Jazz Guitar Scales Made Easy: Deriving 28 Modes from One Shape

[m78w]

Hey Everyone,
I've been using this technique and teaching it to my private students and in workshops for quite a while now, with some pretty amazing results, so I finally got around to putting it down on paper.

This article lays out a system of taking fingerings you already know, starting with a Lydian fingering, then altering one note at a time to produce all the modes of the major scale.

Then, you just alter one note for each of the major modes and you get the modes of the melodic minor, harmonic minor and harmonic major scales.

It's a pretty cool system, one I've had a lot of success with myself and with my students.

Check it out if you're interested, thanks!

Jazz Guitar Scales Made Easy: How to Derive 28 Modes from One Fingering | MattWarnockGuitar.com

[brwnhornet59]

Cool. I will look at it a.s.a.p. Matt!!

[m78w]

Thanks man, hope you dig it!

[brwnhornet59]

Yeah, I did dig it. It is kinda contrary to how I use the several systems that I have developed over the years, but there is a simplicity to it that begs a closer look!

[Astronomer]

It's interesting that I come across this now...I was looking for different ways to practice modes hehe. I like your method because not only do you get to hear the transition from the bright to dark modes, but you also learn the relationships between them (such as knowing which degrees to flatten and whatnot).

Another method I came across yesterday was fairly interesting as well, but it's more directed towards rock/metal guitarists. You start in any pentatonic box position (let's say...A minor, so 6th string 5th fret) and play the chosen scale. Then, you simply "add" notes to create the mode in that shape. So, if you choose a minor pentatonic shape, then you create the minor sounding modes like aeolian and locrian. (Same works for major pentatonic shapes for the major sounding modes) It's not as efficient as your method and others I've come across, but it's a good way to quickly determine which "outside" notes are okay to play for guitarists who only use pentatonic and blues stuff to solo.

[m78w]

Cool, glad you dug the lesson! The other way you mentioned, with the pentatonic scales is what Alex Skilnick uses to crossover from metal to jazz, he talks about it in one of his instructional DVDs, cool way to introduce modes to people who haven't ventured beyond pentatonic or blues scales yet.

[tonyknight]

Hi Matt, it's been a while since I've had any time to come on the forum, but I just looked at your site. You're smokin'! You have easily created one of the most informative guitar sites on the web. Hat's off to you!
Cheers,
Tony

[brwnhornet59]

Originally Posted by tonyknight

Hi Matt, it's been a while since I've had any time to come on the forum, but I just looked at your site. You're smokin'! You have easily created one of the most informative guitar sites on the web. Hat's off to you!
Cheers,
Tony

+1 on that!

[m78w]

Thanks Tony, glad to have you back on the forum! And thanks for checking out my site. I'm just trying to build a little site where people can come to learn more about jazz guitar and what makes jazz guitarists tick. Hoping to add some more guest posts from some great jazzers out there, in the meantime i'll keep plugging away and posting daily lessons for everyone to dig on.

[tonyknight]

Don't know where you find the time, Matt, but please do keep it up! As for me, I'm really glad to be back around - now if I can just get these old fingers moving again :-)

[m78w]

Neither do I! But somehow I fit it all in. Keep at it, worth getting back into for sure!

[m78w]

yeah, the key to play jazz, most of the time, is taking complex looking material and breaking it down to small, easy to digest and apply chunks of technical and theoretical knowledge.

Originally Posted by brwnhornet59

Yeah, I did dig it. It is kinda contrary to how I use the several systems that I have developed over the years, but there is a simplicity to it that begs a closer look!

[Shadow of the Sun]

Hey, Matt. This is a bit off topic, but do you mind if I ask you how you approach soloing?

Off the top of my head, there are quite a few ways different players do this- chord tones and melodic use of extensions (my personal favourite approach), chord-scale theory, melodic paraphrase, playing around the main scale of the key...

You're an amazing teacher and your lessons are really good (this article has more or less changed how I approach scales), but I'm just wondering how you approach soloing.

[m78w]

Hey Shadow,
Glad you dug the article and it made you think a bit differently about scales, that was the goal!

Man, ok, how do I lay out my approach to soloing in under 1000 words lol

Basically it's this, I'll talk about single-lines since this is a scale thread, if you want me to go into chord soloing let me know.

I approach things very simply, like so:

Chord tones
Connecting chords tone with chromatic notes
Connecting chord tones with scales/modes
Connecting scale notes with chromatic notes

That's it

Then there's the harmonic side of things, so I have those ways of outlining an individual chord change, arpeggios-modes-connecting notes outside of these ideas, and then I connect harmony the same way.

I think of the harmony of any tune as i would the arpeggio over any chord. I can choose to play that given chord, or I can play a superimposed harmony, either diatonic or chromatic, and then I use that movement to get me to the next chord change and so on.

I'm not thinking about this when I play, but I have thought through and worked out all this stuff in the practice room. Luckily my ears have kept up with my hands, so I just hear things when I play and my hands go where they need to, took me 17 years to do that though! lol

So when I'm actually playing a tune I'm thinking about direction, dynamics and contour.

Do I want to play loud?
Do I want to play soft?
Do I want to play an ascending or descending line?
Do i want to play inside or outside?
Do I want to play more or less rhythmic?

These are the things I'm hearing as I blow through a tune, then my hands react to those commands from my ears and they go where they're supposed to, though it took a long time working on stuff over and over in the practice room to get there.

I hope that makes sense? I keep things as simple as possible, one octave positions, inserting chromatics into scale fingerings and arpeggio shapes, letting my ears guide my after I worked all that stuff out with my guitar.

I hope that helps!

[whatswisdom]

Originally Posted by m78w

Neither do I! But somehow I fit it all in. Keep at it, worth getting back into for sure!

Think I'm getting in on your secret, Matt. Has to do with something you (or another teacher, I forget) posted recently. I bet you practise a lot without your instrument. I've starting trying this while I'm waiting in line at the post office, grocery store, etc. One example: choose a key, spell the ii V I, spell the modes, visualize yourself playing it on the guitar. Makes good use of your time for sure. Keep up the great work you do. Your site is the biz.

[matt.guitarteacher]

Originally Posted by m78w

I'm just trying to build a little site where people can come to learn more about jazz guitar and what makes jazz guitarists tick.

(emphasis mine)

That's funny :-)

Dude, that's the best little guitar site on the internet. You have a real gift for simplifying the confounding. Thanks for sharing all of it with us.

[m78w]

Cool man, yeah practicing away from the guitar is a great way to work things out. Running note names for scales, arpeggios, triads, licks, melodies to tunes, bass lines, chord changes everything.

I talked about it in an article a while back.

Practicing Jazz Guitar: 5 Tools for Effective Woodsheding | MattWarnockGuitar.com

check it out if you want.

[m78w]

Thanks Matt, really appreciate it, glad you're digging the site, it's only a few months old so hopefully it'll keep growing!

[brwnhornet59]

I know I spend a lot of time in there. Thanx Sifu!

I also do "practice away from the instrument". I run through the circle of 5th, spell each scale, then go back in 4ths. It helps. But it also gives me a headache!

[m78w]

Don't worry Britt, the headaches are worth it, they go away after a while, stick with it!

[Shadow of the Sun]

Matt: thanks for the summary of your soloing style; it was certainly revealing.

My general approach to soloing is: look at the chords. In pretty much all western music since Sumer Is Icumen In was written, triadic or extended harmony has been outlined the melody. This is true, regardless of genre- classical, rock, jazz, you name it, and I wanted an approach to soloing that would work more or less on top of any genre I could want to play.

From there, I decided to take the "Charlie Christian" approach and learn as many chord grips as I can, using them as a road map for when I solo- if I'm playing a 2nd inversion triad on strings 3, 4, and 5, for example, I know exactly where the root is, the fifth, the third, and I can use that to extrapolate where the extended tones are.

From there, I'm looking at how different extensions sound over different chords, how I can put non-chord tones inbetween chords tones, how to move them, how to resolve them; while it's by no means an excellent source, the wikipedia page on nonchord tone is a good example of some of the things I'm looking at- voice leading, too. And then I'm looking at how to take all of that, and organize it according to a melodic contour (got that idea from the book "Harmony Through Melody", which is a really good book for those new to music) so that the overall solo looks like it's got a purpose and a story.


For me, scales aren't for soloing so much as they are for writing- I'll figure out a melodic contour and then noodle around in the scale so it fits the contour until I find a melody I like.

[m78w]

Sounds like a good approach, there are many ways to do this, so if this works well for you I would run with it. I've found that over time my approach changes as I learn new material, reorganize the material I already know and listen to new music, getting new sounds in my ears, providing me with new creative fuel.

Having a good foundation to build upon is key, so having an approach like you do is a great way to nail changes right now, and expand your playing as you go forward and explore new material.

[richard vandyne]

matt good work! just checked out those scales and they really seem easier to digest. i think it is probably the way it has been presented. i do have one question that has bugged me for a long time. why do you refer to these scales as dorian,myxolodian etc instead od calling them like regular keys??

[m78w]

Hey Richard,
Glad you dug the scales, thanks for checking them out. I'm not sure i know what you mean about the names? Sorry, maybe I'm too tired and not getting it. I just use those labels because that's the traditional name for each mode. If you can give me a specific example of what you mean I can give you a better answer, sorry about that.

[richard vandyne]

matt sorry-i wasn,t very clear in my request. when you have a lydian scale you change c to a scale that requires 1 sharp or to me a key of g. if you change a c scale and lower i flat you get a key of f. but you call it a myxolodian scale. i was wondering why the duality. aren,t they the same thing????? for me it,s a confusing thing and only one name should cover it.

[m78w]

Hey,
yeah it can be a bit confusing. For me, here is how I think about the modes, the same way as in the article but I'll break it down a bit more, I hope it helps, don't be shy to keep asking questions if it doesn't.

Everything is compared to the major scale and then these are the notes that are different.


lydian = #4
Ionian = nothing
Mixolydian = b7
Dorian = b7, b3
Aeolian = b7, b3, b6
Phrygian = b7, b3, b6, b2
Locrian = b7, b3, b6, b2, b5

So you could apply this formula to any key. Say G

G lydian = F#, C#
G Ionian = F#
G Mixo = nothing
G Dorian = Bb
G Aeolian = Bb, Eb
G Phrygian = Bb, Eb, Ab
G Locrian = Bb, Eb, Ab, Db

I hope that clears it up, if not let me know!

[brwnhornet59]

Originally Posted by richard vandyne

matt sorry-i wasn,t very clear in my request. when you have a lydian scale you change c to a scale that requires 1 sharp or to me a key of g. if you change a c scale and lower i flat you get a key of f. but you call it a myxolodian scale. i was wondering why the duality. aren,t they the same thing????? for me it,s a confusing thing and only one name should cover it.

Hey Richard. Remember that every "key" has its own modes. When Matt is altering a note in the C scale, the parent key is no longer C. Now it becomes a different mode relating to a different parent key. Take the key of F. It has one flat. But Matt is playing a C myxolydian scale with a Bb in it. It is the 5th mode of F. When Matt sharped the F to F#, now the parent key is G. But you are playing the 4th mode of G. C lydian. Make sense? So every mode that you play using C as a root relates to a total of 7 different keys including C ionian.

Hope that helped.

[richard vandyne]

matt i am not beating a dead horse but i am still a little confused. if i am in a band and the conductor wants the next chart played and he will say (ok lets do this one in e flat.i have never heard a conductor refer to the key as dorian,mixo. or whatever. they always gave us a key to play in. therefore i am confused about why the two names.

[brwnhornet59]

Originally Posted by richard vandyne

matt i am not beating a dead horse but i am still a little confused. if i am in a band and the conductor wants the next chart played and he will say (ok lets do this one in e flat.i have never heard a conductor refer to the key as dorian,mixo. or whatever. they always gave us a key to play in. therefore i am confused about why the two names.

You are mixing up the parent key with the key of the mode.

[richard vandyne]

matt- just as an aside- n your examples you requested a g dorial chart. why dont you just ask for a chard in d and end it there rather that have to think about a g scale,dorian scale and ad an f#. just curious