Well, this is almost a technique question, with more theory invloved. OK. so, as a warm up excercise for soloing, I challenge myself to create a flowing melody with all the major sounding modes in one improvisation and all the minor sounding ones in a seperate improvisation. I was havin a great time with this idea as it was really helping me break past the basic box positions that i normally shred with, and which my fingers are so accustomed to. One problem, every time i get to locrian, it ends up sounding dumb. I've tried a lot of stuff, connecting the roots with other key notes in locrian, no good. It always ends up sounding like my guitar is out of tune and im a newb fummbling my way through natural minor. What i normally do to connect scales/modes doesnt seem to work with locrian. WHY!!!!????? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SOME STUPID AND DIFFERENT!!!! Also, even when i play locrian alone, nothing sounds right, i cant come up with any licks whatsoever. I am starting to think this mode is un-lickable. So first question:
1: what new approches do you suggest to try and link scales and modes so that they form a more flowing kind of a line?
2: WHY does locrian sound soooooo wrong??? is it my scale positions? My string roots. help :-[.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
The meaning of life? I've never heard a simpler question! Music.
Locrian mode is pretty limited in its uses... the other six have a lot more musical capabilities.
It's not you, it's the tonal series. Compare the B locrian:
B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B
to the B scale:
B-C#-D#-E-F#-G#-A#-B
lots of notes are going to clash with a B chord (B-D#-F#)
Just about the worst sound you can get, to my ear anyway, is a flat ninth interval. Look at the possible notes in the locrian that form a flat 9 against the B chord (clashing notes in bold):
B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B
Things don't get much better if the underlying chord is minor... the D note works better then, but you still get lots of dissonance.
Use it sparingly, if you use it at all.
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Yeah, Locrian is not an original church mode. It's really a theoretical mode (thanks to Glareanus). To me, it sounds like unresolved Ionian - that B wants to go to C.
I prefer to call Locrian the Leading tone scale for that reason. It really doesn't fit well with the others.
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I like to call it "that weird mode", and avoid it like you would avoid "that weird guy".
Locrian over a chord progression = uhhh
Locrian melodies by themselves, i dont mind, but it sounds bad playing through it, try ritchie blackmore's trick..
just slide your finger along a strick resting on notes, the movement is passing over other notes and resting, and this is how it sounds good, just hitting new notes sounds sorta bad..
sliding and holding is the key for a good sounding Locrian melody.
Thanks so much for the explanations and suggestions guys. Both pieces of knowledge will be put to use very soon(as soon as my guitar gets its bridge fixed up :-/).
The meaning of life? I've never heard a simpler question! Music.
Try Locrian with a wah wah peddle. These "off" melodies work well in an envelope which if you improvise with the sound itself (playing off the wah echoes as notes themselves..extended) you can come up with some whacked out licks.
BUT envelopes must be used for something like that.
Sigil is in creation mode
I was laughing at the title of the post. It seems to be apt based on the responses. Ahhhh, Locrian is dropping off my list to learn/use. I did not much like using B Locrian. What's the point? It's just the C Ionian starting and ending on the B and they are right next to one another. Not for me. Now just six modes will do fine. Good posts.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
locrian is one of the deepest most darkest modes..
it cannot get any further than the C ionian scale when used correctly..
i suppose its different people's styles but when used effectively, it is fantastic, ive heard locrian organ solo's and they do sound like nothing i have ever heard before..
dont give up on them, you'll be missing out.
I've always strayed from locrian, but sometimes a song calls for dissonance, and there is no better source than a scale with tritones and aug5ths in it. You can really surprise someone by developing a progression to lead into the locrian mode
I don't follow my dreams, I just ask em' where they're going and catch up with them later.
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