Quote:
Originally Posted by harleycaptain
I am at a stage where I can play a chord progression and then solo over it using the pentatonic scale positons, ad libbing and having it hopefully sound cool. As long as I stay with the notes in the scale, it "fits."
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This is actually a good place to get started with modes.
It's helpful, however if you understand the concept of intervals and also how the major scale is harmonized with triads and 7th chords.
Intervals:
Major and minor pentatonic are like the bread and butter scales. They give you the basic notes that sound good. The modes give you some extra flavor... spice things up a bit. If you learn which notes (or intervals) to add to your pentatonic scales you can begin right away to add some of that color to your playing.
There are seven modes associated with the major scale. Three of the modes are simply a variation on the major pentatonic and three of the modes a variation on the minor pentatonic. The seventh mode isn't used all that much, so we'll just forget about it for now. You can always go after it later once you get your feet wet.
If you take the C major pentatonic scale you have the notes C D E G A, and the intervals 1 2 3 5 6.
Code:
8th fret
---|-6-|---|---|-1-|---|---|-
---|-3-|---|---|-5-|---|---|-
---|-1-|---|-2-|---|---|---|-
---|-5-|---|-6-|---|---|---|-
---|-2-|---|-3-|---|---|---|-
---|---|---|---|-1-|---|---|-
The Ionian Lydian and Mixolydian modes share these same notes/intervals. They just add F (4) and B (7) so you get 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
To get Ionian (the major scale) you add the F and B notes straight. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7)
Code:
8th fret
---|-6-|---|-7-|-1-|---|---|-
---|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|---|---|-
---|-1-|---|-2-|---|---|---|-
---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|---|-
---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|---|-
---|---|---|---|-1-|---|---|-
To get Mixolydian you add F and Bb. (1 2 3 4 5 6 b7)
Code:
8th fret
---|-6-|b7-|---|-1-|---|---|-
---|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|---|---|-
---|-1-|---|-2-|---|---|---|-
---|-5-|---|-6-|b7-|---|---|-
---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|---|-
---|---|---|---|-1-|---|---|-
To get Lydian you add F# and B. (1 2 3 #4 5 6 7)
Code:
8th fret
---|-6-|---|-7-|-1-|---|---|-
---|-3-|---|#4-|-5-|---|---|-
---|-1-|---|-2-|---|---|---|-
---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|---|-
---|-2-|---|-3-|---|#4-|---|-
---|---|---|---|-1-|---|---|-
Now take the A minor pentatonic scale A C D E G (1 b3 4 5 b7)
Code:
5th fret
---|-1-|---|---|b3-|---|---|-
---|-5-|---|---|b7-|---|---|-
---|b3-|---|-4-|---|---|---|-
---|b7-|---|-1-|---|---|---|-
---|-4-|---|-5-|---|---|---|-
---|-1-|---|---|b3-|---|---|-
The Aeolian, Dorian and Phrygian modes share these same notes/intervals. They just add the B (2) and F (6) just like before with the majors.
To get Aeolian (the minor scale) add B and F straight (1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7)
Code:
5th fret
---|-1-|---|-2-|b3-|---|---|-
---|-5-|b6-|---|b7-|---|---|-
---|b3-|---|-4-|---|---|---|-
---|b7-|---|-1-|---|-2-|---|-
---|-4-|---|-5-|b6-|---|---|-
---|-1-|---|-2-|b3-|---|---|-
To get Dorian, add B and F# (1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7)
Code:
5th fret
---|-1-|---|-2-|b3-|---|---|-
---|-5-|---|-6-|b7-|---|---|-
---|b3-|---|-4-|---|---|---|-
---|b7-|---|-1-|---|-2-|---|-
---|-4-|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-
---|-1-|---|-2-|b3-|---|---|-
To get Phrygian add Bb and F (1 b2 b34 5 b6 b7)
Code:
5th fret
---|-1-|b2-|---|b3-|---|---|-
---|-5-|b6-|---|b7-|---|---|-
---|b3-|---|-4-|---|---|---|-
---|b7-|---|-1-|b2-|---|---|-
---|-4-|---|-5-|b6-|---|---|-
---|-1-|b2-|---|b3-|---|---|-
You can start using these sounds right away wherever your major and minor pentatonic scales work. You don't even have to know what you're doing. Just mess around and add in some of those extra notes. The trick is to understand that the pentatonic scale already gives you the "safe" notes. Think of the added notes as passing tones or tensions you can add in and around the "safe" notes. Don't just go straight to one of the extra notes and hang out on it expecting it to sound good.
Harmonized Scale
I'm not going to get into a whole lesson on how to turn a scale into chords. I'm just going to say that learning this is how you will get to a point where you actually know what you're doing with modes. There are lessons all over the place on how a pattern of major and minor chords is built off the scale. You need to learn this. Once you have it down you can start to see how each of the modes is associated with each of the chords in the pattern. Recognizing which chords are being used out of the pattern is the key to knowing which mode will work well over a given chord progression.
Quote:
Originally Posted by harleycaptain
The subject came up when doing a lesson on Active Melody. The main chord was BM, and the run of notes ran back up to that chord fingering.
Brian mentioned it being a Dorian run. So since I am working on soloing, licks, fills, etc. I started to wonder about modes.
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If BM means B minor, then playing a lick out of the Dorian mode makes perfect sense. Minor chords have a lower case "m". Major chords have an upper case "M". If you actually mean B major, then Dorian makes no sense in that context.
If you can get to B minor pentatonic then add the notes/intervals that make it Dorian, you should be able to see how the lick in question use those same notes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by harleycaptain
thanks all, I think I am better off forgetting about this part of theory for now and continue learning songs with techniques, and licks and riffs and doing call and response type stuff with fills..
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There's absolutely no reason to think this way. Hopefully you are able to get some ideas from the stuff I posed above. Everybody makes such a big deal out of modes both pro and con. They're just sounds you can use to add some interest to your playing.
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