This page is a guide to learning my piece Indigo on a tapping Instrument such as the Chapman Stick or the acoustic Dragonfly DFA.
There is a ♪ score/tablature ♪ and fretboard diagrams to help you learn the song.
This song was borne out of tinkering with what has been informally called the Mahavisnu scale by some. Simply put, it's a pentatonic scale constructed from the mixolydian scale with the second and sixth degrees of the scale removed.
The result that you get has a bluesy and/or indian flavor. Hence the name of the song.
In particular, this tune uses the Mahavishnu scale in A which gives it a D major key signature (2 ♯s), having the notes:
A _ C♯ D E _ G
Here is the shape of that scale:
12 string matched reciprocal tuning
An example melody scale pattern as it moves up/down the fretboard:
As an exercise (or to add an improvised section) Try some horizontal lines with this scale along 1 or 2 strings. Make liberal use of hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides.
There a some sections that are double time within the piece. Take note of the tempo markings for guidance.
There are no fingerings in this score at the moment. Eventually I'll put some in, You can consult the melody scale pattern diagram, which may help there.
Jeff Beck uses this scale at times. At least in his older fusion (wired / blow by blow) era.
You also hear a lot of licks by people like Jan Hammer and Jonas Hellborg that employ this scale.
-mike hoegeman