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How To Use Guitar Modes – Part 2 – Going Parallel

In part 1 of How To Use Guitar Modes, we looked at using modes on the guitar over a chord progression, by finding the key center. In summary, staying diatonic requires finding the key center or key centers of a chord progression, and using that key center to determine which modes go over certain chords.

In this lesson, we are going to go parallel. Going parallel refers to a concept discussed in the lesson, guitar modes explained, which looks a each mode in its own right, separate from other modes or keys. Basically, using this approach, when we see a chord, we say in theory that there are a number of modes that could be used over that chord, and it is simply a matter of taste as to which one we choose. Staying diatonic is about following rules. Going parallel is about experimenting and essentially being free.

The 7 Modes

Let’s look at the 7 modes of the major scale based on which notes are altered:

Ionian – (nothing altered)
Dorian – b3, b7
Phrygian – b2, b3, b6, b7
Lydian – #4
Mixolydian – b7
Aeolian – b3, b6, b7
Locrian – b2, b3, b5, b6, b7

What ‘Going Parallel’ means is that over any chord, any one of these modes could be used in theory. Of course, there are certain matches that just don’t sound good and are generally avoided.

Over a Major 7 chord, we could use the ionian mode, as it has a natural 3rd and a natural 7th. But if we look at the lydian mode, we see that it also has a natural 3rd and natural 7th. The only note that is altered is the 4th (raised). Therefor, when we see a major 7 chord, we know that both the Ionian mode and the Lydian mode would be a good choice. Which one do we choose? That all depends on taste. Think of each mode as having a certain color, or shade, or emotion. The mode you choose depends on which of these things you want to convey. Of course, this requires a certain familiarity with each mode, but that comes through practice and experimentation and this is where the fun lies.

Examples

Suppose we have a two-bar chord progression that cycles over and over again. In the 1st bar we have Cmaj7 and in the 2nd bar we have Fmaj7. According to the rules of functional harmony, this chord progression is in the key of C. Cmaj7 is the I chord, and Fmaj7 is the IV chord. According to the rules of staying diatonic, we would use C Ionian (the 1st mode) over Cmaj7 (the I chord) and F Lydian (the 4th) mode over Fmaj7 (the IV chord). When we are using the parallel approach however both the Ionian mode and the Lydian mode could be used over each chord. Of course, technically other modes could be used also, but it is generally accepted that modes with a flat 3rd are reserved for minor chords and modes with a natural 3rd are reserved for major chords. So for our Cmaj7 to Fmaj7 chord progression, we could use either C Ionian or C Lydian for the Cmaj7 chord, and F Ionian or F Lydian for the Fmaj7 chord.

Let’s look at a different example from the post on staying diatonic:

Here we have a simple chord progression that stays inside the key of C Major:

If we follow the rules of staying diatonic, we would use the diatonic modes as follows:

We won’t revisit the theory behind the modes used in the above example. You can read up on that in the diatonic post. But in a nutshell, the modes used here fit inside the key and follow the diatonic rules. We want to change that.

The first chord is Dm7. Which modes could we use over the Dm7? Any of the minor modes could work – D Dorian, D Phrygian, D Aeolian and D Locrian. Let’s just choose one – D Aeolian.

G7 is the second chord. Dominant 7th chords are unique in the sense that there is really only one mode (of the major scale anyway) that fits properly. This is because the mixolydian mode is the only mode that has a natural 3rd and also a flat 7th. Technically we could try using another mode, such as a G Phrygian, but for now let’s stick with G Mixolydian. Remember, just because we’re going parallel doesn’t mean we must choose modes that aren’t a diatonic match. We can do what we like!

Cmaj7 is the third chord. The 2 obvious choices are C Ionian and C Lydian (as discussed before). Let’s go with C Lydian.

The fourth chord is Am7. We could use any of the minor modes. Let’s use A Dorian.

If we play straight 8th notes over the chord progression using the modes we have just selected, it would look like this:

It should be pointed out, that these examples use a very mechanical approach to playing the modes over the chord progression. We are literally just playing 8 notes in ascending order for each mode. It serves a purpose, but in reality, if we really wanted to be tasteful, we would probably execute the modes differently (with phrasing etc). But for now, this is an effective way of demonstrating the use of modes.

Here is some alternative modes that could be used over the same chord progression using the parallel approach. I won’t explain it in detail. By now, the theory should be pretty straight forward and the example should be self explanatory:

Many examples are not needed to demonstrate going parallel. This is because there are not as many rules. Pick any chord and choose a mode. It’s that simple in theory. Of course, in practice it is about becoming familiar with each mode and gaining experience with using certain modes over certain chords in different musical contexts.

Another great way to practice modes which is closely related to going parallel is discussed in the next post:

Practicing Modes on the Guitar by Using One-Chord Vamps

How To Use Guitar Modes – Part 1 – Staying Diatonic

How do you use modes? It can take a lot of practice to understand modes and be able to play the shapes fluently by memory. Once you are starting to get on top of the basics, a greater challenge beckons – Using them in a music situation. This requires a broader understanding of modes. In this two-part lesson on using modes, we are going to look at the basics of using modes over a chord progression.

There are two approaches that we are going to explore in this lesson:

Staying Diatonic
Going Parallel

Staying Diatonic:

I’m assuming for the sake of this lesson that you understand how modes are constructed, are pretty comfortable with playing the different modes in different keys and you are now looking for ways in which you can use the modes in musical situations. When we ‘staying diatonic’, what we are effectively doing is choosing the appropriate mode that fits over the given chord, based on the diatonic structure of a major scale. If you’re not sure what diatonic or functional harmony is, please read the following post on functional harmony. In fact, that lesson is pretty much a lesson on staying diatonic, so it’s a must read. Assuming you have read that article, or are already familiar with diatonic harmony, let’s recap what diatonic harmony is:

When we stack 3rds on each degree of the major scale, we get the following ‘set’ of chords:

I – Major 7 (1, 3, 5, 7)
ii – minor 7 (1, b3, 5, b7)
iii – minor 7 (1, b3, 5, b7)
IV – Major 7 (1, 3, 5, 7)
V – Dominant 7 (1, 3, 5, b7)
vi – minor 7 (1, b3, 5, b7)
vii – minor 7 flat 5 (1, b3, b5, b7)

When we look at the 7 modes of the major scale, we get the following:

I – Ionian (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
ii – Dorian (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7)
iii – Phrygian (1, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7)
IV – Lydian (1, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7)
V – Mixolydian (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7)
vi – Aeolian (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7)
vii – Locrian (1, b2, b3, 4, b5, b6, b7)

As you can see, each chord ‘fits’ over its respective mode and visa versa. This is the fundamental principle behind ‘staying diatonic’. Each chord of a key has a respective mode that is used over it. Again, if you don’t fully understand the concept of modes yet, read the article, guitar modes explained. If you’re not fully comfortable with the idea of diatonic chords, read the article on functional harmony.

So we know that each chord in any given key has a mode that goes with it. What we want to do now is explore that idea in a real musical example so we can put the modes to the test.

Analyzing A Chord Progression – Finding The Key Center

One thing to keep in mind, is that when we are using modes – for solos, melodies etc, we usually already have a chord progression established. Usually, there’s a song or riff that we want to be able to construct solos over and we are looking for the best approach with regard to scales and modes. This is an important point, because what it means is that we need to be able to analyze chord progressions in order to establish which modes to use. Because modes and diatonic chords are constructed from the one major scale, our first task in analyzing a chord progression is finding the key center. Effectively what we’re asking here is “What key is this in”? It’s as simple as that. Let’s look at a few examples. We are firstly going to look at examples that do not modulate. In other words, chord progressions that remain in the same key.

Example 1:

This first chord progression contains 4 bars with the following chords – Dm7, G7, Cmaj7, Am7.

This is a very simple way of writing a chord progression (let’s assume it’s in 4/4). It’s almost like a short hand way of writing, which can be quite common. The idea is to keep it simple while we analyze what’s going on. Remember, I’ve stated that the first few examples do not modulate – they do not move to a different key within the one chord progression. We want to determine the key center. In other words, we’re asking, “What key is this in?”, or “What major scale produces the diatonic chords that are represented here?”. There are a few ways to go about this. We could just look at the first chord, in this case Dm7 and figure out which keys contain Dm7. Dm7 is the ii chord of C major. It is the iii chord of Bb major. It is the vi chord of F major. We therefor have 3 keys that the above chord progression might be in. Of course, we need to check the other chords as well to determine which of these 3 keys is the ‘master’ key. It is essentially a process of elimination. Let’s look at the next chord, G7. G7 does fit into the key of C major. It does not fit into Bb major (Bb major produces Gm7) and it does not fit into F major (F major produces Gm7). Therefor, the key of C major is our only option. Let’s look at the diatonic chords in the key of C major just to be sure:

I – Cmaj7
ii – Dm7
iii – Em7
IV – Fmaj7
V – G7
vi – Am7
vii – Bm7(b5)

As you can see, the chord progression is in the key of C. the four chords (Dm7, G7, Cmaj7, Am7) are all diatonic chords in the key of C. We essentially used a process of elimination by starting with the first chord, then moving to the next, and so on.

Using Short Cuts:

This process might seem a bit mundane and tedious to start with, but don’t be discouraged. Every time you do this process, you gain valuable experience in understanding of modes and diatonic theory. The other thing to keep in mind, is that after a while you start noticing patterns and short cuts. Simple things come easier, like knowing that Dm7 is in 3 keys. Or, for example, that there is only one dominant 7 chord in each key. The V chord in every key is a dominant 7 chord and it is the only dominant 7 chord (check the above list again). Why is this important? Because it means that if we see a dominant 7 chord in a chord progression, it will provide the quickest short cut to determining the key center. In our above example, there was a G dominant 7 chord (G7). G7 is the V chord in the key of C. No other key produces a G7 chord. Therefor, rather than using the process that we used originally (which worked), it would have been quicker, to scan the chord progression, observe the G7 chord, and go from there. This is just one example of little short cuts that can be used. You will find your own short cuts the more you practice.

So we have successfully analyzed the chord progression and found the key center. That allows us apply modes to that chord progression, which is what we ultimately want to do. How do we apply modes to chords? Well, now that we know that in every key, each chord effectively has a matching or corresponding mode, and we have determined the key center of this chord progression, we want to apply the appropriate mode to each chord”

Dm7 – this is the ii chord in the key of C major – therefor, we use the 2nd mode of C major – D dorian

G7 – this is the V chord in the key of C major – therefor, we use the 5th mode of C major – G mixolydian

Cmaj7 – this is the I chord in the key of C major – therefor, we use the 1st mode of C major – C ionian

Am7 – this is the vi chord in the key of C major – therefor, we use the 6th mode of C major – A aeolian

So now that we’ve matched up the modes to the chords, we need to actually use them in a musical way. This topic on it’s own could be talked about in endless detail, but for now, let’s keep it very simple. All we will do is play each mode in even 8th notes over each chord. It will sound a bit mechanical and ‘scale-ish’ but you will hear (if you try it yourself) that each mode fits perfectly with each chord:

What we are doing here is playing through each mode for the duration of one bar and then moving on to the next as the chord changes. It’s a very simple exercise, but it is the first step in using modes over chord progressions. This exercise is most effective when playing through the modes while the appropriate chord is being played as well so that you train your ears to hear how each mode fits over each chord. I would recommend recording the chords first, or entering them into a music editing program so that you can loop the chord progression and practice the modes over the top. Let’s look at another example:

Example 2:

In this example, we have 8 bars of music, with one chord in each bar. This example does not use 7th chords, but the same process still applies. Let’s look at the first chord, C Major. If we are looking at triads, the chord C Major is the I chord in the key of C, the IV chord in the key of G and the V chord in the key of F. So far, there are 3 possibilities of keys – C, F, G. Let’s go to the next chord, D minor. D minor is the ii chord in the key of C and the vi chord in the key of F, but Dm does not exist in the diatonic key of G. Therefor, we are now down to two options – C and F. Lets look at the next chord, Em. Em is the iii chord in the key of C but the key of F has E diminished, not E minor, therefor the key of C is our only option. Let’s look at the diatonic triads in the key of C major:

I – C
ii – Dm
iii – Em
IV – F
V – G
vi – Am
vii – B dim

As you can see, each chord from this example fits in the key of C major. So now we will match up each chord with its corresponding mode and play through each mode for the entirety of the bar, just like before:

Again, it’s a matter of playing through the musical example using the modes as a way to familiarize yourself with the relationship between modes and chords. Let’s look at one more example of a chord progression that does not modulate outside of 1 key.

Example 3:

This chord progression uses both 7th chords and triads. When a chord progression uses both 7th chords and triads, the process for analyzing the chord progression is essentially the same. This is because a 7th chord contains the notes of a triad. For example, a Major 7 chord (1, 3, 5, 7) contains a Major triad (1, 3, 5).

The first chord of this chord progression is Fm7. Fm7 is the ii chord of in the key of Eb, the iii chord in the key of Db and the vi chord in the key of Ab. The next chord, Cm7, is the vi chord in the key of Eb, the iii chord in the key of Ab, but it is not found in the key of Db. The 3rd chord Bb, is the V chord in the key of Eb, but is not found in the key of Ab, therefor Eb major is the key center of this chord progression.

Let’s look at the diatonic structure of Eb major:

I – Eb Major (triad) – Eb Major 7 (7th chord) – Eb Ionian (mode)
ii – F minor (triad) – F minor 7 (7th chord) – F Dorian (mode)
iii – G minor (triad) – G minor 7 (7th chord) – G Phrygian (mode)
IV – Ab Major (triad) – Ab major 7 (7th chord) – Ab Lydian (mode)
V – Bb Major (triad) – Bb dominant 7 (7th chord) – Bb Mixolydian (mode)
vi – C minor (triad) – C minor 7 (7th chord) – C Aeolian (mode)
vii – D minor (triad) – D minor 7 (7th chord) – D Locrian

Now let’s play the appropriate modes over each chord in the progression:

It is interesting to note that while the key center for this chord progression is Eb, there is no actual Eb chord in the chord progression.

Modulation – Key Changes

Now let’s look at a few examples of chord progressions that modulate. Modulation is when the key center of the chord progression changes within the one piece of music. We could talk about modulation in great length on it’s own, but the purpose of this lesson is not to discuss harmony in great detail, but rather how to analyze it and how to assign modes to chords within a harmonic progression.

The process for determining the key center, or key centers of a chord progression that modulates is essentially the same for that which does not modulate. The only caveat is that there are more possibilities because of the numerous key centers, which can make things a bit trickier. There can also be confusion relating to whether modulation has taken place, or the key center has simply not been found yet. For example, if the 3rd chord in a chord progression does not fit in the same key as the first 2 chords, does that mean that it has modulated, or does it just mean that what you thought was the key center for the first 2 chords was actually not the key center at all? Generally speaking, though, the process is the same, but a bit more attention to detail is often required.

Let’s look at this first modulating example. The first two chords are Dm7 and G7. Because there is only one dominant 7 chord in each key center, we can use G7 as our starting point and then go from there. G dominant 7 is the V chord in the key of C major. Our first chord, Dm7 fits into the key of C major as it is the ii chord. Our 3rd chord, Cmaj7 is the I chord in the key of C major. Let’s keep going. The 4th chord is A dominant 7. As there is only one dominant 7 chord in each key, and G7 is the dominant 7 chord in our current key (C major), there is obviously modulation happening at this point. What is A7 the V chord of? The answer is the key of D major. Our 5th chord is Dmaj7. Dmaj7 is the I chord in the key of D. On to the next chord, A7. We’ve already determined that this belongs to the key of D major, as does the next chord, Dmaj7, which is in the 6th and 7th bar.

So, in summary, the first 3 chords are in the key of C major and the 4th chord modulates to the key of D major, where it stays for the remaining bars.

Just to make things a little less confusing, I’ll write out the diatonic chords in both the key of C and the key of D:

Key of C

I – Cmaj7
ii – Dm7
iii – Em7
IV – Fmaj7
V – G7
vi – Am7
vii – Bm7

Key of D

I – Dmaj7
ii – Em7
iii – F#m7
IV – Gmaj7
V – A7
vi – Bm7
vii – C#m7

You should be able to see that the first three chords can be found in the first list (Key of C) and the next five chords can be found in the second list (Key of D). How would we apply modes to this chord progression? Exactly the same as before when we were not modulating. The only difference is that now we are drawing modes from two different keys. Let’s produce another two lists but look at the diatonic modes of the key of C and D this time.

Key of C

I – C Ionian
ii – D Dorian
iii – E Phrygian
IV – F Lydian
V – G Mixolydian
vi – A Aeolian
vii – B Locrian

Key of D

I – D Ionian
ii – E Dorian
iii – F# Phrygian
IV – G Lydian
V – A Mixolydian
vi – B Aeolian
vii – C# Locrian

Now we are going to apply the modes to the chords in the same way that we did for the earlier examples. Each mode is played for 1 bar in constant 8th notes over the relevant chord:

It’s worth clarifying something at this point. We have said that we are going to look at modes from using two approaches – staying diatonic and going parallel. In the last example we have jumped in to the world of modulation. Does that mean we are moving away from staying diatonic? No! Staying diatonic refers to the way in which we apply the modes to the given chord progression. The fact that a chord progression modulates does not change this approach because the approach relates only to how we apply the modes itself. In part 2 of this lesson, going parallel, you will see the difference between the two approaches.

Let’s look at two more examples of chord progressions that modulate:

This is an interesting example. The first chord Fmaj7, could be the I chord in the key of F, or the IV chord in the key of C. Of course, the obvious thing to do is to look at the next chords for clues. In the 3rd bar (where the chord changes) we have Em7. This at first would suggest that we are in the key of C, as Em7 is the iii chord in the key of C but is not found in the key of F (instead we Em7b5 is found). While this might seem like an obvious choice, the next chord, A7, is the V chord in the key of D, which means that our Em7 chord could be interpreted as being the ii chord in the key of D. Which one is correct? Again, it’s hard to know for sure. Sometimes, there are multiple possibilities and more clues are found in other areas, such as the melody of the song. In this case however, we are only looking at the chords, so we need to make a decision. I would actually interpret the first two bars (Fmaj7) as being in the key of F and the next two bars as being in the key of D. There are a few ‘intuitive’ reasons for this, which come with experience. Firstly, it’s very common for a song to start with the I chord as it creates a sense of grounding. Also, the next line modulates to the key of F. Bbmaj7 is the IV chord of F, C7 is the V chord of F and Fmaj7 is the I chord of F. Therefor, as a lot of this chord progression is centered around the key of F major, it makes sense that the first chord is in the key of F major. Again, there are little clues and patterns that you look for when you get more experience doing this sort of thing. For now, if you come across a chord progression that presents ‘options’ and you are not sure which one to go with, just choose one that you feel comfortable with and it will work fine. Let’s now apply the modes to this chord progression. I won’t go into the theory behind every mode as that should be pretty clear by now. Just remember, the first two bars are in the key of F, the next two are in the key of D and then the next four are in the key of F:

Let’s look at one more example of a chord progression that modulates and then use modes over that progression:

This is another interesting chord progression that at points might seem a bit vague or confusing. The First chord is Cmaj7, which could be the I chord in the key of C, or the IV chord in the key of G. If we look at the next chord for clues (C7), we find that C7 is the V chord in the key of F, which means that we can’t technically be 100 percent sure of which key the first chord is in. It could be C, or it could be F. Just like before however, we will ‘choose’ the key of C major, as starting with the I chord is a common and musically safe thing to do. So the first chord (Cmaj7) is in the key of C. The second chord (C7) is in the key of F. The third chord (Fmaj7) is also in the key of F (the I chord). The 4th chord (Fm7) can not possibly be in the key of F major. So let’s look at the 5th chord, Cmaj7. There is no key that contains both Fm7 and Cmaj7. So in this chord progression, the Fm7 is really out on its own. Again, this means that the key is kind of indefinite, so we need to choose an appropriate key, based on which one we think works the best. Fm7 could be the ii chord of Eb major, the iii chord of Db major, or the vi chord of Ab major. We will go with the key of Eb major, as this is the closest key to the previous key of F major. Now let’s look at the second line. Out of the 4 chords here, 3 are in the key of C major (Cmaj7, Dm7, G7) and one chord (A7) is in the key of D.

Let’s now look at the appropriate modes over the chord progression:

In summary, a comfortable knowledge about diatonic chords and scales, using modes is quite straight forward, even if the process is time consuming at first. Remember, the process is half the fun at first. It’s fascinating to analyze songs and chord progressions and ‘unravel the code’. Of course, we haven’t really yet looked at applying the modes using important musical tools such as phrasing and voice leading. At the moment we are covering the fundamentals, but the fundamentals are very important.

Once you understand the concept of modes, functional harmony and chord/scale relationships, it’s time to move on to part II of this lesson on how to use modes – Going Parallel.

How To Use Modes – Part II – Going Parallel

The Impractical Mode

THE IMPRACTICAL MODE

When analyzing the notes in a scale or key, some scales are very simple and some are a little more complicated.

Take the key of C, for example and its derived modes. The C major scale has no sharps or flats and its 7 notes are C – D – E – F – G – B.

All the modes derived from the key of C are also simple. For example, D dorian, the 2nd mode of the C major scale contains D – E – F – G – A – B – C

Then there are some keys that are bit more complicated. Take A sharp major, for example. The notes in A# major are A# – B# – Cx – D# – E# – Fx – Gx.

The A# major scale contains 3 double sharps (x). This by itself is not too difficult to understand. Occasionally, being familiar with A# major is useful for a number of reasons. For example the chord A#maj can often be found in different songs so can be useful to at least understand the key of A# major even though it is much easier to use its enharmonically equivalent key, B flat major.

If we are studying the key of these slightly unusual keys (such as A#) then we should also explore the modes that are derived from these keys. The 2nd note of the A# major scale is B#, therefor we could also explore the notes in B# dorian (B# – Cx – D# – E# – Fx – Gx – A#).

Of course, B# dorian and A# major contain the same amount of sharps and double sharps. B# dorian itself is fine to work with, much like A# major.

HERE’S THE PROBLEM

The problem of the ‘impractical mode’ comes in when we look at the 3rd mode of A# (again, for example). The 3rd note of A# major is Cx. Therefor, theoretically the 3rd mode of A# major is C double sharp phrygian.

While playing scales and modes that contain double sharps and double flats is ok (maybe a little annoying, but ok) playing modes that have a double sharp or double flat as their root note is impractical for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s highly unlikely that you would ever need to use Cx phrygian in a real life musical context. Secondly, Even though we could theoretically explore and play the mode Cx phrygian, the study would not be complete without comparing it to Cx major. In looking at Cx major, we would find that it contains the notes

Cx – Dx – Ex – Fx – Gx – Ax – Bx

You can see how things now are starting to look a bit ridiculous. To take it even further, if we were then to explore the modes of Cx major, we might then want to explore the modes of Cx major. In doing so, we might look at another impractical mode such as Dx Dorian and from there we would have to analyize Dx Major. In theory, the key of D double sharp major contains 2 triple sharps! You could play this game forever and it becomes very silly very quickly.

RULE 1:

Any mode that has its root note as a double sharp or double flat, is now deemed impractical.

THE PROBLEM WITH Ab LOCRIAN

There is one more way that a mode can be deemed impractical:

Let’s look at a mode (in theory) by the name of Ab locrian. This might seem like a logical mode to want to explore. For example, the locrian mode can be used over minor chords and the Ab minor chord is frequently used. Also, the Ab major scale contains only 4 flats, which isn’t too complicated right?

The problem with Ab locrian is that it is technically derived from the impractical key of B double flat. It is not derived from A major because that would produce G# locrian, not Ab locrian.

In theory, the notes in B double flat major are:

Bbb – Cb – Db – Ebb – Fb – Gb – Ab

As Ab is the 7th note and the locrian mode is built upon the 7th note of the major scale, Ab locrian is derived from Bbb. This is impractical. Again, it is fine to play a scale or mode that contains double sharps or double flats, but the exploration of keys that have double flats or double sharps as their root is a frivolous one.

RULE 2:

Any mode that is derived from a key that has a double sharp or double flat as its root note, is now deemed impractical.

The name ‘impractical mode’ is really just a term that I have come up with for the study of guitar modes explained. In this study, we may occasionally mention the notes that are in a given impractical mode just for theoretical clarification, but we will not explore the mode in great detail. It is really a matter of where you draw the line. There may be some (sad) people who believe that exploring the key of Dbbbb is worth doing. There may also be people who think that the key of A# is not practical because it contains double sharps and can be replaced (sort of) with the key of Bb. Again, there is no real right or wrong here, it is just a matter of where you draw the line.

The 2 rules that I have mentioned above, is where I have chosen to draw the line.

If you don’t already have a solid understanding of how guitar modes work, everything that has been mentioned here will probably confuse you. If that is the case, don’t worry too much about it. When you see an impractical mode mentioned, ignore it and move on. Once you understand modes inside out, everything in this post will make a lot more sense.

How To Strum – What is Rhythm?

What is rhythm? Most people have a basic understanding of what rhythm is. Even if they are not aware of it, they react and respond to rhythm just like anybody else. Some people know consciously what rhythm is; they can replicate rhythms perfectly, differentiate between one rhythm and another, but not know what the fundamental theory behind rhythm actually is. To be able to strum effectively on the guitar, rhythm Let’s take some time to look at rhythm from a very basic viewpoint:

The Fundamentals – Beats

Firstly, rhythm is derived from a beat. A beat is simply a pulse that reoccurs over and over again at a consistent speed. It doesn’t slow down and it doesn’t speed up (actually, in some music, the beat does speed up or slow down but for the sake of this exercise, let’s assume it doesn’t) and the speed of that consistent beat is known as “beats per minute” or “bpm”. A speed of 70bpm means that there are 70 beats per minute, which is slower than a speed of 89bpm. The bpm marking is what’s known as the “tempo” of the music.

This is what a constant beat at 80bpm sounds like. The beat is being played on a cowbell.

Guitar Rhythms – Cowbell 80bpm

That is essentially all that a beat is. A boring, repetitive pulse. Rhythm, is about what you do with that beat.

Quarter Notes

This is what a very basic rhythm sounds like. I’m going to play one note over and over again on every beat. A note that goes for 1 beat in duration is called a quarter note. For the sake of simplicity, I am not going to play a chord, just one note.

Guitar Rhythms – Quarter Notes mp3

That was a very easy and straight forward rhythm. In fact, because a quarter note goes for 1 beat, I wasn’t playing anything other than the pulse itself.

Half Notes

Now, to demonstrate that I can play different rhythms over the beat, I will play half notes. Half notes are notes that go for 2 beats each.

Guitar Rhythms – Half Notes

Again, that is pretty simple. So lets mix it up a little bit by playing a half note, followed by 2 quarter notes. It will sound like this:

Guitar Rhythms – Halves and Quarters

It should be pretty obvious by now that every example I am giving is inside of a 4 beat pattern. 90% of music is in 4/4, which means the music is divided into bars of 4 beats. That’s why you will often hear people counting “1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2…” etc. The beat (or pulse) provides the backbone of the music and the measure (4/4) provides the sense of feel and repetition. This is pretty basic stuff and many of you will know this already, but it is good to be thorough! In every example, I am playing the same bar 4 times over.

Eighth Notes

Let’s get a bit trickier with the rhythm now. Rhythm really comes to life when we subdivide the beat. That means for example, playing two notes (evenly spaced) inside each beat, or 3 notes, or 4 notes. When we divide a beat by 2, we are playing 8th notes, which sounds like this:

Guitar Rhythms – 8th Notes

Sixteenth Notes

If we divide the beat by 4, we are playing 16th notes, which looks like this:

Guitar Rhythms – 16th Notes

It will sound like the speed has gotten faster. In actual fact, the tempo (speed of the beat) is exactly the same, but we are playing a busier rhythm which makes it sound faster. This is the beauty of rhythm. The beat stays the same, but we manipulate what we do over the top to create interest whilst still staying inside the “groove” of the original beat.

A Few Examples

Of course, the above examples are pretty repetitive and boring. Let’s mix up a few of those rhythms to create more interesting ones. Here are a few examples:

Guitar Rhythms – Rhythm Example 1

Guitar Rhythms – Rhythm Example 2

Counting

Counting is a very effective way to approach rhythm both from a practical point of view and a theoretical point of view. When we count, we are effectively laying down a framework from which we can play different rhythms.

Above is the most basic form of counting. It is the ‘infinitive’ rhythm of 1, 2, 3, 4. When we count out loud, we speak each number sequentially in time with the beat. Even if when we play different rhythms over the top of the counting, the 1, 2, 3, 4 count does not change.

Let’s go back and have a look at the examples and see how counting can be used.

In this very basic rhythm, we are playing quarter notes on every beat of the bar, therefor we are effectively playing a note on every ‘count’ of the bar. That is why each number is underlined, because there is a note on every count. I am underlining the beats where a note is played.

Let’s look at the next rhythm we did.

In this rhythm, we are playing 2 notes that go for 2 beats each, which means the first note comes in on the ’1′, then the next note comes in on the ’2′. Keep in mind that even though we are playing notes that go for 2 beats, we still count to 4. This doesn’t change (well, let’s assume it doesn’t, for now). All that changes is the rhythm that we play over the counting.

Another example…

Here, we have a half note (2 beats) followed by 2 quarter notes (1 beat each). Therefor, the first note starts on the ’1′, and then the next 2 notes come in on the ’3′ and ’4′ respectively. Again, keep in mind that the counting stays constant. What changes is the rhythm.

Subdivision and Counting:

Of course, things get a little bit more complicated when we start subdividing the rhythm. Remember in our earlier example that playing 8th notes requires subdividing each beat into 2 and playing on each of those subdivisions.

With this example, we could keep counting 1, 2, 3, 4… and play 1 note on every count, as well as 1 note in between every count. We would then be playing 8th notes. However, there is a more accurate way of using counting to achieve constant 8th notes. This is done by saying the word “and” in between every count. What this literally does is subdivide the beat into 2, so that there is a perfect platform for playing 8th notes. This would look like this when written out using lines to highlight the rhythm.

It’s important to keep in mind that the 1, 2, 3 and 4 have essentially not changed, there is simply something in between each number now… the word “and”.

Of course, if we subdivide the beat even further into 16th notes, we need some more words to use. When counting 16th notes, we can say “one-e-and-a, two-e-and-a, three-e…” etc.

A constant 16th note rhythm looks like this in notation (from our earlier example)

When we count, it should look like this:

The ‘e’s are usually pronounced literally like saying the letter e. The pluses are pronounced like “and”. The ‘a’s pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘gorilla’.

Let’s have a look at the last two examples that we originally used and see how they look from a counting perspective. I should make a point about these rhythms. As they switch between subdivisions, you might be confused as to how they should be counted. Remember, even though you are counting does not mean you have to play something on every count. The counting essentially runs in the background and provides the framework from which all rhythms are derived. What generally happens though, is that you find the smallest subdivision of the bar (or perhaps song) and use that as your counting framework. This will make sense when written out.

Rhythm example 1:

Of course, I could have legitimately counted it out as demonstrated below and played the exact same rhythm, but the benefit of keeping the syllables consistent is that it provides stability, which is very important with rhythm. Being able to execute the approach bellow takes a bit of experience and rhythmic skill.

Rhythm example 2:

Hopefully by now you have a good understanding of the basics of rhythm and can see and hear how simple manipulations of rhythm can affect the feel of the music. Keep in mind that this is a very basic introduction to rhythm. In reality, the topic of rhythm can and should be explored in great depth with the aid of many musical examples. There are also other subdivisions which we have not looked at and a range of notation devices that we haven’t looked at. That’s ok. The aim of this lesson is to introduce the fundamentals for the purpose of strumming on guitar. I have tried to present the information using a very metric, almost mathematical approach, because this translates nicely into strumming on the guitar. Obviously, we haven’t even touched on strumming itself yet, but that will be in the next post and to understand that lesson, you must understand this one.

Quick Links:

Intervals on the Guitar

Intervals in pitch refer to the distance between two notes. For example, the notes B natural and C natural are a semitone away from each other. The notes B natural and C# are a tone away from each other. These properties are not specific to guitar, as the notes B and C are a semitone away from each other on any instrument. While it is possible to refer to intervals purely as a measure of tones and semitones, more commonly they are given specific names based on their relationship within a scale. Observe the following list

C to C# (minor 2nd) (1 semitone apart)

C to D (Major 2nd) (2 semitones apart)

C to D# (minor 3rd) (3 semitones apart)

C to E (Major 3rd) (4 semitones apart)

C to F (Perfect 4th) (5 semitones apart)

C to F# (tritone) (6 semitones apart)

C to G (Perfect 5th) (7 semitones apart)

C to G# (minor 6th) (8 semitones apart)

C to A (Major 6th) (9 semitones apart)

C to A# (minor 7th) (10 semitones apart)

C to B (Major 7th) (11 semitones apart)

C to C (Perfect Octave) (12 semitones apart)

Above is a list of intervals and their names with C being the root note. Don’t worry too much about where all the names come from. If you are familiar with major scales, the names of the intervals will most likely make sense. These intervals are the same in any key. Let’s look at the same set of intervals where Eb is the root note.

Eb to E (minor 2nd) (1 semitone apart)

Eb to F (Major 2nd) (2 semitones apart)

Eb to F# (minor 3rd) (3 semitones apart)

Eb to G (Major 3rd) (4 semitones apart)

Eb to G# (Perfect 4th) (5 semitones apart)

Eb to A (tritone) (6 semitones apart)

Eb to A# (Perfect 5th) (7 semitones apart)

Eb to B (minor 6th) (8 semitones apart)

Eb to C (Major 6th) (9 semitones apart)

Eb to C# (minor 7th) (10 semitones apart)

Eb to D (Major 7th) (11 semitones apart)

Eb to D# (Perfect Octave) (12 semitones apart)
As you can see, intervals are relative. Eb to B is a minor 6th just like C to G# is a minor 6th because both pairs of notes are the same distance away. It should be pointed out that the above lists demonstrate intervals where the first note is the root note and the 2nd note is played higher in pitch than the 1st. If the 2nd note is lower in pitch, then the lower note becomes the root note and the interval is labeled accordingly. So for example, if F was played first and then C was played secondly, but lower in pitch than the F, C would be the root note and the interval would be a Perfect 4th.

Experimenting with intervals on the guitar can be very fun and beneficial. A massive advantage that the guitar has over other instruments when exploring intervals is the visual element. Let’s pretend that you want to explore perfect 4ths in every key and that you know the notes on the guitar along the fretboard quite well. If you play a G on the 6th string (3rd fret) all you have to do to play a perfect 4th is to move directly down to the next string (5th string) on the same fret. You will now be playing a C. Therefor you can say that a perfect 4th from G is C. The real advantage is that you can effectively copy and paste this process for any root note. If we play a C on the 6th string (8th fret), then move directly down to the 5th string, we have just played a perfect 4th from C to F.

What we are basically doing here is associating intervals with shapes. It is possible to know how to play any interval without necessarily even knowing the names of the notes!

It is of course highly recomended that you explore the names of the notes and get familiar with the notes in every key etc, but it is interesting to observe the visual advantages that the guitar inherintly has.

The above picture shows 2 ways of playing a perfect 5th. This example is with C being the root note.
Now we will look at how to apply these shapes to a different root note. A.

As you can see, the distance between the 2 notes is the same, but the starting note is different. You can apply this to any root note and to any interval. It just takes a bit of exploring so that you get familiar with all the different combinations etc.

Knowing your intervals well can really help with theory, practice, song writing, soloing etc. so it is a great thing to spend time on.

Chord Theory And Construction On The Guitar

Chord theory is a fascinating topic. Understanding what chords are and how they are constructed on the guitar can really open your mind to a new world of possibilities.

To understand Chords, you firstly need a basic understanding of Major Scales. If you are a little unsure, please read the previous post, understanding major scales.

The reason why major scales are so important is becuase it is from that particular scale that chords are constructed.

A major scale is simply 7 notes separated by intervals (tones and semitones):

Root Note (starting note) – Tone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Tone – Semitone (starting note again, but up one octave).

So if we were to play a C major scale it would look like this:

C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C (up octave)
If we were to play an A major scale it would look like this:

A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G# – A (up octave)

Any major chord is simply the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of a major scale. That’s it!

So, from the information above, a C major chord is simply the notes C, E and G (1st, 3rd and 5th) played in unison. An A major chord is simply the notes A, C# and E (1st, 3rd and 5th) played in unison.

In summary, any chord is a specific combination of notes from a major scale. The only tricky thing is that these notes can be altered (raised or lowered). I think this will make sense if we look at a list of some chords and what notes they contain. This is not an exhaustive list but contains most of the standard chords that you will come accross.

TRIADS:

Major (1, 3, 5)

Minor (1, b3, 5)

Diminished (1, b3, b5)

Augmented (1, 3, #5)

7th CHORDS:

Major 7 (1, 3, 5, 7)

Minor 7 (1, b3, 5, b7)

Dominant 7 (1, 3, 5, b7)

Diminished 7 (1, b3, b5, bb7) – yes, it has a double flat!

Half Diminished (1, b3, b5, b7)

Minor Major 7 (1, b3, 5, 7)

Augmented 7 (1, 3, #5, b7)

There are a lot more chords than this but if you can understand what is going on with the above chords then you are well on your way to understanding chord construction. You should notice that most chords have 1, 3 and 5 as a kind of ‘core’. Those notes might be altered (flat 3 or sharp 5 etc.) but they are still based around the original 1 – 3 – 5.

To make sure we understand what is going on, let’s do another example:

The notes in the key of G are (G major scale):

G – A – B – C – D – E – F#

If we wanted to play a G minor 7 chord, we would need 1, flat 3, 5 and flat 7.

1 is G

3 is B, therefor flat 3 is Bb.

5 is D

7 is F#, therefor flat 7 is F (natural)

So the four notes are:

G – Bb – D – F

We have just constructed a G minor 7 chord! Keep in mind that this is all just theoretical at this stage. We have not yet executed any of these chords on guitar, we have just figured out the notes involved. You might be thinking, ok, so C major has 3 notes, C – E – G, but the C major I know uses every string on the guitar, how does that work? The reason why this happens is because when we actually play chords on the guitar, we typically double up on notes.

Let’s look at an open C major chord.

As you can see, we have the notes C, E, G, C, E.

There are 5 strings being played, but the only notes contained are C, E and G (1, 3 and 5). It does not matter that some notes are played twice and others once. All that matters is the 1, 3 and 5 are contained in the chord.

Let’s look at another example. Bb minor 7 chord. This is a root 6 bar chord played on the 6th fret.

The notes in a Bbm7 chord are Bb – Db – F – Ab (1 – b3 – 5 – b7)

If we look at the notes in this particular shape we have Bb – F – Ab – Db – F – Bb. What this shows is that the notes do not necessarily need to be in a particular order. As long as the 1-b3-5-b7 are in the shape and nothing else, you will be playing a minor 7 chord. The order of notes and choices of double ups etc definately affect the sound and much could be written about the application of this, but for now, just think of it like this: Any two chords with the same name are the same chord, but the voicing of the chord can change the shade of color. So an open A7 chord is the same as a Bar Chord A7 chord but they are slightly different shades of the same color.

A great way to practice chord theory is to analyse chords you already know and then try to figure out and understand the notes involved. This can be a very fascinating experience and it really sharpens your ‘musical IQ’, as you are constantly thinking about the notes you are playing and the theory behind the chord that is involved.

Another great thing to do is to think of a chord and then try to construct that chord yourself. This is kind of the revearse process of analysing a chord you already know but it uses the same skills.

As I said, it is a very fascinating thing to do and can give you a real sense of creativity over the guitar. Both methods require that you have a pretty good knowledge of the fretboard.

It should also be said that this is really just an introduction to chord theory and does not even scratch the surface of why, for example, certain chords work well together in a chord progression etc. We have really only focused fpr now on how to construct chords.

What is the Dorian mode?

UPDATE – For a comprehensive guide to the Dorian mode, please read the post Dorian Mode Explained.

Once you have a basic understanding of major scales and how to manipulate them in order to play modes, you will want to start getting familiar with each of the 7 modes. The first mode is the Ionian mode. This is simply a major scale. Therefor, whenever you play a major scale, you are in fact playing the Ionian mode.

The 7 modes and their names are as follows:

1. Ionian (Root note, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

2. Dorian (Root note, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7)

3. Phrygian (Root note, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7)

4. Lydian (Root note, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7)

5. Mixolydian (Root note, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7)

6. Aeolian (Root note, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7)

6. Locrean (Root note, b2, b3, 4, b5, b6, b7)

These are the 7 modes of a major scale (1 for every note of the original scale). If you can’t quite get your head around it just yet, don’t worry. For now, we just want to look at mode number 2 – Dorian.

Firstly, just to recap, the mode is achieved by playing a major scale, starting on the second note. For example, to play a C major scale, we would play the following notes

C – D – E – F – G – A – B

If we were to start on the second note, we would play the following:

D – E – F – G – A – B – C

Notice, that all the notes are still the same (because we are still in the key of C) but we are starting from D. This is known as a D Dorian.

To understand the properties of any mode, you HAVE to know your major scales in every key. If you don’t, it’s easy to figure out (what is a major scale?). In this case, to understand D Dorian, we need to know what notes are in C major, but also, what notes are in D major. Here’s why:

D Dorian has the notes D – E – F – G – A – B – C

D Major has the notes D – E – F# – G – A – B – C#

Therefor, only in comparing D Dorian to the original key of D Major, can we say that D Dorian has a flat 3rd, and a flat 7th. Why? Because the only differences between D Dorian and D Major are those 2 notes. The 3rd note in D major is F#, yet the 3rd note in D Dorian is F. Therefor, D Dorian has a flat 3rd. The 7th note in D Major is C#, yet the 7th note in D Dorian is C. Therefor D Dorian has a flat 7th also. In fact, any time you play a Dorian mode in any key, you are playing a scale that has a flat 3rd and a flat 7th.

Let’s test this out in another Key. Let’s try Ab Major.

Ab major has the following notes.

Ab – Bb – C – Db – Eb – F – G

To play the Dorian mode, we would need to start on the 2nd note. Therefor, we would be playing a Bb Dorian:

Bb – C – Db – Eb – F – G – Ab

Now that we have a Bb Dorian mode, we need to compare it to the original key of Bb Major, in order to understand it’s properties. Bb Major is:

Bb – C – D – Eb – F – G – A

As you can see, the difference between Bb Dorian and Bb Major is that Bb Dorian has a flat 3rd and a Flat 7th.

You can try this in any key and you will find that the Dorian mode has a flat 3rd and a flat 7th. That’s what makes it a Dorian mode. Because of these properties, the scale works very well over Minor chords.

UPDATE – For a comprehensive guide to the Dorian mode, please read the post Dorian Mode Explained.

WHAT IS A MAJOR SCALE?

For some, this may be a very basic topic. For others, the concept may have been discarded under the category of ‘boring musical theory’. Some people might be quite familiar with the sound of a major scale, they may even know how to play it in one or two positions, but may not actually know what it fundamentally is. Being familiar and comfortable with major scales in practice and theory is a very important tool on every instrument, including guitar. Launching into more exotic scales and modes, such as Dorian flat 2 and Lydian Augmented is not going to make much sense without first grasping the concept of major scales.

On a very basic level, a major scale is simply 7 notes, separated by intervals (tones and semitones).

This is what it looks like

Root Note – Tone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Tone – Semitone.

(the last semitone leads back to the root note, up one octave)

The best way to get a feel for this is to play the full scale on one string. For example, start on the 3rd fret of the 5th (A) string. You will be playing a C natural. Now move up a Tone (two frets) to D natural. Then move up another tone to E natural. Then up a semitone (1 fret) to F natural. Keep going until you reach the root note up the octave from your starting note (in this case it will be the 15th fret).

You can try this starting from any fret on any string (providing you have room to play out the full scale). This should give you a really good idea of what the major scale sounds like, but also, you should be able to visually appreciate the interval structure that is contained within the scale.

So there you have it, major scales. They have a very recognizable sound and their purpose extends across many different styles and contexts. Don’t worry too much about why a major scale sounds so familiar or why it is more important than any other scale. For now, just get comfortable with playing the scale and becoming more and more familiar with it.

How to know every note on the fretboard

One of the easiest things to master on the guitar is knowledge of notes on each fret and string. The strange thing is that while it may be one of the easiest things to master, most guitarists wait until they are a fair way into their guitar progress before making sure they know all the notes (actually some people never learn them at all). Perhaps the reliance on tabs (a very useful tool) has spawned a league of guitarists that place little importance on knowing the fretboard.

‘Knowing your notes’ is a very important skill to have. As I mentioned earlier, it is easy, but not only that, you can learn your notes without any technical ability whatsoever. If you’ve just purchased your first guitar and are yet to sit down to play your first note, you have just as much ability to learn your notes as a rock star who despite his technical prowess, get’s a bit lost in the upper register of the neck.

Why is it important? What if you’re not interested in reading? While it is true that knowing your notes is an essential skill if you want to be able to read notation, it’s benefits extend far beyond that realm. Knowing your notes gives you the power to construct chords, scales and melodies with a much deeper understanding. For example, if your favorite chord is a minor7b5sus9 and you only know how to play it using one shape, why not figure out in 5 different positions. If you know where all your notes are, this not only becomes an easy task, it becomes more enjoyable and more fruitful.

So what is the best way of learning your notes along the whole fretboard? Well firstly, you only really need to know your notes along 12 frets. This is because the notes effectively start again (up the octave) at this point. For example, fret 13 on the D string is a D#, as it is on fret 1 of the D string. fret 13 on the B string is C, as it is on fret 1 of the B string. And so on and so on.

One of the best ways of learning your notes is to use the cycle of 4ths/5ths. If you don’t know what the cycle of 4ths/5ths is, it is simply a cycle of notes arranged by a set interval. I have attached the picture below. In one direction (clockwise) the intervals are in 4ths and in the other direction (counter-clockwise) the intervals are in 5ths. If you don’t understand the theory behind this, do not worry, it’s not needed for this task (I’ll save that for a later post).

Using the cycle of 4ths/5ths, all you need to do is go round in one direction of the cycle and play all 12 notes on one given string. For example, if we choose to work on the D string notes, we would start from C (10 fret) then move to F (3rd fret) then Bb (8th fret) and so on. The great thing about the cycle is that it goes through all 12 notes and once you get back to the start you can go again. Once you have mastered one string, move on to the next and repeat the process. You’re probably not going to remember all the notes in one go, but if you do this for even just 5 minutes a day, I guarantee you will have full knowledge of all your notes along the fretboard on every string within a relatively short amount of time.

Remember, on most instruments, knowing the notes on the instrument goes hand in hand with playing. It is very easy to know which note is which on a piano. You can’t really play a trumpet properly if you don’t know what note you want to play. Guitar however is a different story. There are duplicates of notes all over the fretboard and it is quite a confusing arrangement of notes. It takes a bit of discipline to actually set aside time dedicated to knowing all your notes. It is however, a fairly straight forward and easy task. And VERY beneficial!

Get to it!

By the way, to do this task properly, you need a way of checking to see whether or not the note you are playing is actually the note you want to play. This can be calculated or you can use another diagram of the notes along the guitar to do this. I’ll make another post about that shortly.

The Cycle of 4ths