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How To Play Guitar, part 3/4

How to play guitar, explained in 20 minutes, part 3

At your Advanced studies we look at modes. The easiest way to learn the modes is to see them as an extension of: the chord shape – the pentatonic scale – the mode.

This is the heart of what SpyTunes is all about and go way beyond what the original CAGED system do.

By simply adding two notes to the pentatonic scale you can build a full mode.

Since you have practiced how to change pentatonic over every chord (to play like Jimi) this is really easy. Learning modes is not about learning a whole bunch of new shapes, it’s about just adding to what you know.

Minor Pentatonic modes

To build the A minor scale, also known as Aeolian you build it like this:
Em chord - Am, Em shape – Am pentatonic, Em shape – Add 2 & b6 – Aeolain.

The same concept is applied to Dorian, now add the 2 and natural 6^th.
For Phrygian, add b2 and b6.

Major Pentatonic modes

In major we have the same phenomenon, but now we add 4 and 7.

Ionian (major scale) would be:
E chord – A, E shape – A pentatonic, E shape – Add 4 & 7 - Ionian

Mixolydian, just add 4 and b7.
Lydian, just add #4 and 7.

Should you apply all these modes to your chords instead of the pentatonic scales you would move outside Blues and Soul music and enter all other musical styles!

The final video in the series will show you how to use the modes over a simple I - VI - II - V progression.