelley head into a Paul Reed Smith 2x12.

Josh played through a 100W Two-Rock Traditional Clean head into a Two-Rock 2x12

Bass: Scott Nelson
Drums: Brian Austin

This is an updated version of a backing track I posted in this lesson on chromatics. I expanded each section giving us a little more time to explore and develop ideas before switching gears in the subsequent section. 

🎸 E Minor Modal Jam Track | Em7–Bm7–Am7 to G7–C7 Groove

This jam track moves between two contrasting sections:

Section 1 (8x):
Em7 (4 beats) | Bm7 (2 beats) | Am7 (2 beats)

Section 2:
G7 (8 beats) | C7 (8 beats)

The first section lives in an E minor modal world — smooth, moody, and perfect for melodic development.
The second section shifts into a dominant blues/funk pocket, creating a lift in energy before resolving back to Em7.

🎯 Soloing Suggestions

🔹 Over Em7 – Bm7 – Am7

Think E natural minor (E Aeolian):
E F# G A B C D

Great options:
• E minor pentatonic
• E natural minor
• Target chord tones (especially the 7ths!)

Chord tones:
Em7 → E G B D
Bm7 → B D F# A
Am7 → A C E G

💡 Try landing on:

• D over Em7

• F# or A over Bm7

• C over Am7

This makes your lines sound intentional instead of just “running a scale.”

🔹 Over G7 – C7

Now we’re in dominant territory.

Over G7:
• G Mixolydian
• G blues scale

Over C7:
• C Mixolydian
• C minor pentatonic for blues tension

💡 Emphasize:

• F over G7

• Bb over C7

Those notes signal the harmonic shift and make the section pop.

🎶 Practice Ideas

• Build one simple motif and develop it over all 8 repeats of Section 1
• Increase intensity when G7 hits
• Use bends and blues phrasing in Section 2
• When returning to Em7, resolve strongly to E or G

This track is great for:
✔ Modal phrasing
✔ Voice leading
✔ Connecting minor and dominant sounds
✔ Building dynamic contrast in solos