Aeolian Legato Workout 

Hey! Okay, this is MEGA important. At the beginning I declared the key - A Minor. That defines everything that happens after that declaration, so this entire lesson is in A Minor (and not E minor/Phrygian). Yes, technically the fingering I used here starts on E and would be E Phrygian if that were the key, but we're hitting A Minor in this lesson, so that overrides the fact we're beginning on the note E. REMEMBER: You don't always have to begin or end what you're playing on the root. Honestly, you should avoid always beginning or ending with the root and mix things up as often as possible. Anyway, to further drive this home - the final note A at the highest reach of the scale is the root and emphasized, not to mention returning to the root (A) again at the end of the sequence. That drives home the fact that we're playing in A Minor and not E. I guess what I'm really ranting about here deals with the most important thing that many players completely overlook - the KEY. Now, I'm glad you (and a few other viewers) are thinking this way, because you're doing the most important thing that so many players out there don't do - and that's THINK. Crunch those notes and really think about what you're playing. As far as keys, I would highly recommend checking out key signatures, and at least scratch the surface with them so you have an idea of what they are. You can slowly build that information/knowledge, but learning about them so long ago has really helped me understand music. They're important, but you'll have to learn/read about them, and memorize them - but it's totally worth it. Thank you, good luck, and ROCK ON!

...If you had a backing track in A minor, it would sound A minor....if it were in E phrygian it would sound phrygian....When the notes that your playing are in front of actual music; that is what defines the tonal color....its the context of the music in which the music and the notes collide that offer the particular flavor....modes are just flavors.....the note you start on is more conducive and important when writing actual chord progressions and trying to establish a key, mode, or a feeling of home base then just playing scales.

@@LateNightLessons First, I wish you to know that I have liked your other videos of which I have watched. So I mean you no harm. Yet, the title screen of the video is SCALES and tales. You called this a slow warm up. And then you claimed it is A natural minor scale. But it is not. A Aeolian starts on A and end on G. Diatonically, it ends on A one octave higher. *A scale is a sequenced division of the octave and the name of the scale is the first tone played.* The first tone is the tonic. You played a scale, i.e., the division of the octave ascending. The tonic that you played was E. You played the scale diatonically. Thus what you played is E Phrygian. It shares the tones with A Aeolian as well as D Dorian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, and of course C Ionian, but it is E Phrygian. In the warm-up decending, you might have played A Aeolian one time. Your response seems as if you feel challenged. That was not my intent nor is it now. If you were playing music in a key, say the key of A minor, then of course for there to be music, there would need to be rhythm and melodic intervals. All of these scales share the same tone set as A Aeolian but none are A Aeolian. Yet, all would sound cool with an A minor progression piece of music. The flat 2 in E Phrygian creates a unique melancholic tension for the Key of A minor, ideal for adding depth and mystery. Sharing the minor 3rd and 6th but with a major 7th, D Dorian brings a bright and energetic vibe to the A minor key. With its lowered 7th, G Mixolydian sounds bluesy and soulful over A minor progressions. Here are some other options. While A Harmonic minor is a straightforward choice, the raised 7th adds brighter, almost major-like tension, which can work well for solos aiming for dramatic shifts or anthemic moments. You play the C harmonic minor scale over the A minor progression thus Harmonic Minor 5th up. This introduces some interesting chromatic passing tones and creates a slightly dissonant sound. Another way is the Harmonic Minor Dominant approach, where you play the E harmonic minor scale over the A minor progression. This provides a stronger tonal center for Phrygian melodies within your solo. Good luck!

@@Breathemusic4202 You get it. I don't think David quite understood my post, and I will be responsible for that, or he does not understand music theory as much as me might believe. As I wrote to him in my follow-up, a scale is a sequenced division of the octave and the name of the scale is the first tone played. The first tone is the tonic. He started the lesson playing E Phrygian. It does not matter if he claims he is playing in A minor, though I heard no music, only him playing scales. All E scales start on E. All A scales start on A This can not be in dispute. This is music theory devised and developed centuries ago. Particular scales will "sound right" paired only with particular keys. If David were to play to an A minor progression of rock, Am - E - F#m - D then playing D Dorian should sound brighter, energetic while G Mixolydian should sound bluesy.

@@johnp.johnson1541 ...If you want to get technical then yes my friend it could be e phrygian. To make things simple i think his reference of A minor was completely appropriate as most people are familiar. At the end of the day, call it what you want, play it how you want and disect it to your brains grandest satisfaction....its a great exercise, just play it and have fun.....Trust me....David knows his theory as much as he thinks he does. Just trust me on that. Cheers!

Then just look at this scale first without the notes on the low E string. Every target note then is an A note. What delineates the key is the root note. Not what note a scale, phrase, or riff starts or ends on. This is important; an E note is the fifth note in an A minor chord, so it's the strongest note other than the root itself. While that works fine and sounds as resolved as it's ever going to get, starting and or ending on the root note can be kind of boring if that's all the player does. I should say "monotonous" not boring. Some songs might even call for just riding the root, depending on the style of music. But starting or ending on the E note makes a lot of sense over an A minor chord. The other strong harmonies over the A minor would be C, the third of A minor) and G (the seventh). B is cool over A minor sometimes too. This is the ninth of A minor, and doesn't always need to be played only over an A minor 9 chord. It can really be a cool statement for the soloist to make over just a normal A minor chord. But in the beginning, it's best to stick to the 5th and 3rd to get a handle on it. Just do them one at a time. Makes phrases that start and end on the fifth, then switch to phrases starting and ending on the 3rd. The riff can be as simple as just running the scale from the 5th to the 5th, or 3rd to the 3rd. Also, in case this part is confusing, each key has as many chords in it, as it has notes. In the key of A minor that would be: Am, Bm-flat5, C, Dm, Em, F, and G. Each of those chords is made from notes in the key of A minor. The relative Major key, is C Major, and the notes are all the same, as are the chords, but just arranged differently. C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The chords then are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, and Bm-flat5. This all one big pattern on the fretboard that can be just be shifted to make any key. For instance to make it D Major instead, just move everything up 2 frets. And another 2 frets up and it's E Major, etc. If you get stuck, David should have videos on all of this. I also suggest getting an image of the notes of C Major all over the entire fretboard. One with the seven positions you pay will teach you every note on the guitar, and that's the key to everything else. Have fun and good luck.😊

I had the same way of looking at it until I shifter my brain to the A string for the shape.

Yea, then just keep F as the root and modulate back and forth from an FM to a GM for the next hour or three, and you're in lydian land heaven! Umm, did I mention I like lydian, yet?

Ok, maybe not "a few years", but it was probably at least 6 months, maybe a year. To be honest, I still associate it with Rhoads.

Also, when I first saw this thumbnail I thought it said "Alien Legato Workout". I won't lie, I was pretty excited to learn some out of this world tricks.

@@shakebabyhitler Yeah, I totally associate Aeolian with Michael Schenker and Randy Rhoads! Good call! ROCK ON!

@@LateNightLessons Hey, as long as I seem to have your attention for a moment, you're doing an amazing job here. Love your content and your approach. I know I've left this comment before, but it's worth repeating... your lo-fi methods lend a certain intimacy to your work. The closest anyone on yt gets to actually taking a lesson with a cool guy who can really play. No fancy graphics or edits to hide behind. And your anecdotal asides really make it feel like a (obviously one-sided) conversation. I first became aware of you through your articles in Guitar Player (great work!), so I already knew you were legit. But a bit more "you" comes across through the vids. Please keep up the great work. And if you ever find yourself in Vancouver, Canada, give me a shout. Maybe we can set up a lesson, beers and dinner on me. Wish you the best in the new year!