Taking the mystery out of modal playing.
All the good players had and endless list of shortcuts that worked in the studio. I hope this tip is as handy for you as it has been for me.
Here's an easier way to learn and use the modes of the major scale.
First off learn 5 forms of the major scale all along the neck and be able to play them in any key. Each one has a root note in it and their all movable. If you already know where the notes are on your guitar this shouldn't take very long at all. You can get this stuff out of any good guitar instructional book.
Here's where the fun comes in.
Somebody tells you 'I want some of that minor sound.. you know, like Randy Rhoads or the Allman Brothers. Or they say... 'I want that Santana sound'.. or 'Give me that 'Jerry Garcia, Hippie sound.' My favorite... 'Can you play some jazzy, lounge stuff?
Once you get the hang of this it's very easy. Getting the hang of it is a LOT easier then thinking you're going to have to learn 144 different scale patterns all along the neck.
2. Here's your cheat chart. In EVERY ONE of these examples you'll be using your C major scale. It's just that you'll be emphasizing a different note in that scale depending on what 'somebody' asks for.
So when somebody asks:
Gimme a jazzy, lounge sound
How do you do it? Easy... use the major scale that's in the same key as the one you're playing.
For instance, say the chords behind you are Cmaj7, Fmaj7 - all in the key of C. You play your C scale. This is the Ionian mode.
Gimme that Santana, Allman Brothers, Randy Rhoads sound
How do you do it? Go back 2 frets from the key you're in.
Say the key is Dm. Think D note. Go down 2 frets and that's your C note. Now play the C scale against that Dm chord. That's The tonal center is that D note so you'll want to hang around it but just use that C scale. This is called the Dorian mode
Gimme that Spanish sound
How do you do it? Count 7 frets back from the note the key is in:
Say the key is Em. Find your E note and count 7 frets back and you wind up with your C note again. Strum the Em chord and then use your C scale. Again. Really. Hang around the E note. This is the Phrygian mode
Gimme that hippie, psychedelic sound.
How do you do it? Go up 7 frets from the note the key is in:
Let's say the song is in the key of F and the chord progression is F to G and back and forth... a common 'hippie' sounding progression. Go up 7 frets from your F note and wha-la, your back at that C note. Play the C scale against that progression and break out the lava lamp. This is the Lydian mode
Gimme more of that hippie, Garcia sound, but make it more bluesy. Another mode to use while wearing bell bottoms.
How do you do it? Go up 5 frets from the note the key is in:
Say the key is G and the progression is something like G - F - C - G. Count 5 frets up from that G note and there's your C scale again. Play it against that progression centering around your key note (G) and dig it man. This is your Mixolydian mode.
Gimme a really dark, moody, minor sound.
How do you do it? Go up 3 frets from the note the key is in: Progression is Am - G - F - Em in the key of A. Up three frets will give you C. Play that C scale over that progression. This is your Aeolian mode.
Gimme a bizzare jazzy sound. How do you do it? Go up 1 fret up from the note the key is in: Usually this is a good one to play over a diminished chord. B dim7 - play the C scale. Locrian mode
Notice in these examples I'm using the C major scale all the time but in the real world you may wind up using all or some of the others. The key to this is that once you learn 5 forms of playing your major scale and playing that in all 12 keys you're just one step away from being able to make the next transition.
Some extra examples:
The chords are Am to G, the key is Am so your key note is A. You want that Santana sound. Look at that 2nd example count back two frets, but this time from your A note because you're in the key of Am. This is your G note. Play the G major scale over that progression and you're really playing that Dorian mode.
The chord progression is Amaj7, Dmaj7, Bm7, E7 to Amaj7 and you want to sound jazzy. Your key is A. Look at the first example. You'll be using your A major scales. Ionian mode
Summing up: yes, it's to your advantage to learn your intervals, some chord theory and music theory which will always help. But if you want a fast way of sounding the way you need to sound then try out this lesson.
__________________
Here's an easier way to learn and use the modes of the major scale.
First off learn 5 forms of the major scale all along the neck and be able to play them in any key. Each one has a root note in it and their all movable. If you already know where the notes are on your guitar this shouldn't take very long at all. You can get this stuff out of any good guitar instructional book.
Here's where the fun comes in.
Somebody tells you 'I want some of that minor sound.. you know, like Randy Rhoads or the Allman Brothers. Or they say... 'I want that Santana sound'.. or 'Give me that 'Jerry Garcia, Hippie sound.' My favorite... 'Can you play some jazzy, lounge stuff?
Once you get the hang of this it's very easy. Getting the hang of it is a LOT easier then thinking you're going to have to learn 144 different scale patterns all along the neck.
2. Here's your cheat chart. In EVERY ONE of these examples you'll be using your C major scale. It's just that you'll be emphasizing a different note in that scale depending on what 'somebody' asks for.
So when somebody asks:
Gimme a jazzy, lounge sound
How do you do it? Easy... use the major scale that's in the same key as the one you're playing.
For instance, say the chords behind you are Cmaj7, Fmaj7 - all in the key of C. You play your C scale. This is the Ionian mode.
Gimme that Santana, Allman Brothers, Randy Rhoads sound
How do you do it? Go back 2 frets from the key you're in.
Say the key is Dm. Think D note. Go down 2 frets and that's your C note. Now play the C scale against that Dm chord. That's The tonal center is that D note so you'll want to hang around it but just use that C scale. This is called the Dorian mode
Gimme that Spanish sound
How do you do it? Count 7 frets back from the note the key is in:
Say the key is Em. Find your E note and count 7 frets back and you wind up with your C note again. Strum the Em chord and then use your C scale. Again. Really. Hang around the E note. This is the Phrygian mode
Gimme that hippie, psychedelic sound.
How do you do it? Go up 7 frets from the note the key is in:
Let's say the song is in the key of F and the chord progression is F to G and back and forth... a common 'hippie' sounding progression. Go up 7 frets from your F note and wha-la, your back at that C note. Play the C scale against that progression and break out the lava lamp. This is the Lydian mode
Gimme more of that hippie, Garcia sound, but make it more bluesy. Another mode to use while wearing bell bottoms.
How do you do it? Go up 5 frets from the note the key is in:
Say the key is G and the progression is something like G - F - C - G. Count 5 frets up from that G note and there's your C scale again. Play it against that progression centering around your key note (G) and dig it man. This is your Mixolydian mode.
Gimme a really dark, moody, minor sound.
How do you do it? Go up 3 frets from the note the key is in: Progression is Am - G - F - Em in the key of A. Up three frets will give you C. Play that C scale over that progression. This is your Aeolian mode.
Gimme a bizzare jazzy sound. How do you do it? Go up 1 fret up from the note the key is in: Usually this is a good one to play over a diminished chord. B dim7 - play the C scale. Locrian mode
Notice in these examples I'm using the C major scale all the time but in the real world you may wind up using all or some of the others. The key to this is that once you learn 5 forms of playing your major scale and playing that in all 12 keys you're just one step away from being able to make the next transition.
Some extra examples:
The chords are Am to G, the key is Am so your key note is A. You want that Santana sound. Look at that 2nd example count back two frets, but this time from your A note because you're in the key of Am. This is your G note. Play the G major scale over that progression and you're really playing that Dorian mode.
The chord progression is Amaj7, Dmaj7, Bm7, E7 to Amaj7 and you want to sound jazzy. Your key is A. Look at the first example. You'll be using your A major scales. Ionian mode
Summing up: yes, it's to your advantage to learn your intervals, some chord theory and music theory which will always help. But if you want a fast way of sounding the way you need to sound then try out this lesson.
__________________