Hands down, the BEST explanation I have ever heard. I’ll be watching this one over and over. THANK YOU! I have had such a monstrously difficult time trying to understand modes but this video is the first time in my musical life (15 years playing) I can say I get it now. Now I just need to memorize it… (sigh).
That's great to hear! It's a subject that frustrated me no end when I was a student; it's so simple in essence but can often be explained so poorly. I'm really pleased you found this video helpful!
I have posted a pint in a jiffy Bag to you, it may arrive flat BUT it's the best I can do until I bump into you. Cheers Richard, I will forward this to my mate. Tonal center was the key info for me there, just fell into place and I got the A Dorian....... now to pick up the guitar and make the magic happen.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing your perspective on this! Great tip to identify those successive Minor (ii / iii) or Majors (iv / v) in a chord progression and then find the mode based on the 1st!
Just another great episode. I learn something every time I tune in. I do wish that someone had presented the concept of modes that way for me 55 years ago. Might have done more Frampton tunes….
Richard, you do an outstandingly great job explaining these things with clarity and structure. Aside from your way of connecting the major modes to the major pentatonic, leaving only the 4 and 7 to determine the mode (and the same with the minor modes), there wasn't really anything "new" for me personally, but I really enjoyed watching you explaining your way of thinking about it nonetheless. Thank you very much, well done!
Thank you Mike! I truly appreciate that. It's such a simple yet important concept - this video was mostly born out of my own frustration in how I was taught modes years ago! I'm certainly not bringing anything new to the table in terms of ideas but I hope it may save a few folks a little time! Thanks again for the kind words, my friend!
@@RichardWatson Oh it certainly will! :) I've been following you a while now (I'm just not that much of a social-media-commenting-on-stuff-kinda-guy) and have regularly been delighted by the high quality of your videos. Especially your session heroes series and analysis of Lukather is top-notch! Keep up the good work, it is very much appreciated! Are you on patreon?
@@MikeCzak87 That's very kind of you, Mike - thank you! I am indeed - kinda new to it but really enjoying Patreon so far! There's a link to mine in the description of this week. Take care!
Absolutely great description and explanation on modes. Any specific ideas / exercises that have helped you practice these concepts and integrate them into your playing with the greatest efficiency and proficiency? That would be extremely useful info that is seldom addressed that many players struggle with after simply memorizing the modes and it sounds like you experienced this. That would be a great follow up video to this one to speed up practical application of this info. BTW, just found your channel and loved your vids on Michael Landau as a studio guitars! FANTASTIC! Thanks again
Excellent stuff Richard - thank you - a great reminder of stuff Ive learned in an unstructured way and as a result very seldom applied - the key centre piece is my homework from this - as a newbie in an established originals band I have scope to rethink some lines n the timing of this video is spot on ... I think to further illustrate the flavour of the modes - some example modal lines over chords in context would be brilliant . Ps - how did the recent Northampton gig go ?
No problem! Glad you gleamed something useful from it! Ah it was really fun - thank you! It's good for soul to make a horrendous amount of noise every now and then!
Richard what is EXACTLY going on in your head at 14:30? I feel wherever your headspace is- its exactly the or at least a major missing piece- of my missing fretboard knowledge.
Think of it as a shortcut, that's all. Chords are generated by harmonising scales with themselves through the process of "harmonising in 3rds". This is where we take a note (starting with the tonic), skip a note, take a note (3rd), skip a note and take a note (5th) then repeat this process starting from each degree of the scale in turn. This will give you seven different triads before you find yourself back where you started (in this case, back at D major). If you were to analyse each of those seven chords, in order to determine what they are. You'd find you had D Em F#m G A Bm C#dim (dictated by the distances between each note in each chord) Now, if you did this same exact process but it another key, you'd find the notes were different... but that we still generated the same chord 'qualities': M m m M M m dim So, what we establish is that "when we harmonise a major scale in 3rds, we will always generate the chord qualities M m m M M m dim". Now, if you were to harmonise some other scale (let's say Melodic Minor) - you would NOT end up with those chord qualities you'd have something totally different because the intervallic structure of the scale itself is different. But the VAST majority of what we listen to with pop, rock, country, and so on... is all major scale harmony. So, what I'm saying in that point in the video is, I know (with complete confidence) that regardless of what key I'm in, I'm always going to generate those same chord qualities from the major scale. This means, if I need to quickly analyse something, or figure out what my options are for playing over it. I can work out which major scale (using the formula R T T ST T T T ST) the song is in and then simply overlay the chord qualities of M m m M M m dim. So if we were in G, I'd figure out the notes of the scale: G A B C D E F# Then I'd overlay the qualities M m m M M m dim Which would give me: G Am Bm C D Em F#dim It's basically just a rule that you can lean on to save time. Once you get used to generating diatonic chords quickly in any key, it becomes a lot easier to analyse music and to understand what your options are when playing over it. Jeez, sorry for the thesis! I hope that answered your question?
@@RichardWatson Wow what a response! Thanks! As you call out your notes of the D major scale, your "cogs" are moving and you aren't playing strictly up a string, but across them. Are you seeing your hands on the fretboard in your head seeing the positions and notes you have learned there? Counting intervals in your head while your hands are moving autonomously?
@@Wyldwulf Great question. It's probably a combination of the above. Ways to practice this: 1) Practice playing scales on single strings and verbalising the intervals while you do it (you'll be able to do this by "feel" pretty quickly) - do this in lots of different keys. 2) Learn the 5 CAGED shapes of the major scale and, again, always recite the intervals when you practice. Also, always start and end on the root note (regardless of where the shape starts - people have a habit of just playing from the lowest to the highest string and back but this doesn't help you internalise the sound of the scale). 3) Try to learn the notes all over the fretboard. I have a video on this which recommends a few ways to work on it. 4) Take stuff you can already play and analyse it both as note names AND intervals. Once you implement these things into your day to day, your fretboard knowledge will develop pretty rapidly!
Hands down, the BEST explanation I have ever heard. I’ll be watching this one over and over. THANK YOU! I have had such a monstrously difficult time trying to understand modes but this video is the first time in my musical life (15 years playing) I can say I get it now. Now I just need to memorize it… (sigh).
That's great to hear! It's a subject that frustrated me no end when I was a student; it's so simple in essence but can often be explained so poorly. I'm really pleased you found this video helpful!
Outstanding explanation.. Please do more of these videos.. More on theory 💙💙
Thank you, Kushil - I will, for sure!
@@RichardWatson 😊😊
Really great explanation. I found the "Major Pentatonic scales as a framework for modes" particularly useful.
Happy to help, man! Thank you!
Thanks Rich, pieces of the jigsaw are making sense, 👍
Great to hear, Peter!
I have posted a pint in a jiffy Bag to you, it may arrive flat BUT it's the best I can do until I bump into you. Cheers Richard, I will forward this to my mate. Tonal center was the key info for me there, just fell into place and I got the A Dorian....... now to pick up the guitar and make the magic happen.
I'm glad it helped! Thanks man!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing your perspective on this! Great tip to identify those successive Minor (ii / iii) or Majors (iv / v) in a chord progression and then find the mode based on the 1st!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
You're a brilliant teacher. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Rick! Means a lot.
Excellent lesson Rich. Some complex ideas Very well explained 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you very much, Paul!
I love every single one of your videos. Thank you for sharing so much with us.
Ah that's made my day, Jesse- thank you, man!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Amazing explanation on something I am struggling with at the moment.
Really glad that it helped, man!
Just another great episode. I learn something every time I tune in. I do wish that someone had presented the concept of modes that way for me 55 years ago. Might have done more Frampton tunes….
That's great to hear, Stan - thank you!
Fantastic! May GD bless you!
Thank you, Mikael!
Richard, you do an outstandingly great job explaining these things with clarity and structure. Aside from your way of connecting the major modes to the major pentatonic, leaving only the 4 and 7 to determine the mode (and the same with the minor modes), there wasn't really anything "new" for me personally, but I really enjoyed watching you explaining your way of thinking about it nonetheless. Thank you very much, well done!
Thank you Mike! I truly appreciate that. It's such a simple yet important concept - this video was mostly born out of my own frustration in how I was taught modes years ago! I'm certainly not bringing anything new to the table in terms of ideas but I hope it may save a few folks a little time! Thanks again for the kind words, my friend!
@@RichardWatson Oh it certainly will! :) I've been following you a while now (I'm just not that much of a social-media-commenting-on-stuff-kinda-guy) and have regularly been delighted by the high quality of your videos. Especially your session heroes series and analysis of Lukather is top-notch! Keep up the good work, it is very much appreciated! Are you on patreon?
@@MikeCzak87 That's very kind of you, Mike - thank you! I am indeed - kinda new to it but really enjoying Patreon so far! There's a link to mine in the description of this week. Take care!
Thank you so much! I finally get it. You are a great teacher. 🤘
That's made my day, Salvatore - thank you!
Brilliant!
Absolutely great description and explanation on modes. Any specific ideas / exercises that have helped you practice these concepts and integrate them into your playing with the greatest efficiency and proficiency? That would be extremely useful info that is seldom addressed that many players struggle with after simply memorizing the modes and it sounds like you experienced this. That would be a great follow up video to this one to speed up practical application of this info.
BTW, just found your channel and loved your vids on Michael Landau as a studio guitars! FANTASTIC! Thanks again
Thanks so much! Yes, for sure- there will be videos on this in the future!
Excellent stuff Richard - thank you - a great reminder of stuff Ive learned in an unstructured way and as a result very seldom applied - the key centre piece is my homework from this - as a newbie in an established originals band I have scope to rethink some lines n the timing of this video is spot on ...
I think to further illustrate the flavour of the modes - some example modal lines over chords in context would be brilliant .
Ps - how did the recent Northampton gig go ?
No problem! Glad you gleamed something useful from it! Ah it was really fun - thank you! It's good for soul to make a horrendous amount of noise every now and then!
@@RichardWatson 👍🏻 - any footage ?
@@jmp-es1gv Only some phone footage! We'll have a 'live in the studio' session coming soon though- I'll keep you posted!
@@RichardWatson cheers
All your videos are excellent and you have a cool haircut.
Richard what is EXACTLY going on in your head at 14:30? I feel wherever your headspace is- its exactly the or at least a major missing piece- of my missing fretboard knowledge.
Think of it as a shortcut, that's all.
Chords are generated by harmonising scales with themselves through the process of "harmonising in 3rds".
This is where we take a note (starting with the tonic), skip a note, take a note (3rd), skip a note and take a note (5th) then repeat this process starting from each degree of the scale in turn.
This will give you seven different triads before you find yourself back where you started (in this case, back at D major).
If you were to analyse each of those seven chords, in order to determine what they are. You'd find you had D Em F#m G A Bm C#dim (dictated by the distances between each note in each chord)
Now, if you did this same exact process but it another key, you'd find the notes were different... but that we still generated the same chord 'qualities': M m m M M m dim
So, what we establish is that "when we harmonise a major scale in 3rds, we will always generate the chord qualities M m m M M m dim".
Now, if you were to harmonise some other scale (let's say Melodic Minor) - you would NOT end up with those chord qualities you'd have something totally different because the intervallic structure of the scale itself is different. But the VAST majority of what we listen to with pop, rock, country, and so on... is all major scale harmony.
So, what I'm saying in that point in the video is, I know (with complete confidence) that regardless of what key I'm in, I'm always going to generate those same chord qualities from the major scale.
This means, if I need to quickly analyse something, or figure out what my options are for playing over it. I can work out which major scale (using the formula R T T ST T T T ST) the song is in and then simply overlay the chord qualities of M m m M M m dim.
So if we were in G, I'd figure out the notes of the scale: G A B C D E F#
Then I'd overlay the qualities M m m M M m dim
Which would give me: G Am Bm C D Em F#dim
It's basically just a rule that you can lean on to save time.
Once you get used to generating diatonic chords quickly in any key, it becomes a lot easier to analyse music and to understand what your options are when playing over it.
Jeez, sorry for the thesis! I hope that answered your question?
@@RichardWatson Wow what a response! Thanks! As you call out your notes of the D major scale, your "cogs" are moving and you aren't playing strictly up a string, but across them. Are you seeing your hands on the fretboard in your head seeing the positions and notes you have learned there? Counting intervals in your head while your hands are moving autonomously?
@@Wyldwulf Great question. It's probably a combination of the above. Ways to practice this:
1) Practice playing scales on single strings and verbalising the intervals while you do it (you'll be able to do this by "feel" pretty quickly) - do this in lots of different keys.
2) Learn the 5 CAGED shapes of the major scale and, again, always recite the intervals when you practice. Also, always start and end on the root note (regardless of where the shape starts - people have a habit of just playing from the lowest to the highest string and back but this doesn't help you internalise the sound of the scale).
3) Try to learn the notes all over the fretboard. I have a video on this which recommends a few ways to work on it.
4) Take stuff you can already play and analyse it both as note names AND intervals.
Once you implement these things into your day to day, your fretboard knowledge will develop pretty rapidly!