This lesson is the video accompaniment to the “Understanding Modes” PDF tutorial.
I hope I am not going through the concepts to fast, but I think if you fully understand the PDF tutorial and you have gone through the studies on “Visualizing 3-notes per string major scales Pts.1 & 2″ you shouldn’t have to much of a problem.
I just used modes with an E root note so I could keep the low E string ringing while I improvised. The best way to work on your modes is to improvise over a backing track that you create that gives you a nice foundation for your mode and key of choice.
In the next lesson I will show you a cool way to create modal progressions that you can record and improvise over that will help you get the sound of the modes in your ear.
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how do you sign up or join?
Hey thanks for wanting to join, if you look in the side bar to the right you will see a log in section. If you don’t have an account just click subscribe and choose your account type. If you choose a Premium Subscription
you will be able to watch all of the Song Lesson videos anytime you want 24/7, plus you will be helping the site out a bunch as well. But you can also choose FREE account if you so desire, but that doesn’t really give you any more access to the site than a regular visitor. Thanks a lot for wanting to become a part of the community I am trying to build here. Hope to see you soon!! Carl..
Hi Carl,
Thanks for a great lesson , and keeping the three note per string approach as to work towards visualizing the
7 positions ( modes ) . The work you are doing is fantastic and sincerely appreciated .
cheers
tweedguitar
Hey thanks a lot, I have more stuff coming!!
Carl,
Is your website secured if I want to contribute using my Visa card? Thanks
Hey Colin, thanks for wanting to contribute!! Yes my website is secure, however you won’t even be using my website if you choose to donate anyway. When you click on the donate link it takes you straight to Paypal so the actual payment has nothing to do with my site. And Paypal is probably the most secure site on the web.
.. Paypal then emails me notifying me of the kind donation. So don’t worry because no one, including me ever gets any access to your info. Hope that helps ease your mind. Cheers!! Carl..
Hello Carl
i can’t believe how good of a teacher you are. i have really struggled trying to learn theory involving the major scale and it’s modes and the pentatonic scale.
you made things clearer than I could ever even imagine.
Outstanding work!
John
GREAT!! I really appreciate the feedback. Hope I can continue to clear up things for ya in my future lessons as well. Thanks a bunch for following along!! Carl..
Hey Carl,
I really like this lesson on visualizing modes. It is very different from the way that I have started to teach myself the modes. Like you, I started intuitively after I learned the 3 note per string forms. After learning the forms as ‘the root’, the ‘second degree’, ‘third degree’, etc. I just substituted (in my mind) ‘the root’ with Ionian, ‘second degree’ with Dorian, ‘third degree’ with Phrygian etc. I just realized that I knew all the modes with the 6th string roots! Which was exciting. My old guitar teacher that had been playing for 20+ years never even thought of it that way! What I have been doing now is then learning all the mode patters from the roots on the other strings so eventually I will be able to play any mode on the fly from whatever note I am on.
One thing I observed from the 3 note per string patters, when you start the mode from the 6th string is that the 2nd octave root always ends on the b string. So you then know the B string pattern going up the neck. Starting the pattern on the A string, the root always ends on the high E string.
Trying to figure these out of course gets me deeper and deeper into the 3 note per string patterns which is great.
What your method is going to force me to do is understand the underlying theory much more which is going to be a great benefit I can tell. I just need to put some time into memorizing the scales and keys.
Thanks for the lesson!
Kyle
Hey great work Kyle, you have a very inquisitive nature which is what all great players have as well. Glad to see you are doing well and don’t hesitate to ask any questions at all along the way.
Hey carl. I have been playing for 8 or 10 years now and have very much enjoyed being able to pick lessons back up through your web site and really expand my understanding of what I am playing.
Is there any particular fingerings that are strictly for each mode or are those the same as the seven different ways you taught to play the major scale as in your triad lessons?
Hey Ryan, the scale fingerings will be the same for the major scale modes as they are for the regular major scale. The real difference is just what harmony you are playing over that determines what the actual mode is. All of the scale notes are the same. Does that help answer your question at all?