Q. What scale should I use while I'm soloing 
   over these chords?  B, F#, G, D

Anwser.
The scale will change, but how you treat it depends on timing and how you want the tune to sound. Rather than telling you explicitly what to play, I think it's better to understand what the options are and why.

Pardon the Roman numerals below, but they are an easy way to refer to chords that are built on scale tones. For ex:

  In the key of C, the scale is C,  D,  E,  F,  G,  A,  B,  C.
                                I  II  III  IV  V  VI  VII  I

  Major chords are built on C, F and G.  Generalized I  IV  V.
  minor chords are built on D, E and A.  Generalized II III VI.

Note that the intervals C to F (I to IV) and G to C (V to I) are fourths. In your pattern, the changes from B to F# and G to D are also fourths.

Just to be clear: Yes, C to F is a fourth UP and your pattern has B to F# which is a fourth DOWN. But 'fourth up' or 'fourth down' doesn't matter in the text I wrote. The interval between the chords is what is important.

Anyway, for your pattern, the scale will usually change between the F# and G chords. You'd group the chords as B to F# and G to D. As mentioned above, the chords are a fourth apart.

That means that you could treat each group (separately) as IV to I or as I to V.

Here's how to determine the key of the scale: The 'I' chord is based on the (major) key of the scale, so...

  If B to F# were IV to I, the 'I' chord would be F#

  If B to F# were I to V, the 'I' chord would be B

Do the same with G to D.

So the possibilities are:

  F# scale to G scale   B scale to G scale   F# scale to D scale   B scale to D scale

Now you've got to decide how *you* want the patterns to sound.

In this case, there is an E in both G and D scales, so you may want to use the B scale for the first scale. (Cause the F# scale doesn't have an E). That would lend to continuity. Or maybe you don't want continuity. Your call.

Also, the F# chord has a C# in it. The D scale also has a C#, but the G scale does not. So the D scale would lend to continuity in the second scale. Again, your call.

There are other ways to treat the pattern. Again, depending on timing, you could group the middle two chords together (F# to G). A Harmonic Minor scale will fit over two 'adjacent' major chords. In this case, a B harm. min. will conform to F# G. Unfortunately, it will not conform to the B maj chord or the D chord, so you'd still have to change scales.

After saying all that, I suspect that you may want to use chord 'outlines' for soloing over the pattern. In other words, play the chords in slo-mo and find fills that sound good and land on a lot of chord tones. Then just speed it up. This will get your solo to sound like you are guiding the chords rather than just working over top of them.

Article by Mark Garvin mgarvin@panix.com