Best books for learning & understanding scales/modes.

  • Thread starter Thread starter mightyjoeyoungxnj
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Techdeth said:
A good teacher makes this easier than a book . I find books obviously help and use them with my students but most people will still need someone to show them how to fix mistakes or know when they are doing something wrong
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Print is dead.

Everything is free on teh YouTube.

:cool:
 
i bought this not long ago. Seems to be pretty solid. No bs. Allen is a pretty decent guy. Monster player
 
Ben Waylin said:
Print is dead.

Everything is free on teh YouTube.

:cool:
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Books with real sheet music and tab are great . But still in person it fun making a person connect the dots .
But ya I have a beautiful music library
From theory books to you name it .
 
mightyjoeyoungxnj said:
Hello all,

I've taken a break from playing for a few years (shame on me; career and a kid will do that to you!) and am slowly getting back up to speed playing. I've played for many years but have never really crafted my lead playing. I've been on a huge 80's kick lately and love some tasty 80's leads.

I want to challenge myself and finally learn all the notes on the fretboard, all the basic scales/modes (as well as understanding what a mode is and how it relates to a scale), and learn how to apply that to my playing. I'm not necessarily interested in learning to sight read, just the theory that relates to playing.

I basically want to understand how the scales work, where they come from, and how the modes derive from them.

I know there are tons of books out there, but any recommendations would be very helpful. I'm also not opposed to learning online.

thanks!
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Do you know the difference between major and minor?
 
There are lots of ways of approaching them. I like the approach Guthrie Govan spoke of in some video. This is just for common modes, based from the Major scale.

It’s just one note that changes to make all the different modes.

7 modes total (in this grouping) and the 7th mode is Locrian and fubar. So we leave that one out. Trust me, it sounds fubar.

The remaining 6 modes, 3 are Major and 3 are minor. All 3 Major modes contain ALL 5 Major pentatonic notes. All 3 minor modes contain ALL 5 minor pentatonic notes. You only have to add 2 notes to the pentatonic to get a full scale. And you only change one of those two notes NOT in pentatonic to make different modes. And by the way, that note that got changed is the money note, it defines the mode.

The Major modes:
Ionian - the Major scale
Lydian - Major scale with a sharp 4th
Mixolydian - Major scale with a flat 7th

The minor modes:
Aeolian - the natural minor scale
Dorian - minor scale with a sharp 6th
Phrygian - minor scale with a flat 2nd

There was a post by @Nitrobattery (guitar instructor) on how he assigns a mode to each of the seven 3-note-per-string patterns. Then you just move those around for what key you are in. Since those patterns never change and always connect to each other the same way, you should always be able to find your way around. For all I know he did that itt considering its age.
 
^ Good stuff and I didn't know @Nitrobattery was an instructor. I like him even more now :yes:
 
I said posted this prior and it works...use your ears!!!

Make up every conceivable pattern on one string then add the next string to economize hand shifts to continue the pattern, it works flawlessly. Takes time to learn the guitar. Takes time to find patterns you like. Takes time to implement segments of these patterns into melodic lines/music.

Use economy/sweep picking at all times possible....
 
Again, as I said in post# 37

Screenshot_20241022-224017_Chrome.jpg


One string at a time!!
 
The modes are literally the name of the SOUND . So after you memorize it you need to match it with its parent chord . With out doing that it’s just a scale . It’s important that ears hear the difference . Dorian is a sound you make actually . Not just a scaled . So is Phrygian and so on etc . This shit is so much fun actually . I love teaching and seeing it click .
Then when you know the modes sound you are free to make news . Not just frets on the neck
 
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