LESSON TEN: Putting MORE information to Good Use.. (or Modes, Scales, Positions, Numbers, Fingering, bla, bla, bla...)
For this exercise,
RED will be used to indicate ALL "Major" chord/number/information positions. (Major scales/chords sound "bold" or "bright".)
BLUE will indicate ALL "minor" chord/number/information positions. (The minor scales/chords are "melancholy" or "blue" sounding) .
PURPLE indicates the "diminished" (or "minor-ed minor") chord/number/information position. (The diminished scales/chords sound like "tension" or "expectancy" as in OLD movies (etc.) where the Damsel is tied to a train track and the Hero hurries to save the day after hearing, "Here comes the Train", which is then usually accompanied by a DIMINISHED CHORD. This is only ONE example where this chord is sometimes used.
FUCHSIA (or "off" red) is a REPEAT of the 1st chord/number/information position.
BLACK is simply info about the various NAMES (or calling cards) for these chords/numbers/information positions.
A "scale" is literally a "ladder" or "stair step".
Beginning with the LOWEST number (degree) of a given scale, the following numbers are used for that scale:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
There are many types of "scales" to explore, though this is NOT within the scope of this portion of this lesson.
Below is a BASIC building block to put some of the usual terms and examples used at your disposal. When thinking of these terms, etc., think primarily of TRIADS (in whichever fingering YOU find comfortable). Be sure to say OUT LOUD the NUMBERS, or NAMES, etc., of each CHORD as you play them. This will help to identify each by name and SOUND as you learn.
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Nashville Number System |
Ionian |
Dorian |
Phrygian |
Lydian |
Mixolodian |
Aeolian |
Locrian |
Ionian |
Greek Modes |
Major M |
minor m |
minor m |
Major M |
Major M |
minor m |
diminished o |
Major M |
Chord Types & Symbols |
I |
ii |
iii |
IV |
V |
vi |
vii |
VIII or I |
Standard Number System |
Do originally UT |
Re |
Mi |
Fa |
Sol |
La |
Ti originally SA |
Do |
(Italian Monk) Guido D'Arezzo's "Do Re Mi" Scale |
Tonic |
Super Tonic |
Mediant |
Sub Dominant |
Dominant |
Sub Mediant/ or Super Dominant |
Leading Tone |
Tonic |
Chord Tones |
Download this Color Theory
chart here. © Sean Fox
* A little background on the "Do, Re, Mi" scale names. A Benedictine monk named Guido D'Arezzo came up with a 5-line staff method of assigning/recording notes on paper. (Originally there were only 4 lines, which was a carry over from Gregorian Chant days.) In addition to this unique new method, Guido devised a way for choir boys to learn musical note/intervals. His idea was to take a Latin hymn (a prayer to St. John the Baptist) which was sung in scale-like form (and which just happened to also contain 7 lines), then taking just the 1st syllable in each line of this hymn and assigning these syllables to a specific intervals.
The hymn in Latin is:
| UT | queant laxis |
| RE | sonare fibrus |
| MI | ra gestorum |
| FA | muli tuorum |
| SOL | ve polluti |
| LA | bii reatum |
| SA | ncte Johannes |
(The prayer was asking St. John to take away the sins of the worshippers... that they would then be worthy to sing HIS praises.)
* This information is from : © The International Library of Piano Music
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NOW... the MODES
(The color code in this exercise is ONLY to remind you to think in terms of "number degrees" as you learn each mode. This will HOPEFULLY make it easier for you to commit it to memory for future use.)
The word Chroma means "Color" Therefore, if we name all NOTES (including sharps (#) and flats (b) ), the end result will be a CHROMATIC SCALE because it represents ALL POSSIBLE name combinations .
Take ANY starting ROOT note (in this case "C") and follow these SINGLE STRING exercises making SURE to follow the intervals as represented by the colored LETTERS.
(For ease and convenience, start on the 2nd string, first fret. This is an EASY starting point, though you CAN technically start on ANY "C" YOU'D like to begin with.)
The "W" represents a Whole Step, the "h" equals a half step. This makes sense if you LOOK at the SPACE/DISTANCE (the blank boxes) between notes, i.e., C to D is a "Whole" step where C to C# / Db is only a "half" a step. A better way to demonstrate this is simply to put your finger on ANY note on your guitar and move ONE fret up or down (half-step) to hear the interval, then move TWO frets up or down (Whole-step) and compare their differences.
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NOTE: This is a "half diminished" scale. Notice that the 1st and 4th are NOT flat. A "full diminished" scale (also known as a diminished 7th) would also have it's 7 flatted. (This would cause the Bb in this example to be "flatted", giving you a Bbb ...or "bb7" as opposed to just "b7".)
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This "Single String" exercise is only to familiarize you with the SOUNDS of these MODES. It is NOT intended to be an easy "Lead Pattern". Next lesson (your LAST free lesson) will show you fingerings for playing each MODE which CAN then be used for LEADS and FILLS.
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NEXT LESSON:
Easy finger placements for the 7 MODES and suggestions for practicing them. This includes the ability to play on MORE than one string (as opposed to the examples above).
Also included is the "technical" names and numbers for left and right hand fingers.
Plus.. a few "tricks" for playing leads using "basic pentatonic" scales.
(In case you DIDN'T know, PENT means five.. a pentatonic scale contains 5 notes ONLY, usually played over and over.. through a series of OCTAVES. Additionaly, there are only 5 pentatonic scales to have to learn. Pentatonic scales are used in all types of music from Jazz to Fusion, Rock to Blues, Gospel to Metal, and will maybe even fit in something that YOU'LL write ! ..or have already written?)
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!
(See, that wasn't TOO painful was it?)
