Friggin' Dominant Scale

walrus

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This video is a good example of why I never learned anything but major and minor scales... I'd rather be enjoying myself!

walrus
 

bluesypicky

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Hi Toni!

Not sure what he's saying, but I do know it's a nice way to waste 10 minutes and 12 seconds (unless the only thing you care about is knowing the name of the mode you play in, and not how good it sounds).
Keep enjoying yourself walrus.... and I'm sure the liaison note you throw here and there on your major or pentatonic scale when you improvise on a chord progression, puts you in one of these fancy sounding and exotic modes. You just don't know it, and it's as well like that if you ask me.
You can spend the whole day explaining to me what the difference is between Dorian, Phrygian, Aolian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Ionian, Locrian, and chewing gum, (actually you won't spend the whole day cuz I'll run away after about 30 seconds) but it won't make you sound any better to my ears, as brilliantly demonstrated on this clip.
 

killdeer43

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Hi Toni!

Not sure what he's saying, but I do know it's a nice way to waste 10 minutes and 12 seconds (unless the only thing you care about is the mode you play in, and not how good it sounds).
Keep enjoying yourself walrus.... and I'm sure the liaison note you throw here and there on your major or pentatonic scale when you improvise on a chord progression, puts you in one of these fancy sounding and exotic modes. You just don't know it, and it's as well like that if you ask me.
You can spend the whole day explaining to me what the difference is between Dorian, Phrygian, Aolian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Ionian, Locrian, and chewing gum, (actually you won't spend the whole day cuz I'll run away after about 30 seconds) but it won't make you sound any better to my ears, as brilliantly demonstrated on this clip.
A resounding +1 to that wrap-up! Sort of a follow-up to "shut up and play yer guitar." ;)

Joe
 

markus

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Haven't see the video and can't watch it here; I hope im not off topic …
Maybe this can help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_(music)

Just try it: Sit in front of a piano keyboard an play a scale of 8 notes, using white keys only:
- starting from C it is Ionian (the modern major scale)
- starting from D it is Dorian
- starting from E it is Phrygian
- starting from F it is Lydian
- starting from G it is Mixolydian
- starting from A it is Aeolian (the natural minor scale)
- starting from B it is Locrian

It's not necessary to know such things, but sometimes a little bit of theory and history might help. ;)
Markus :)
 

fronobulax

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Haven't see the video and can't watch it here; I hope im not off topic …
Maybe this can help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_(music)

Just try it: Sit in front of a piano keyboard an play a scale of 8 notes, using white keys only:
- starting from C it is Ionian (the modern major scale)
- starting from D it is Dorian
- starting from E it is Phrygian
- starting from F it is Lydian
- starting from G it is Mixolydian
- starting from A it is Aeolian (the natural minor scale)
- starting from B it is Locrian

It's not necessary to know such things, but sometimes a little bit of theory and history might help. ;)
Markus :)

Thanks. I knew enough theory to know the modes but that is the clearest explanation I have ever heard. I still will never get the names right but...
 

markus

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I learned the names in school and the amazing effect was: "name-dropping" those in a conversation worked very well making good impression. ;-)
You also can add: "Locrian is more theoretical and was never used in old music, because tonic and subdominant form a tritone … "
That's all I ever knew about music theory, but no one ever tried to dig deeper …
Markus :)
 

taabru45

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Now I'm remembering a silly poem from high school.

A tudor who tooted the flute
tried to tudor two tooters to toot
said the two to the tudor,
is it harder to toot or to tudor two tooters to toot?

Why is that still in my brain?! Steffan
 

fronobulax

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Why is that still in my brain?! Steffan

Because you have a long standing fondness for the historical English monarchy?

I'd consider using "tutor" for "tudor" even though with my sloppy pronunciation they sound the same.
 

bluesypicky

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When I stumbled upon the clip below, I immediately remembered this ancient thread (and all the others from LTG buddies asking for help and guidance on how to better utilize the guitar fretboard with respect to scales, in an effort to becoming a better lead guitar player).

Guthrie is IMO the single best guy alive today to explain, elaborate and demonstrate the "meaning" of modes, and is pretty much confirming what I was advising as far as having to give more credit to your ears and the music behind you, than to knowing the name of the mode you're in as you play.
But with the British accent, he makes it sound scientific and unequivocal. :tongue:

Enjoy and absorb! (Particularly the first 8 or 9 minutes of the clip for starters).
Once you understood everything he said and can play it as he does, you be good to go! :laughing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2t6OIa4d-c
 

walrus

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What a coincidence - I just watched some of this last night during a search for Guthrie. I stumbled upon him because he plays lead guitar on Steven Wilson's last two albums, and then I got into watching a bunch of his videos. There are several of him in a classroom showing students different ideas - very cool - and I would agree, bluesy, that he is able to explain things in an entertaining and helpful way.

What a great player, great teacher, and so good at so many different styles, too! I'm thinking of picking up his solo album, "Erotic Cakes".

walrus
 

Westerly Wood

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all I know is my mom would have washed my mouth out with soap had I ever come home after school saying Phrygian Dominant this and Phrygian Dominant that.
 

guildman63

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It took me a while to reach my conclusion that the name of a scale matters very little. What matters is that you hit the notes that sound good, and in jazz you don't even have to do that! :highly_amused:
 

Walter Broes

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I always thought the modes thing was over-complicating things. Chords and arpeggios just seem more logical to me on guitar than "thinking in scales".
 

jcwu

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I watched the video from the original post, and when he played the phyrigian, it snapped me right back to the days when I used to listen to Iron Maiden. I guess they favored that scale?
 
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