Yesterday I uncovered something in my lessons... I want to run it by the gurus to see if I am thinking straight...
Not sure if I can convey this, because I am JUST starting to get my fingers around it...
When you play the lead (scale) for a I IV V, you do not change keys, you simply stay in the I (root) key for the whole progression.
This is huge for me. I used to play each new chord in the progression as the "new" key, because I thought that you were supposed to.
E.G. When I have E - A - B playing in the background, I used to play Ionian E, Ionian A, Ionian B without understanding what modes were about. Now I realize (after being shown by Scotty) that you play Ionian E, Lydian A (which IS Ionian E), and Mixolydian B (which IS Ionian E). In other words, You can not only stay in the same fret box, but you are playing EXACTLY the same notes! The only difference is what notes you stay on and focus around (like the root).
This is HUGE!
Take that same example to Pentatonic Minor... When I was playing the blues, I would play Pent.Min. E, P.M. A and then P.M. B!!! I can simply stay in P.M. E and play the modes for A and B.
Is this true??
I hope I am not confusing you guys, because I feel like I just discovered the Arc of the Covenant.
This is going to make my practices go sooo much easier! And, I don't have to slide way up and down the neck to stay on key!
-Rip
Author of "Survivor" - http://www.vaughnripley.com
It works fine to stay in the original key. There are other ways of preventing musical boredom than simply switching to "the key of the moment" and repeating the same patterns, which obviously can get boring as well.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Well I think that you need to use both of your ideas if you really want to understand how to use modes. The F lydian mode is not just the C major scale starting from the fourth note. Its true that this will lead you to the same notes, but it is not the best way to look at things.
The F lydian scale is like a F major scale with a #4 instead of a 4 that is the most important thing to remember. Every note that you hear is sounding against the F root. It is more of a coincidence that the F lydian scale is the same notes as the C major scale.
So you are playing along to a C F G chord progression, then when the F chord come along you play the C major scale starting from the F. THIS IS NOT USING THE F LYDIAN SCALE! Your tonal center is C, every thing is leading up to the V-I G-C progression and every note is being heard in the context of C major. If someone wanted to use a lydian scale over this C major progression then THEY WOULD USE C LYDIAN, not F lydian. They would alter the C major scale by sharping the 4th. This is how you get the lydian sound.
You discovered how to use the major scale correctly, not how to use modes!
"And above all, respond to all questions regarding a given song's tonal orientation in the following manner: Hell, it don't matter just kick it off!"
-Chris Thile
But if you happen to go out of key, who cares it if it sounds good.
Indeed.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Melody never gets boring. Patterns are bad is all I was trying to say. Melody loves chord tones....
I feel some Kirk Lorange presence here. ;)
If someone wanted to use a lydian scale over this C major progression then THEY WOULD USE C LYDIAN, not F lydian.
This is going to lead to more Joe Satriani bashing, isn't it ...
Oh, excellent post by the way, Dneck! :)
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
The "melody loves chord tones" quote was a dead give away, huh?
EDIT - Darn it, I posted with my other name.
Frettlesnazz??? :lol:
You know, we've never seen Neztok and Kirk in the same place at the same time ... maybe they are the same dude?
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
