I know for most of you the mystery of modes isn't a mystery but for me it's always been something that's been out if my reach. I only recently learnt the other four minor pentatonic shapes which probably explains a lot about my lazy approach to theory. Anyway every so often I go on YouTube scouring for modal videos in the hope that something might click, we'll today it did and I've just jammed along to backing tracks in Lydian Dorian and mixolidian before my iPad battery died. I'm sharing this in the hope that it might help some other poor sod, thanks so much Chappers you've made me so happy, I know this is only the beginning of the journey but at least I'm now on the right road.
Comments
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
imho
if you want to understand what you're doing, rather than learning a trick, learn your scale shapes using the CAGED system
5 moveable and repeating shapes
I think one of the most enlightening comments about modes was something I read here in another thread; basically "the mode is determined by the chord progression."
It is quite rare that the harmony is sufficiently undefined that we get to choose the mode we want to work in.
I watched the video and the thing I would say is that in his question number one at the end where he says the mode is a dorian but I am soloing at the 7th fret, what do I play? He then counts up the scale to get to e aolian. This works but seems a bit cumbersome.
Personally, to figure the same thing out I'd look for the Am chord shape at the 7th fret and the pentatonic that goes with it and then add the second and sixth to make a full dorian scale.
Ie think in chord shapes first and build the scale onto those as required. Then in the worst case scenario, if you know where your chord tones are then you know where the really safe notes are and everything else is fair game if you resolve accordingly!
yes
what midiglitch is describing is the application of CAGED
Coming at modes from a pentatonic background is a bit like playing scrabble when you've always got these letters in your hand: A A E O I O O ...
you're all like "but Maw there ain't nuffink ah can do wid dem letters". It's all too whitebread.
The pentatonic scales are there to avoid comparative dreaded scrabble combinations like: Z Q X J B C M - statistically unlikely but a great enough fear that we make a rule to forefend against this angular sound.
The parallel works very well, and here's why: in scrabble you can make a contribution of more value hooking a Q, X or Z onto a few hanging letters than you would inexplicably finding a way of using all of "A A E O I O O" - it's all about note selection and timing - which most guitarists would prefer to avoid by selecting as many notes and playing a stream of even straight 8th notes.
Modes happen when you turn off the auto-pilot and commit to playing two notes at very specific points in a bar - if you don't get the timing right, try again ... or run back to pentatonics - your call
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
This makes total sense to me, you must be slipping Frankus I intend to delve further into the theory and hopefully start thinking in intervals (eventually anyway) it's knowing where to start when there's so many holes in my theory to begin with, at the beginning I spose which is a bit daunting.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.