Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami

Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami is discussing how to play modes today.  Today is the day when you start getting into the world of modes. Modes is something that is a very popular question. Everybody wants to play modes. I think every guitar player comes from the Pentatonic, and playing pentatonic, or improvising with pentatonic and improvising with modes is like 20 times more difficult, or you need to have more knowledge than the pentatonic because with the pentatonic you actually don’t need to know anything, you just need to play the pentatonic, and more or less it sounds right. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. But on the modes, you really need a lot more, a lot more practice and a lot more thoughts, or theoretical thoughts behind it and it takes a much longer time for you to be able to really use your knowledge of modes into your personal improvisation. Actually modes work either in rock, in pop even in blues and of course in jazz. In jazz you cannot play jazz without knowing the modes, but I just want to give you first introduction into modes and into my system which from my view is the most difficult in the beginning because you need to think about a few things first, but in the end when you get it, you are able to play over the whole fretboard without getting lost. With those modes you don’t need to practice one thousand patterns if you want to play all modes. You just need to know a few numbers, and that’s the point. So let’s get started. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami.

In this tutorial, we are just going to talk about major modes. There are four different types of modes. We have the major modes, minor modes, harmonic minor modes and melodic minor modes. But we are only going to talk about the major modes. I recommend that you pay most attention to this tutorial, because if you know this tutorial, the rest is just some kind of adaption and is much easier. So maybe if you go through this tutorial this time and you don’t really get it, go through it on and on until you get it, and then you are ready to get into modes. So let’s get it started. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami.

Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami

Major modes. This comes from the major scale which everybody knows by ear. This one here, this scale or this mode is a normal major. You can play it in many different positions. The major scale contain seven notes. And then these seven notes start from the beginning again, so it’s very important that you first know the major scale. Let’s check it out on the closer, that way you can follow my explanations on the fretboard but for now, there are more things to think about. Lead Electric guitar lessons in Miami. So let’s go to the closing first.

To get it proper understanding of modes, you need to understand that modes is the summary of all intervals. What is an interval? An interval is when you play two notes, you create an interval. In this case I play this one, the first fret, the F, I play the F sharp, and this one is the flat 9, or flat 1, or small seconds, this is the interval. We have 12 notes. It is 1, 2, 3, 4 and from 12 it starts at the beginning again. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. You have 12 intervals which you should know.

If you know the major mode or the major scale- I played on one string because it is easier to understand just by looking to the scale. So we play the F major mode, or F major scale, is this one here. Very cool. And the major scale contains the intervals, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, and back to 1. Very easy. You just count them, and it is from one to seven. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Now, what is with the notes in between? So, this is the one. This is either flat 2 (flat means going down), or a sharp 1, means going up 1. Going a half step up means sharp, and going one down is flat. So this is either the sharp 1 or a flat 2. From the 2 to the 3, this is either sharp 2 or flat 3. This is mostly flat 3 and this is mostly flat 2. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. And then there’s the 3, 4 is normal. Then we have the next one between those which is either sharp 4 or flat 5. From 5 to 6, it’s either sharp 5 or flat 6. From 6 to 7 is either sharp 6 or flat 7. And then we are back to the first note again. These are all intervals which are available. Every mode is a summary of all seven intervals. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. The major mode is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and back to 1.

When you start counting from the next note here, this becomes the 1. The scale would be like this. Some of you will say what’s the deal? It’s the same note and scale. But it is not because when you check the intervals you have 1, 2, flat 3, 4, 5, 6, flat 7 and 1. How do you find out those intervals? Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Learn it by heart or just count. You can do it either way you want. I would learn it by heart because I think that is the fast way and after certain times you can use both methods.

This here is actually the second step of the major scales and this one is called the Dorian mode. Nobody plays it on one string. Of course some people do but you can see the difference. You can play it in any position just by using the intervals. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. 1, 2, flat 3, 4, 5, 6, or even here, 6. You can jump around the positions as you like as long as you know the intervals- 6, flat 7, and 1. This is the Dorian scale. This is the summary of intervals. Going to the next, the third, this is the scale, some of you might say this is still F major but it’s not.

New interval. This is the Phrygian mode. 1, flat 2, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 6, flat 7 and back to 1. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. So now that I explain it, I will show you the actual positions like the basic positions, like where to start. I mean you can play any kind of positions or pattern, but we need to start somewhere to practice those modes. So the F major will be something like this, so you can chose another one. It really does not make a difference which one you choose, as long as you have your intervals, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 1, F Ionian. G Dorian, 1, 2 flat 3, 4, 5, 6, flat 7, 1, 2, flat 3, 4, 5, 6, flat 7, 1, G Dorian.

This is the A Phrygian. 1, flat 2, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 6, flat 7, 1, flat 2, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 6, flat 7,1, A Phrygian. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Now we will go to the next one. This is actually B flat. Lydian is on the four step. What is also interesting to know as well is, that on each step of the major scale it is always on the same mode. Always on the ones, always the twos are Dorian, the three is Phrygian, and the four is always Lydian which is 1, 2, 3, sharp 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 3, sharp 4, 5, 6, 7, and 1, B-Flat Lydian.

The next one is the C mixolydian. Again the scale is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, flat 7, one and then two to go and we’re finished. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Next is D Aeolian. 1, 2, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 6, flat 7, 1, 2, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 6, flat 7, and 1. Last but not least, E Locrian and then we got it. This scale is 1, flat 2, flat 3, 4, flat 5, flat 6, flat 7, 1, flat 2, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 6, flat 7, 1 and we are on Ionian again. So these are the seven modes.

Now, through each step of the major scale, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, there is a mode related. Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, and Ionian and a chord. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Where do the chords come from? The chords come from if you are on the scale, if you add thirds. So let’s play like the first F again, we skip one, we skip again one. So this gives, an F major seven chords. So this is just an explanation. You just try it. And this gives you the chord on each step. You don’t need to know this about the try it. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Just know it by heart. Which chords is on which step. So on the one, it’s either a major chord or a major seven chord, depending on the style you are playing. It doesn’t really matter if it’s the seventh chord or if it’s just a normal chord. On the second one we have a minor chord, or a minor seventh chord and the related scale, Dorian. The third one, we have a minor seventh chord or a minor chord and related scale Phrygian. Fourth we have an E flat major chord or a B flat seventh major chord, related scale Lydian. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. On the fifth we have a major chord or a dominant seventh chord, related scale Mixolydian. On the sixth we have Aeolian related chord minor or minor seven. On the seventh is an exception. We have a minor seven flat five chord, or a diminished chord, and related scale Locrian. So these are now the fundamentals of the modes. Each step has a mode and a chord. Now you notice by now that on the one, the four and the five we have a major scale. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. So if you have a summary of those three cords that’s how you find out which is which step? Actually you find it out mostly with like in eighty percent of the case, it’s the first chord that shows you the root position. The root position would be F so the first major chord is an F. This is good but you also see from progression like when it moves around you see okay, this is one, four, five with the scale Ionian, Lydian and Mixolydian. And you notice by now that we have three different positions for minor chord. We have on the two Dorian on the three Phrygian and the six Aeolian. Also from the progression you find out which is which step so if we have like F to B flat to G minor to C. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. So this is one, four, two, and five and then you know there you have to play Dorian. This is one thing to know and the second also very important thing to know and that is where the interval really starts to work. If you know position like Ionian and you know the intervals Ionian is 1,2,3,4,5,6,1,2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 1 now you can play F Lydian in the same position just adapting the intervals since you know Lydian is one, two, three, sharp four, five, six, seven you can play F lydian one, two, three, sharp four, five, six, seven, one. Or if you want to play F mixolydian just adapt scale from Ioniain to mix and the difference is the seven the Ionian has a seven and the mix has a flat seven. The difference between Ionian and Lydian is four flat and sharp four. So just look where the seven is, one, two, three, four, five, six and seven make it a flat seven. Move it down and now we have it F mixolydian. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. So if you have any kind of a pattern of a major scale like for example this one here, you easily can make it to lydian just changing that one note in this case four becomes sharp four, one, two, three, four so sharp four and voila we have lydian. Or you want to change it to a mixolydian seven becomes flat so one, two, three, four, five, six and seven make it flat seven and wa-lah. And that’s the way it works. And this way you can play any kind of mode if you just know any kind of those three modes if you know the normal Ionian pattern. Now, what is the difference between the three minor scales? The difference between Dorian and the Aeolian is also one note. This one here. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Dorian is one, two, three, four, five, six flat seven, one and Aeolian the six becomes the flat six and then we have Aeolian (G aeolian) one ,two, flat three, four, five flat six, flat seven and one. And if you want to play G Phrygian, the difference between Aeolian and Phrygian is also one note. In Aeolian its one, two, flat three and the rest the same and in Phrygian it’s one, flat two, flat three and here we have it Phrygian. And Locrian the last one stands for itself. You should know that one by heart. So now we have it together. If you know the intervals by heart then you need to know those seven rows of number by heart. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Just learn them there’s no trick, no shortcuts. Learn them by heart. Check it out on the fretboard on any position you like. I mean I just showed one position you can put anywhere. We can play one string if you want that’s also a possibility and then really get to know that stuff.

The next step, I’m going to make a tutorial later. Now if you want to get into practical use with what you have learned now you can use those chords. Record on any kind of backing track. Normally most companies use the 1, 4, 5 progressions so in the case of F there’s F, B. Pretty easy. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Now you can play the mode, so one Ionian to four lydian, C Mixolydian. So now you play by just moving it on the fretboard but the cooler trick is staying in position. One Ionian, B flat major is here, now you start here. Count one, two, three, sharp four, five, six, seven, one and C. As long as you know the intervals you can play it on any position you like. I mean there are two tricks you know the intervals by heart and you see the intervals on the fretboard, that will take a really long time to be able to improvise by seeing the intervals immediately and hearing them. Or in this case you just stay in position this is the novel made to skip 1, 2 then you just count so this is one, two, three so we’re going to start on four. Of course this is the lydian scale and so we start on five. This is the mixolydian scale. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. So there are two ways which leads to the mode of your choice. By counting on the root scale which is the major scale or knowing the intervals by heart. I would strongly recommend that you know the intervals by heart because now on easy improvisation you can cheat just by playing major all the time and just somehow play something that just fits. But when you really want to refer to the chords later if you start improvising the chords you added MO to each cord that is coming and in most cases it is not as easy as it is in this example. Now we have on the seven chords and seven modes. Sometimes some cords appear which are actually not in this row here as I show it. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. And in this case you first need to analyze the pace and find out the modes of each chords and then you really can get into more sophisticated lead guitar or soloing there with a pentatonic. I mean there’s a philosophical question. You can play solo with pentatonic anyway and you don’t need to know the modes but the point. It will always want to sound the same. Somehow you want to have a much richer expression on the guitar and the only way to get there is either you’re a genius and you just press a note randomly on the fretboard and it just fits perfect. But none of us or maybe like one out of a million is like this. The other ways is going the hard way, I also did the hard way. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Just learning the stuff by repeating it all the time and I know that in the beginning getting into modes is very hard till you really get the point. What is the difference between the major scale and the modes, because some always think it’s the same thing you just start on another note. But the point is different intervals. And when you go more into motif soloing or more sophisticated soloing you really adapt to the chord and the intervals of the specific mode, therefore, you really have to know that stuff. Just nail it down to you I mean you can drink a beer or watch television and say okay I will play Phrygian, and then you have it.  Check out this blog on advanced guitar playing.

Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami

I hope this was useful for you. This is really the very essentials of the modes. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. The video is now I think, about twenty- five minutes long. You think you watch it once watch it several times till you really get the point and the relation between the root scale- once again the root scale is major- you understand that each step of the root scale has a specific mode and a specific chord which comes out of the interval rows, which are defined actually by the root scale. But where u start on the scale gives you another interval row then from another point and that is a big difference. Once you know this stuff by heart you can start anywhere and you see exactly the interval playing related to that specific mode which is currently on that chord available.

Sounds very complicated and takes some time getting into this. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. As I said in the very beginning the difference between pentatonic soloing and soloing with the modes is like if you’re into soccer it’s like having the different leagues. This is the highest class and the way like the pentatonic at the beginning you can play solo with pentatonic in the matter of two months three months. I mean if you can play the pentatonic in one month you can solo with pentatonic not a problem you don’t need any knowledge, this is very me now, any talent, and it works. But when it comes to soloing with modes there’s a lot of background information that in this tutorial is very much compressed in this twenty or twenty five minutes. But to really be able to put it on the fretboard is really a need to repeat this intervals over and over again check your positions. I mean you could buy any kind of books knowing any kind of patterns and positions on a specific mode. But you can work that yourself by adapting to each mode and their relation to the major modes. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. Ionian, lydian and mixolydian are related to each other, the difference is only one note. And the minor modes, Dorian and Phrygian are also related to each other, the difference is also only one note when you go through the circle. And once you got that nailed down you really are able to play freely with the modes. But take your time don’t exaggerate, relax, also go on a vacation, don’t work non-stop to really get that stuff nailed down. Then you’re ready to do these modes. And I will be adding some examples in the future if you have this basic knowledge down of course then it comes to playing examples and really going into this kind of soloing and it’s whatever technique you’re playing on the guitar even if you play touch technique. Even with the touch technique or especially with the touch technique where you really break out of any pattern this knowledge is absolutely a must, otherwise you cannot play this stuff. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. You need to get liberated from this padam playing which I recommend to any guitar player because padam playing you can find anywhere on the internet but you need to get free of it and just know where you are on here where are the next intervals you want to play. That was a lot of talking not that much playing. I have an injury on my finger still it’s really very boring. I could not play for three weeks. Since I started guitar I have never had such a long break in guitar playing and I really hope it is going to get better one day soon. It’s an infection. But I think this is a very useful tutorial for you and hopefully next week I am able to play basic stuff again on the guitar. Lead electric guitar lessons in Miami. I mean I still can but it’s still a little bit painful.