Lead Guitar Tactics

Posts Tagged ‘Half Step’

Modes probably cause more confusion than anything else when it comes to learning the guitar and music theory. But it does not have to be that way. Modes are simply scales. The two words are interchangeable. Don’t try to make it it any more complicated than that.

Modes (scales) shift the location of the half steps and the chord tones in relation to a major scale. This shift in the half steps changes the way we hear the scale. The locations of the half steps also determine if a scale is major or minor.

By playing a mode we are also highlighting different notes as the chord tones. It then gets down to the amount of tension that the non chord tones create. Again this is determined by the half steps. Notes that are a half step apart create more tension than notes that are a whole step apart.

In this video lesson I do a comparison of the three minor modes (Dorian, Phrygian and Aoelian). Take note of the difference in flavor each mode produces. Decide which flavor you like the best.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Popularity: 44% [?]

This video lesson demonstrates the use of the pentatonic/blues scale over a blues in G. I point out the advantages as well as some of the trouble spots you can encounter when using these scales.

In the video I mention that the pentatonic scale works great over the blues because it contains enough chord tones from each chord to pretty much keep you out of trouble. To make that a little easier to digest here it is in chart form. I am using a G minor pentatonic scale and a 12 bar blues in G for this example.

As you can see the pentatonic scale shares 3 notes with the G7 chord. The other 2 notes (Bb and C) are not in the chord. The Bb is actually accepted as sounding Ok for the most part. Compared to the G major scale and the G7 chord it is known as a flatted third.

We have heard it so many times in the blues that our ear treats it as a normal sound. It’s the minor third sounding against the major third that gives it the characteristic blues sound. In fact, it’s the flatted third and the flatted 5th from the blues scale that actually define the blues sound.

It’s the C that you have to be careful with. It’s the 4th note from the G major scale. If you remember the G major jam video, the 4th of the scale has a strong tendency to resolve to the 3rd. It’s the same in the blues. It doesn’t mean you can’t play the note. Any note in a scale sounds fine when you move through the scale. It’s the notes you choose to land on and hold that you have to be watch out for.

The C7 chord also shares three notes with the pentatonic scale. Of the remaining two notes (D and F), it’s the F you have to watch out for. The D is the 2nd or 9th against a C7 chord and a perfectly acceptable sound. The F is the 4th and cause the same problems discussed above.

The 4th against a chord wants to resolve to the third because the interval between the two notes is a half step. A half step or minor second creates a lot of dissonance.

The D7 chord only shares two notes with the pentatonic scale. Of the remaining notes the Bb and F can sometimes work. The Bb is a b6 or #5 against the D7 chord and the F is a #9. You have to let your ears guide you in this instance. If the harmony instrument (another guitar or keyboard) is playing a D9 chord, there will be some tension created.

The G is the 4th against the D7 chord. As usual, the 4th creates problems for the reasons already discussed. As you might have guessed by now, I am not a big fan of landing on the 4th against a chord. In the next lesson I will get more into the use of chord tones. Until then…

If you have any questions or comments be sure to leave them.

Popularity: 57% [?]