Advanced Jazz Guitar  Lesson Melodic Minor Scale lydian dominant – 5:16 min  

In this lesson Marty teaches the melodic minor scale – cool stuff for sure – check it out.

More on the Mixolydian Mode Lesson Root on A String – 9:12 min  

In this lesson Marty continues teachings on the 5th mode of the major scale – the Mixolydian mode. Be sure and print out the written lessons on modal playing in the written lessons of the site to study the modes even deeper – they are truly limitless

Learn THE DORIAN MODE – 2nd mode of the major scale – 15:15 min 

In this lesson David will help get your playing to the next level by teaching the DORIAN MODE. Dorian is the 2nd mode of the major scale and if you are watching these advanced lessons in order then you probably know that the modes of the major scale are just variations of the major scale. That is howyou want to think of them. All the modes are just variations of the major scale. Anytime you start and emphasize a note other than the root note in a major scale – you are playing in a mode. They are super useful as they open the fret board and each mode has a different mood to it so you want to really study them and start applying them on the guitar.

Dorian is more of a minor type mode and gives you that real ROCK sound. You will find yourself utilizing it all the time as it sounds so good over minor chords and much more, as David explains in this lesson. David also teaches you in this lesson proper useage of the Dorian mode and how to mix it in with minor and major pentatonic.

Other lessons to watch that tie into this one are using the mode finder, intro to the modes, and the three steps to apply the modes. Check all of those out and use the jam tracks on the site to practice these concepts and applications. ROCK ON!

Basic HARMONIC MINOR-very exotic sounding – learn the scale & when to use it – 8:54 minutes

In this lesson David will teach you the very cool Harmonic Minor scale. Its a great scale that has almost a middle eastern sound – very exotic. David takes you through a basic shape, notes, fingerings, and teaches you the intervals of the scale and compares it to the natural minor scale or Aeolian mode. He explains the differences and as always, why it is so critical to learn the intervals and notes and not memorizing just shapes. David also discusses how to find the scale in any key and some suggestions for when and how to use the scale in lead playing and improvisation applications. David analyzes a basic chord progression and suggests what to play over each chord. Lay down the basic progression as David suggests, and then practice playing the scale over your jam track. Have fun and rip it up!

LEARN the 3 steps to apply the MODES OF THE MAJOR SCALE – SUPER USEFUL! – 4:57 minutes

In this lesson we continue to study how to apply the modes of the major scale on the guitar.  

Follow these three critical steps for utilizing the modes over a given chord or a whole chord progression:

1. Analyze the chords and the progression to get the roadmap for which modes and arpeggios you can utilize

2. Once you derive what mode to use, convert that mode back to its mother major key

3. Play the mode using the parent major scale patterns but you MUST now shift to and EMPHASIZE THE ROOT OF THE MODE

Think it terms of the mode that you want to utilize. If you want to play A Dorian over a minor chord or over a whole chordal progression…. think A Dorian…. not G major. You are just thinking G major to play in those shapes. But the emphasis is on A. That is critical, because if you start on or emphasize the G notes you will be playing in G major, not A Dorian. So the three steps above are absolutely critical to have success playing in all the modes and you must be very proficient at each one, and that takes a good amount of practice! Take things slow at first and it gets easier and easier the more comfortable you get with each step.

*IMPORTANT – PRINT OUT THE WRITTEN LESSON IN THE “WRITTEN LESSONS” SECTION OF THE SITE ENTITLED, “Introduction to understanding the MODES of the major scale , DORIAN, PHRYGIAN, LYDIAN etc” – AND STUDY AND UTILIZE THAT WRITTEN LESSON IN TANDEM WITH THIS VIDEO LESSON

Solo theory and application for MINOR KEY and combining with MODAL PLAYING – 17:44 min

In this module we will look at how to solo in minor key and using the modes. We will also discuss how to combine using pentatonic scales with modal playing. At first you want to be very structured and methodical about writing out and analyzing the chords that you will be soloing over. Remember it is the chords that will give you the roadmap to what you can use solo and impovisational wise. And also you have two choices when soloing – you can solo over all the chords at once, (play what relates to all), or solo over each chord individually, (treat each chord like a separate event). In this lesson we will examine the first option – soloing with the same mode, scale, arpeggio, over all the chords in a progression – playing what relates to all. So in this lesson we will start blowing a mode over all the chords in a minor key progression.

You have to burn this rule into your brain when soloing over all the chords in a minor key progression;
When playing over all the chords in a minor key progression, as one option, you can pretty much always use the AEOLIAN mode, UNLESS the IV chord is major or the II chord is minor, then use the DORIAN mode.

This rule is absolutely critical – you will be utilizing it all the time because so many jams, songs, and progressions are in minor key. You want to add more weapons to your guitar arsenal in addition to minor pentatonic, so this rule is super important. When soloing in minor key, minor pentatonic and blues should be your default setting. In a minor key progression, (where the I chord is minor), you can always utilize Minor Pentatonic and Blues in that key. That are pretty much a given. If you have a song in G minor you can solo with G minor pent and blues. If you have a song in Am you can solo with A minor pent and blues, etc, etc. And in fact, depending on the chords, you may even be able to use three different minor pentatonic keys as discussed in a previous lesson. You can also add the 9^th, and the other passing tones as per our previous lessons on spicing up the minor pentatonic and blues scales. As long as you don’t hang on the passing tones and you bookend them with strong scalar notes.

*IMPORTANT – PRINT OUT THE WRITTEN LESSON IN THE “WRITTEN LESSONS” SECTION OF THE SITE ENTITLED, “ Solo theory for Minor key – using minor pent and blues, Aeolian, Dorian, and relative major“  – AND STUDY AND UTILIZE THIS WRITTEN LESSON IN TANDEM WITH THIS VIDEO LESSON

Interval structure of the MODES OF THE MAJOR SCALE – how to apply on guitar – 10:15 minutes

In this lesson David continues discussion of the MODES of the MAJOR SCALE. Before playing in them, you need a thorough understanding of them and how to apply them. David will now go over each mode individually and when you want to use them in your playing. David whiteboards all the modes and divides them into major and minor sounding modes and looks at each one. You want to understand the interval makeup of each mode to have a thorough understanding of how to apply them to your playing. Then you can get more creative with them and really go “outside” the box, so to speak and use them in your own creative ways.

Remember the modes of the major scale are just variations of the major scale. Anytime you start and emphasize a note other than the root note in a major scale – you are playing in a mode. They are super useful as they open the fret board and each mode has a different mood to it so you want to really study them and start applying them on the guitar.

*IMPORTANT – PRINT OUT THE WRITTEN LESSON IN THE “WRITTEN LESSONS” SECTION OF THE SITE ENTITLED, “Introduction to understanding the MODES of the major scale , DORIAN, PHRYGIAN, LYDIAN etc” – AND STUDY AND UTILIZE THAT WRITTEN LESSON IN TANDEM WITH THIS VIDEO LESSON

 MODE FINDER for converting MODES to the proper parent major scale – 14:32 minutes

In this lesson David will teach you a mode finder that he developed to make it easy to convert a mode back to the appropriate parent major scale. David will use the number 2 major scale as taught in the major scale lessons in the intermediate section of the site. Remember the three steps David outlines for playing in the modes:

1. Analyze the chords to determine which mode or modes you can play.

2. Convert the mode back to the parent major scale.

3. Shift to and emphasize the root of the mode. 

David teaches you how to utilize this mode finder using the number 2 major scale to easily determine the parent major scale. Then shift to the root of the mode and you are off and running and playing in the modes of the major scale. David demonstrates in this lesson how the modes are just variations of major scale. David also gives you a test to see if you can do the conversion using the mode finder.

*IMPORTANT – PRINT OUT THE WRITTEN LESSON IN THE “WRITTEN LESSONS” SECTION OF THE SITE ENTITLED, “Introduction to understanding the MODES of the major scale , DORIAN, PHRYGIAN, LYDIAN etc” – AND STUDY AND UTILIZE THAT WRITTEN LESSON IN TANDEM WITH THIS VIDEO LESSON

Intro to the MODES OF THE MAJOR SCALE – dorian, phrygian, lydian – part t 2 – 8:03 minutes

In this lesson David continues teachings on the MODES of the MAJOR SCALE. Before playing in them, you need a thorough understanding of them and how to apply them. In this lesson David teaches the modes from an interval structure and explains on how they are all just variations of the major scale. You should have learned your major scales up and down the neck as per the major scale lessons in the intermediate section. You also should be familiar with intervals and chord construction as per the lessons in the music theory section of the site. Its so important to build a solid foundation and not try to jump from step 5 to step 9 – so bone up on any of the materials listed above if needed before taking on this lesson module.

David continues to break down the study of the modes of the major scale and breaks them into digestible pieces. All the modes are just variations of the major scale. Anytime you start and emphasize a note other than the root note in a major scale – you are playing in a mode. They are SUPER useful as they open the fret board and each mode has a different mood to it so you want to really study them and start applying them on the guitar. David takes the materials from part 1 and builds on it so you can start applying the modes to the guitar. 

*IMPORTANT – PRINT OUT THE WRITTEN LESSON IN THE “WRITTEN LESSONS” SECTION OF THE SITE ENTITLED, “Introduction to understanding the MODES of the major scale , DORIAN, PHRYGIAN, LYDIAN etc” – AND STUDY AND UTILIZE THAT WRITTEN LESSON IN TANDEM WITH THIS VIDEO LESSON

Intro to the MODES OF THE MAJOR SCALE – dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian –  pt 1 – 9:43 minutes

In this lesson David introduces the MODES of the MAJOR SCALE. Before playing in them, you need a thorough understanding of them and how to apply them. David makes them simple and breaks them into digestible pieces. All the modes are just variations of the major scale. Anytime you start and emphasize a note other than the root note in a major scale – you are playing in a mode. They are super useful as they open the fret board and each mode has a different mood to it so you want to really study them and start applying them on the guitar. In this lesson you will learn the 7 modes of the major scale and learn the order of the modes and which ones are major or minor sounding. David will get you playing in the modes fast and easy – so start with this intro and more to come – rock on!

*IMPORTANT – PRINT OUT THE WRITTEN LESSON IN THE “WRITTEN LESSONS” SECTION OF THE SITE ENTITLED, “Introduction to understanding the MODES of the major scale , DORIAN, PHRYGIAN, LYDIAN etc” – AND STUDY AND UTILIZE THAT WRITTEN LESSON IN TANDEM WITH THIS VIDEO LESSON