Emily Remler's 3-Note Soloing Technique: Looping Three Notes Over the Changes (How Insensitive)

Short answer: Emily Remler's three-note technique is to pick three notes and keep looping them in a pattern, then change as few notes as possible when the chord changes. On her solo on How Insensitive (her duo with Larry Coryell), she loops D, F, G over D-7, keeps G, F, D over C-7 and F7 and again on B♭Maj.7, and turns it into a 16th-note loop that creates a cross-rhythm. Use it in a later chorus to build up your solo, and make your own versions over the ii-Vs of the tune you're working on.

Emily Remler is a largely forgotten jazz guitarist, although quite a great one. These concepts come from her solo on How Insensitive, from her duo with Larry Coryell. I'll show what she's doing, distill it, and then show you how to make your own versions over ii-Vs. ▶ 0:00

The concept: loop three notes, change as few as possible

It starts on the second chorus of her solo. Over the first chord, D-7, she uses only three notes: D, F, G. The idea is to keep repeating those notes in some pattern, in a cycle. You're just looping them. ▶ 0:38

When the chord changes, change as few notes as possible to fit the new chord. Sometimes you can stay on the same pattern if all the notes fit; sometimes you change one or two notes. ▶ 1:09

Over D-7 she plays it ascending. When it goes to the next chord (A7 altered, or C♯ diminished), she starts descending, and it becomes a loop of three notes played as 16th notes. That creates an interesting rhythmic pattern. ▶ 1:09

The picking trick: hybrid picking with a pull-off

You could play it with a pick, but I find it easier with hybrid picking: your middle finger picks the second string, then a pull-off, and your pick hits the third string. That gets especially helpful as the tempo goes up. ▶ 1:47

On B♭ she adds variation: from D, G, F she moves to D, C, B♭. You pick on the third string, middle finger with the pull-off, back to the third string, then a pull-off on the first string for C to B♭. Two different three-note groupings: D, G, F and D, C, B♭. It ends with a slide up into D, which gives an E♭Maj.7 sound. ▶ 2:41

Make your own versions over a ii-V-I

Don't just copy the transcription. Break down what's going on and how she thinks, then create your own versions. I did it over a ii-V-I in E♭: F-7, B♭7, E♭Maj.7. Try it on whatever ii-V is in the song you're practicing, and take what she does, what I did, or your own version. ▶ 2:54

• Tempo: these are all 16th-note groupings at around 100 bpm. Practice slowly first until you have the technique. ▶ 4:25
• Variation 2: starting from F minor higher up is part of making it your own: where else can this little shape move? E♭ to D♭ doesn't work as well for the B♭ part, so play E♭ to C. ▶ 5:00
• Variation 3: for the transition from E♭ to D, slide the middle finger down to the D. The ending copies her slide from C to D, but as F to G. ▶ 6:34
• Variation 4: the previous ones were ascending, so this one keeps descending. The C, F, D, A shape also works higher up if you want that Maj.7♯11 sound on E♭. ▶ 7:28

Practice it over a song you're working on and keep it going for the whole tune (you can write it out). It's a great option for building up your solo in a later chorus. ▶ 8:29

Remler's triad version (third chorus)

Later, midway through her third chorus, over C-7 and F7, she plays with different triads: a different rhythmic grouping, but still repeated, and still three notes. Used chromatically the way she does it, depending on the chords of the song, it's a really effective way to build up a solo. I made ii-V-I options over C-7, F7, B♭Maj.7. ▶ 8:29

• Variation 1: an E♭ triad, played with the pick and a pull-off. Then, technically adding one more note, you can think of it as a B♭ triad or G-7, repeated over both C-7 and F7. On B♭Maj.7, move the G-7 up to A-7 for a second, which gives a ♯11 sound, then bring it back. Moving G minor up to A minor gives the major 7 sound a lift, like the E♭ example before. ▶ 10:07
• Variation 2: the E♭ triad for C-7, the D♭ major triad for F7 (a ♯9 and ♯5 sound), then the F major triad for B♭Maj.7 (the 9th, major 7th and 5th), and the A minor going back down to G minor. ▶ 11:10

There's a free PDF of the lesson, including the tab for exactly what she plays: get the Emily Remler 3-note PDF. Check out more of her recordings too, including this How Insensitive duo with Larry Coryell: there's a lot more in that solo. ▶ 11:10

Frequently asked questions

What is Emily Remler's three-note technique?

She picks three notes, loops them in a repeating pattern, and when the chord changes she changes as few notes as possible to fit the new chord. On How Insensitive she loops D, F, G over D-7 and keeps G, F, D over C-7 and F7.

Which Emily Remler solo is this from?

Her solo on How Insensitive, from her duo with Larry Coryell. The three-note loop starts on the second chorus; the triad version comes midway through the third chorus.

How do you pick fast three-note loops on guitar?

Hybrid picking: the middle finger picks the second string, a pull-off follows, and the pick hits the third string. Practice slowly first; the lesson's lines are 16th notes at around 100 bpm.

How do I use the three-note idea over a ii-V-I?

Take her pattern and move the shape to fit each chord, changing only one or two notes. Over F-7, B♭7, E♭Maj.7, for example, F, B♭, A♭ or E♭, A♭, F work over the ii-V, and C, F, D, A gives a Maj.7♯11 sound on E♭.

When should I use this in a solo?

In a later chorus, to build up your solo. Keep the loop going through the whole tune while practicing.

Keep learning

• George Benson's pentatonic ideas on So What: more repeating note groups that build intensity
• Minor pentatonic substitutions for jazz guitar: sequences, common tones and half-step connections between shapes
• How to play faster with downward pick slanting: picking technique for fast repeated patterns

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