Probably my nicest intro yet. Did you learn anything about scales from this video tho?! Also, 52 Week Guitar Player officially reopens for enrollment on December 14/2024. We will reopen on Dec 11 for waiting list members. We will only be accepting 100 new students. Sign up to the waiting list to be among the first in line: brandondeon.com/survey-page2
Brandonnnn, are my eyes cheating me or did you fook up the intervallic structure of the pentatonic scales? At 5:35 you count the notes as "1 2 3 5 6" this seems correct to me, but at 6:01 you write "1 2 3 4 5" Sooooo... why it that, please? Is it a mistake from your side? I am a lil confused.
@@jasonswitzer1748if you can identify the scale something is in, it’s easier to improvise. It also helps with making your own solos. That’s my understanding anyways
Here's the mnemonic I use to remember the order of the modes: I Don't Play Loud Music At Lunch Ionian, Dorian, Phrigian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian
ciggies are good for avoiding that pesky lingering in the realm of the living thing when you’re seriously past it… in walks keith richards “mumble mumble hold me beer heh heh mumble never gonna happen mate heh heh” ☮️❤️🌏🌍🌎
Right? I picked up the guitar just so I Had a place to stick my cigarette so I didn't have to hold it all the time. Got sick of my index and middle finger smelling like a bowling alley from my childhood.
“Playing guitar is a great way to express your creativity, and to learn how to play it here are the most rigid, math-like and creativity-killing set of rules you’ve ever heard” And yes I’m mad because I’m confused
I feel you bro. But think of it this way: to bend and play around the rules, you must first know the rules. They are just meant to be your tools to create w/e you want.
"Creativity-killing". Tell me you only know two scales without telling me you only know two scales. "Math-like" describes all music, or is it the "counting to seven" part that specifically annoys you? Only playing in two scales sounds rigid to me.
best guitar theory guy out there. Literally all you need to start without useless talking and other bullsht. If only you were there while I was starting out. keep on with those videos
Great video. I was taught the five minor boxes and to play them in all 12 keys. Then I was taught to find the relative majors. From there I was taught to find the relative modes. LOL to me everything is a minor box. For example in the key of A, F# minor is A major, B minor is A mixolydian, E minor is A Dorian, D Minor is A phrygian, and G minor is A lydian. Phrygian Dominant is just the relative harmonic minor. I learned this from a jazz player. Now I can change between all my keys and modes like a beast. LOL except I suck at pentatonic scale.
I watch these everytime they come up but I have been struggling with a way to understand modes and this is a great simplification. Thank you, now to practice
commenting to say id love a seperate video on the rest of the scales ans their shapes- im aware of a harmonic minor, but have no idea how exactly it correlates to the rest of the scales except for the fact that its a semitone difference - but i still wouldnt know how to remember it in relation to it all- something uve managed to teach amazingly with ur masterclass videos
returning to this in case anyone was wondering- to summarize, harmonic (and melodic) have one (or two) degrees raised, that being the seventh (and sixth), to find the shapes of these, you can just look for '[ionian mode] [move seventh per mode you moved, keeping in mind you started from aeolian], which, would result in dorian #4(#3#4 for melodic) for example, or phrygian #5 (#4#5 for melodic), just learn your damn scale degrees, and this is all the knowledge you need!
Honestly, I think the approach of starting modes from each note from a major scale is really useless in a practical way. Things like “if you wanna play F lydian, think about the C major scale but start on F”, and not only this is confusing, imagine wanting to play B lydian, you would have to figure out a scale in which B is the 4th note and then play that scale from it. It seems simple in paper, but imagine you’re improvising over a song a it has 2 borrowed chords from let’s say phrygian, it’s too complicated to use this approach in an improvising scenario. Me personally, think “formulas” are way easier to grasp. I.g. Lydian has a #4, so if you want to play C Lydian, just play C major and raise the fourth, makes so much more sense. Another interesting way of looking at modes, is to relate the minor modes to the minor pentatonic scale, since for example, Mixolydian si just adding the major third to the pentatonic. Hope this helps someone struggling to learn modes (just like I did)
I learned piano at a music school. Getting into guitar a couple years after on my own now. I was so confused on why the guy needlessly overcomplicated it like this, +1 to your comment.
Scales or modes don't sound original music if they are played vertically. The mode pattern of the first 2 or 3 top strings must be joined in sequence with the next mode pattern of the 3rd or fourth strings, and so on to the next mode pattern played on the 5th or 6th strings, thus the phrase appears to be diagonally descending; can be played diagonally ascending or combination. But these are just the filler melody patterns, in between them there must be an original few notes of melody by your own choice. Then to complete the whole phrase, it must be resolved ending in any of the triads of the last chord in the progression. The number of notes played per beat must be about 4 to 6 notes and distributed equally to form 1 bar. On the chord progression, choose the mode pattern (inversion) to be played on all chords throughout the progression. One or more modes based on any of the chords in the progression may be played. How to play the modes are by your own pre-designed lick patterns (with intervals or skipped notes), usually skip the 3rd and 5th degrees, (only 5 out of 7notes are then played all throughout), but retain the root note. In this way, your melody will sound tensional at first, then will sound beautiful when resolved with the triads at the end of the phrase. Often times, arpeggios are played as resolving portion of the phrase. Watch how Matteo Mancuso plays, (only he does it way too fast and uses many kinds of lick patterns in a phrase).
The best way to learn scales is to learn them as route notes + octaves. The shaping is exactly the same all over the fretboard. Then you learn corresponding open/bar chords and arpeggios and you basically know a good chunk of guitar theory. This is what really helps you understand songs/riffs/licks you are learning. You still need to learn the shapes, but the route + octave shaping and the key is what is most important.
And its important to realise modes are just the arpeggio of that chord in the root scale + the filler notes of the root scale. You don't have to learn all these scales and modes just the root note chord shapes/arpeggio + the minor and major scales they are based on. Thats why teachers will always teach you pentatonic then major/minor scale first. It sets you up to learn everything else, its a great reference point.
Here's my easy guide to modal music: Sorted from "brightest" to "darkest". Compared to the major scale, the first has a sharp, the third has one flat, the fourth, two flats, and so on. Read below to find how they're _actually_ used. *Lydian* : just don't. *Ionian* : also known as the major scale. *Mixolydian* : if the song sounds okay in major, but you want to add a little something-something. This one gets used a LOT. The vocal line of "You Really Got Me" is in the mixolydian mode. Did I mention it gets used a lot? Which is ironic because it has the most exotic name. *Dorian* : The Pink Floyd scale. That kind of dreary, halfway between major and minor scale that David Gilmour loves. Most of the songs on _Dark Side_ are in the Dorian Mode -- "Time" specifically. Also appears in the "...and I find it kind of FUNny, I FIND it kind of sad" part of "Mad World" -- all caps is wherever the natural sixth occurs, which distinguishes the Dorian Mode from the... *Aeolian* : also known as the minor scale. *Phrygian* : for metalheads, or when you want something to sound Arabic. The bass run in the beginning of "Killing an Arab" is literally just the descending Phrygian scale. Take the minor key, and flat the second, and Ahab's yer uncle. *Locrian* : Remember what I said about the Lydian? That goes double for the Locrian. The only reason to ever write a song in the Locrian mode is to say "I wrote a song in the Locrian mode", and you'll cheat, anyway, by using the flat fifth as a percussive element, leaving all the melodic elements in the Phrygian mode. That's how both Bjork and Bartok pulled it off. Lastly: Minor Pentatonic: The standard blues/rock-n-roll scale. Malcolm Young already discovered every possible way you can play open minor Pentatonic chords, so the rest of us don't have to. Just listen to a lot of AC/DC (and who doesn't like AC/DC? They must be on cigarettes.) Major Pentatonic: If you want to sound like Skynyrd. Also some decent old-school country music. Just like all modes, this one can be used for both good and evil. If you want to be lazy, or you're on cigarettes, other than the major/minor/major-minor pentatonic, the modes that see heavy usage are the Mixolydian and the Dorian. But feel free to stretch your creativity and use others. Or none -- chromatic music is also a thing. I like me some Sonic Youth sometimes.
At 1:03 the term "accidental" is being used incorrectly. Accidentals refer to a sharp or flat that is placed to the immediate left of a note. The sharps or flats within the key signature itself are not considered accidentals.
This is a great video, i found it helpful and easy to understand, the only suggestion i would make is ro include a simple glossary of terms for those who don't know what certain terms like natural or accidental mean
I enjoy that the reason you are attaching the modes to the five Pentatonic positions is to play them with the the natural major scale. I appreciate the nomenclature not literally literally on the intervalic structure. However we also know ... That the pentatonic scale shape can be used in other positions than where those modes would associate ... Which ... Still has five notes but it something completely different. I usually practice the latter shape based knowledge as it sounds good and relates to the instrument Since there is a lot to learn about different signs switching between scales. So I do not think of the Pentatonic that way, as you mentioned because it's possible to play the shape in ways that relate entirely differently ... I usually count there without changing the key. I am trying to learn funked up scales and licks mostly because the basics just almost apply but don't to me really. There a funky one with an M that's not mixo There's all kinds of crazy scales besides harmonic ... And even melodic. I really like the harmonic scale. I just try to sound fresh when I play and nothing does that like a different scale.
So let me get this straight. If you take the Locrian mode in the key of C and then change it into the Locrian scale in the key of C you end up with the Locrian mode in the key of Db.
I dunno, I just learned the 5 positions of pentatonic scale (both major and minor, they just start off on different positions), then figured you can start that and play that on any string / fret, it's just the relation, the intervals, what matters. Then I found the scale with all the 'missing' notes (aka natural scale) and have been practicing that one same way like the pentatonic scale, 5 positions, starting on any string / fret and figuring out 'oh, that's the position I'm currently in' and going up and down, left and right, just noodling around. To me they're the same, but natural scale just has more notes in it. What note and what position (minor or major) you start the scale off with depends on the key the song is in or on your liking if there's no song or backing track you're playing to. I have no idea what those modes are, it's litterally just start wherever you want and play what's allowed within the shapes you're playing occasionally throwing in notes that for some reason still sound good even though they're not supposed to be there. Experienced musicians, explain what in the freaking world I'm doing wrong here? What is it with the modes and stuff? Am I just preceiving it differently or am I actually missing something yet?
I’m using Harmonic Minor all the time and Locrian , Phrygian on the 5/Dom7. At first Sweet Georgia Brown sounded like she was having a nuclear meltdown. Turns out I don’t play fast enough yet.
Check out the album Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava by King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. Each song on the album is in a different mode. (As the title is just a mnemonic for the modes) It's such a cool album that got me interested in learning about music theory, and plus the songs are just awesome (and check out the band, they are music theory geniuses and have soooo many great songs AND albums)
Modes of harmonic minor and melodic minor scales? Yes, please. Burning questions: Are modes of harmonic major used? Why only 26 modes and not a multiple of 7? Would arranging modes of major scale in order of descending 5ths make the Circle of 4ths and 5ths too complicated for 5 year olds? What's your take on Lydian Chromatic scales?
Hey Brandon can you cover how to get the sound of the modes into your playing? I understand how to find them but they always just sound like a minor or major scale run to me...the only time I can get that cool different sound is when I play something using the harmonic minor to get that "latin sound" kind of like smooth by Santana. Anyways as someone who hasn't taken lessons in a long time I really appreciate your videos and teaching style
See it’s like combinations that seem endless and I don’t even know all the notes to even start memorizing the modes. scales seem easier because there’s like a set pattern to each scale, no matter where you play it on the fretboard. But notes and modes are still confusing to me.
Ive been playing guitar for 30 years. Mostly self taught. I write and record originals, so coming up with melodies and solos has been such a nightmare since I dont really know any theory or scales.. so Im trying to learn what I shouldve done years ago... I do feel ridiculous for asking this, but why does there seem to be an extra note in these scales?. Im seeing that most scales have 7 notes, as shown in the text for each of the scales...but when hes playing out the scale, theres always one extra note being played...Like... "D DORIAN - D E F G A B C" which has 7 notes, yet 8 were played. what the heck am I missing here?
There are times I could throw my fucking guitar right out the window (Yes, I am balls deep learning scales and all the BS theory with them, it is driving me crazy)
