help me play guitar better?

Question

hey man what modes do you like to use.because i have been stuck on just using pentatonic scales,i mostly just play blues and classic rock stuff so thats why i use just pentatonic scales.so i was woundering how to put a mode like the mixolidian with a pentatonic,because i have messed around with some of eddie van halens solos but i never can figure out what scales he is using most of the time.so PLEASE EXPLAIN!! if you know that is

Answer 1

Trust me, it takes time and much discipline to get that good. I can play exceptionally well because of nine hours of practice everyday. That was when I first started though. As time goes on, your fingers and hands will get faster, your mind will know where to go, and your guitar chords will become understandable as well. I still cant play as good as Jimi Hendrix and Michael Angelo Batio, at least not yet. Dont give up. Sometimes, it's not the fastest guitar player thats the best, it's usually the guitarist with the best technique and style that wins the world over. Start off playing chords like G, A, B and so on. Then, move into minor chords and then scales. Once you've learned the basics, learn harder scales and more difficult chords and also, natural and pinched harmonics. Once you have mastered those basics, try plugging in Van Halens "Eruption" and jamming to that. Good luck man.

Answer 2

Step 1) learn all your modes and scales. Not just the pattern, but what the NOTES are functionally and how they fall on your fret board. Know HOW and WHY the mixolydian is different from the major scale.

Step 2) Sing sol-feg when practising your major scales. (you know, do re mi etc). It puts the FUNCTION of each scale step into your ear. It creates associations between the notes and how the interact with each other.

An "F#" has no particular context by itself, but when you sing it as "ti" it suddenly becomes a leading tone in the key of G major. With that association firmly in place, you can more deeply understand why an F natural suddenly sounds so different and 'cool'.

Step 3) After you've learned that stuff. REALLY put it into your ear .... stop thinking about it. The theory stuff is great. And it is a step you should take to discapline yourself to train your ear. But it can also become a hinderance if you are only thinking and not feeling.

Step 4) Re-learn this rule - if it sounds good, it IS good.

Step 5) (this one is a tough one for some folks) there are no "wrong" notes. If you truly have a center for what you are playing and an understanding on an instinctual level of the notes - you don't have to worry about scales so much any more. You play the notes. The notes as they sound in your head. There are no "Wrong" notes. If you play a "wrong" note .... play it again.

Answer 3

Do what I have done
Lean every chord and Patric at least 4 hrs a day and write your own songs if you can If not then learn as many songs as you can . I know most people are impressed with the lead guitar riffs but you will go a lot further if you learn all the full chords then what you would by just playing scales (playing lead is a lot easier than playing rhythm)

Answer 4

I play guitar hero a couple years before I pick up the guitar the only thing that helped me with was by coordinations with my fingers and to build some muscle in my hand and that's about it

Answer 5

As curt kobain once penned "Too much practise is like too much sugar. dorian modes are for anally retentive technical boys". Learn to feel the guitar, not follow some rule book. It's an instrument, to be played. Not read about.
Develope your own sound. Don't learn others. Be influential, not influenced.

Answer 6

Practice

Answer 7

hey man try using the aeolian mode (may be spelled wrong) it's closer in sound to the pentatonic and it used more than the mixolidian mode in music you have heard. I think that is alot due to the flat 7 verses the major 7 seven in the scale. it's called the natural minor scale and i think you have heard it more. the moxolidian is more of a jazz scale. but it depends on what chords the song has. scales have 5 patterns on the fretboard (notes repeating) learn the patterns and how to connect them e mail me if you got a question

Answer 8

If you are really serious about improving your playing I strongly recommend that you take formal lessons, preferably in "classical technique". This takes time, but over time your playing will improve considerably. Be sure to get a qualified teacher - someone with a degree in music education is probably your best bet.

Answer 9

1

Answer 10

Hi,

Good question. You're obviously very serious about your playing to have put so much thought into your soloing.

A thorough explanation of modes is a little beyond this medium and might best be handled by a good teacher or at minimum a good DVD. Frank Gamble has a good DVD out there called "Modes No More Mystery" that provides a nice turorial on modes and some good excercises.

But, I have a suggestion for you that might help kick-start your playing into a new level of sound and textures and you can bypass hours and hours (and I mean lots of hours) of learning
and practicing modes. Because, in the end, once you have mastered modes, you then have to find a way to NOT sound like you are just running up and down some complicated scalses that you just learned. Don't get me wrong, it is not time wasted, and you will impress people with your echnique. But, neither Van Halen, nor slash, nor Eric Clapton, nor Stevie Ray (or probably whoever else you are into if you listen to alot of Blues and classic rock) sat down and memorized modes, I can promise you that.

What these guys DID do (and did very well) was listen!

Many guys overlook the importance of listening, and building your ear. My suggestion to you is to focus on scale degress, and make it your business to really tune your ear to hear how
each scale degree really adds different flavors. To start off with, here are your typical 7 scale degrees:

1: The root. Safe, centered, a feeling of "Resolved" or "Completion" zero tension (in the key of "C" this would be the note "C")

2. Leading, yearning, an immediate feeling of movement.
Unresolved and indicating that sometning is coming next. (in the key of "C" this would be the note "D")

3. Harmony. Your most obvious choice when thinking what note should I harmonize with. Minimal tension, a sense of connection with the previous note and somewhat resolved sounding. You can really do wonders with the 3rd degree of the scale. The most obvious move is to flat the 3rd, for the "Blue" note. (in the key of "C" this would be the note "E")

4. The "Next Step" many many many songs start on the 1 or "Tonic" chord, and soon go to the fourth "IV" chord. 99% of all Blues tunes do this, and more pop / rock songs do this than you may think. Technically, the 4th degree of the scale is dissonant. But when treated right as far as tempo, it can still have a soothing effect. A very strong and anchord note to play against the tonic. Not so much resolved, but not as "Yearning" or "Leading" as the 2nd. (in the key of "C" this would be the note "F")

5. The "FIVE". A sense of near-completion. The "FIVE" or "V" always wants to go back to the "One" but alot of great stuff can be done with the "V" (in the key of "C" this would be the note "G")

6. Similar to the 2 or "II", but less urgent. The sixth note of the scale also has a "Yearning" sound to it. This is a very common interval heard in country music. If you play a blues solo and make your first note a really loud and strong "6th", you immiediately have a nice country kinda sound for a minute. VERY useful in creating a certian sound or flavor to your solos. (in the key of "C" this would be the note "A")

7. The "Leading Tone" the 7th degree of the scale or "VII" always wants to go to the one "I". But you have really have fun with this. You can FLAT the 7th degree (totally common and normal in Blues and Rock). You can also go from the VII to the IV (typical classic rock move). (in the key of "C" this would be the note "B")

Whew!

With all that said. Start out jamming against a simple root jam or I-IV jam. Keep whatever you are jamming against harmonically simple. Now start your pentatonic moves but instead of sticking to "The Box", find out where the 2nd, and 6th degrees are. For example, if you are jamming against an "A" jam.. maybe A-Minor to D-Major, try throwing the 2nd scale degree in sometimes (the note "B natural"), and maybe the 6th (the note "F# Natural"... like on the B string, 7th fret) You should immediately notice a departure from your typical pentatonic sound.

Another approach is to pick any 2-chord jam like Am-DMajor and say "What OTHER key do these two chords fit in??" If you take a minute, you will see that both chords also work in "G Major". So, try soloing over Aminor-Dmajor but use the G Major scale, or the "Em Pentatonic" scale, which is your Pentatonic box up on the 12th fret. Experiment with how a G-Major scale or a pure E-Minor scale sounds over Am and Dmaor.

NOW, you are getting into the territory of modes.

Again, sitting in your room 12 hours a day practicing 2 octaves modal scales is time better spent than drinking beer behind the local King Kullen with your buddies, but I promise you that you will quickly see a new level of flavors and sounds in your soloing if you just start incorporating new scale degrees into your solos. The 2nd, and 6th are good ones to start with. But definitely experiment to see what other variations of scale degrees sound like against chords. For example, did you ever think of playing a Flat-2nd note? Well.. if you add a flatted-2nd to a V ("Five") chord, is sounds very cool (actually it's called a "Flat 9").

Long answer to a short question, but at the end of the day, modes are really about playing scales that center on a scale degree other than the root. If you take the above advice and put a little time into it, you will acheive that goal, and in the meantime, tune your ears into what is happening. Just running scales all day is boring, and people won't be that impressed, but playing a cool pentatonic rock solo and KNOWING when to throw in the 2nd degree of the scale to give a feeling of "Longing" to your solo.. FOR JUST ONE SECOND... then, you will see people bobbing their heads and playing air guitar along to your solo. Guaranteed.

Feel free to contact me at my website: http://www.american-guitarist.com if you have any follow-up questions.

Good Luck!

Kevin Chisholm - American Guitarist