Getting Accustomed to the Modes

NorioDS

I haven't played guitar in way too long and when I did play, it was always just a bit of pentatonic weedly-weedly over some fairly simple tracks.

For a long time now, I've wanted to learn the C-Major scale across the whole fretboard and use it to get used to playing in the other modes that use the same notes. (D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, A Aeolian, B Locrian) Trouble being that it's tough finding decent backing tracks to do that with and making your own, well that's even harder.

But yesterday I went'a'searching again and lookit what I found!
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PR-022-RUPAT.php

It's called "Really Useful Play Along Tracks" and it's brilliant. I had some fun jamming over these tracks today and I was surprised by how much I learned in a single practise session. I finally "get" how modes sound but it will be a while still, I imagine, before I can use them effectively but I DO believe that practising along to these tracks will help get me there a lot faster.

So if you've been struggling to get to grips with applying modes in a song context, and you can find yourself around the C-Major scale - get this!

Track List
1. Acoustic Pop in G Major
2. Country Pop Rock in D Major
3. 12 Bar Blues in A
4. Jazzy Swing Blues in C
5. C Ionian Vamp
6. D Dorian Vamp
7. E Phrygian Vamp
8. F Lydian Vamp
9. G Mixolydian Vamp
10. A Aeolian Vamp
11. B Locrian Vamp
12. A7 to D7 Vamp
13. Am7 to Cm7 Vamp
14. G Major Chord Keyboard Pad
15. A Minor Chord Keyboard Pad
16. D Dominant 7 Chord Keyboard Pad
17. F# Minor7b5 Chord Keyboard Pad

Enjoy!

evolucian

We'll have to hook up sometime so's I can help you out with it man. Cos there are easy ways to doing it... i promise. Be careful with mode tracks, cos they must resolve to the said note of mode. And its confusing cos sometimes, because of the harmonic functions and where the cadence is leading, you'll land up playing the major scale instead (backtracks fault, not yours, causing confusion). I'm not saying they're bad, don't get me wrong. The application of modal music is rare... but.... and a big but... you are free to borrow without making a modal track. This would then be matching chord/scale (which would be better at a later stage)

Your route is learning the major scale in its entirety, across and everywhere on the fretboard. But its not modal. Until you get to the two chord vamps, thats when it becomes modal. hmmm... I might be getting confusing here. To sum it, just think of playing the major scale. Its ok to seperate it into boxes of knowledge and give it a modal name... but its important to not let yourself think you're playing modes. Major scale... boom. Thats bout it really.

Also... don't bite off more than you can chew. I'd suggest learning one system well enough... learning the sounds and theory/application before moving onto the real thinking stuff of why is this x (such as the chord/scale sessions)?

Anyway... just my one cent's worth.

NorioDS

I'd dig that ? You still carless? We have nice trees here in Centurion, y'know?

evolucian

yeah man... still carless sultana. I'll look into them trees over there, hehe. I updated my previous post... hope it helps some. Just holler if it confuses more.

NorioDS

Yep, what you've described is what I'm doing. I'm only using the C-Major scale because I'm familiar with it all across the fretboard but, while I play along to modal tracks, I focus my phrasing around the root note of that mode and try find it's complementary notes that work well.

This is my "getting comfortable" stage. Once I can have fun soloing in modes without feeling terribly lost (Locrian and Lydian are hard for me right now) then I'll move on to "making the changes" and then I'm going to revisit theory to understand each mode in the context of the chords that make it sound good. I have a feeling, though, that this part will start to happen naturally as a by-product of thinking modally.

I just want to first make sure I do this as completely as possible with C-Major as there are no sharps or flats to worry about which makes calculating chords a wee bit easier. Once I'm good at that, then it should be easier to take all this and apply it to another key. Hopefully by that time, I'll be making my own 2-chord vamps as I think that's going to be a very necessary step in my education here. (But for now, eish my rhythm guitar is awful ?)

Squonk

Very lekker site Norio

I am one of those weedly weedly players as well

Good Thread

Dingwall

Hey Norio, if you are quite familiar with pentatonic scales (even if it is just pos 1) then another way of tackling Modes is to use your pentatonic as a platform rather than the major scale. So if you take your basic A minor pentatonic position, what you do is fill in the dots to show the differences between the modes, it's a different way of doing the same thing except you still have all your familiar pentatonic licks and bends etc. It also enables you to target specific Modal notes which sometimes get lost in the full major scale. i.e. you can quickly see the difference between say A Dorian and A Natural Minor whilst still having all your familiar pentatonic notes and combos. In practice this means you can target the F#, for example, to give your playing a more Dorian sound and so on but you won't be thinking "F#" as such but merely adding the note that is just before your pinky note on the B string. So it becomes a visual and aural thing rather than a theory based thing!

I am not saying this is the 'best' way or even the way I personally learnt modes but it does seem to make sense on the basis that most of us are far more comfortable and familair with pentatonic scales.

I know my thread is probably not making any sense at all and I am happy to expand if unclear, or possibly best to just retreat back into my hole in the ground.......

(ps learning my major scales across the fretboard was the best thing I ever did and the above is not suggesting that you don't learn major scales, it is merely an alternative to learning Modes from a lead playing point of view)

FIN

Attila

So Mr. evolucian,

take a minute or to elobarate on your "there are easy ways to do it" so us doff okes can understand as well ....... alway interested in learning more as well y'know

NorioDS

Ding, please explain further ? I'm interested in learning to use your method along with what I'm currently doing.

Having said that, I'm not a very "positional" player. I find I get bored quickly if I stay in just 1 position. I find it more fun to play up and down the strings - it makes for more interesting melodies. I realise this is likely because I'm not good enough to make full use of a position but that doesn't bother me.

Dingwall

Hey Norio

I have a simple spreadsheet with a visual idea of what I was trying to explain. Not sure how you attach spreadsheets but if you PM me your email I will send it to you with some further explanation.

NorioDS

Thanks, you can email it to me on norio at guitarforum.co.za

Averatu

In the Vinney Moore lesson dvd, he relates the modes to concepts, a expanded version of what Guthrie did at the clinic. Lydian = the Simpsons mode etc. The most important tool in learning and playing modes is your ear.

Dingwall

Norio wrote: Thanks, you can email it to me on norio at guitarforum.co.za

DONE

NorioDS

Thanks - that's a nice approach which will help, methinks ?

NorioDS

Dingwall, your pentatonic trick definitely does help. It's great for getting into a groove, and then I go switch between "pentatonic-style" and 3-note-per-string style and I get to enjoy playing while I learn and while my brain gets used to the way each mode sounds.

DEFINITELY helped a lot. Thanks ?

I must say, the modes I struggle to get a decent sound out of seem to be Lydian then Dorian. The others I don't struggle with (even Locrian - although it just sounds very moody and I never venture far from the root with that one ?).

I expect that, over time, my ears will tell me which notes work well for each mode and which you don't want to sit on for too long. I feel that memorising that will be overwhelming at this stage, so actually, I'm doing it this way out of choice.

And today I had my first attempt at "making the changes". I sucked terribly but, hey, everyone sucks the first time ? Gonna keep it up until I get it right though but I find I'm also making up for lost practise time in 2011. So 10% of my playing is hitting the wrong note ENTIRELY, by sliding too far, etc, so I need to revisit those practise sessions Meir taught me to fix that ?

All in all, I'm having tons of fun while also really challenging myself with these tracks.

ratrap

Norio I tried top buy Justins backing tracks from Amazon UK but the purchase was blocked due to geographic restrictions!!
How did you manage it??

NorioDS

He has a tip for overseas buyers. I don't remember it exactly but it's on the purchase page.

ratrap

Thanks I see that now!

Dingwall

Hey Norio

I found this Guthrie Govan video which explains the angle I was coming from with regards to modes in a far better way than I could!!

=

Norman86

Thanks Dingwall ?