Help! Minor harmony and modes/scales.

[Pine Apple Slim]

ive just started jamming with a guy who writes some good tunes and grooves, and a lot of them involve minor keys and minor 7th chords. Lots of stuff with a minor blues feel. I realized I'm kinda out of my element a bit as far as improvising. I come from the country/bluegrass side of things for the most part. My blues licks are pretty much straight outta the Minor Pentatonic over Dominate 7ths school, with some Mixolydian licks thrown in. I find myself just hunting and pecking for what sounds good with no real theoretical framework established in the back of my mind.
I need to study up on my minor key harmony and theory, and work on some scales and modes that go with it. Like really learn the diff in natural, harmonic, and melodic minor and their applications. And I know the Dorian mode fits in there somewhere, lol.
Anybody have a suggestion about a good place to start? Free stuff online is preferred.
Or how's about a simple 2 or 3 chord minor progression to put in my loop pedal with a scale to play over it?

 

[Modern Saint]

ive just started jamming with a guy who writes some good tunes and grooves, and a lot of them involve minor keys and minor 7th chords. Lots of stuff with a minor blues feel. I realized I'm kinda out of my element a bit as far as improvising. I come from the country/bluegrass side of things for the most part. My blues licks are pretty much straight outta the Minor Pentatonic over Dominate 7ths school, with some Mixolydian licks thrown in. I find myself just hunting and pecking for what sounds good with no real theoretical framework established in the back of my mind.
I need to study up on my minor key harmony and theory, and work on some scales and modes that go with it. Like really learn the diff in natural, harmonic, and melodic minor and their applications. And I know the Dorian mode fits in there somewhere, lol.
Anybody have a suggestion about a good place to start? Free stuff online is preferred.
Or how's about a simple 2 or 3 chord minor progression to put in my loop pedal with a scale to play over it?

Work on your Aeolian mode (natural minor). You already know 5 of the notes in the scale as the minor pentatonic is minor scale less the 2 and 6 scale degrees.

The differences in the 3 Diatonic minor modes are only the differences in the 2nd and 6th scale degrees. Looking at the key of Aminor here is the breakdown.

Dorian - natural 2, natural 6
A - B - C - D - E - F# - G - A

Phyrgian - flat 2, natural 6
A - Bb - C - D - E - F - G - A

Aeolian - natural 2, flat 6
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A

Each mode has a different feel so experiment if you want.

Hope this helps.

 

[rsadasiv]

Dorian mode. When he plays Dm7 you play C major.