Great recommendation for an instructional video

[jpfeifer]

I took Robert's advice and bought the Scott Henderson instructional DVD called "Scott Henderson Jazz-Rock Mastery".

This is definitely the best instructional DVD I've ever seen. The DVD has two sections. The first section is basically an overview of the different chord types and how to solo over them using scales, arpeggios, and triads. He covers a lot of examples of substituting various scales and arpeggio ideas over the same chord type to bring out various chord tones in your lines.

The second part of the DVD is dedicated to phrasing. He has lots of tips for soloing through changes, and shows lots of examples of the various techniques to improve your phrasing.

This guy is a great instructor as well as a master player. This DVD is like getting a master class on improvisation from GIT. Great stuff, and highly reccomended for anyone needing a kick in the pants for ideas on soloing.

Here is a link to the DVD I bought:
http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Henderson-Jazz-Rock-Mastery/dp/0739045067

-- Jim

[Robert]

Ha, I told ya, I told ya!

This video can be a little demanding for a beginner, but for those who have been playing for a while and wants to learn better phrasing and know more about which scales, arpeggios, etc to use where and how, there is no better video available, IMO.

[aeolian]

Jim, I completely missed Robert's original post about this DVD, but this is something I can certainly use if it addresses the things I'm confused about.

To give you an example of my frustration with some instruction stuff, I believe I understand modes (pretty much which note in the scale I start and end at), but sometimes I'd run across a demonstration on the internet and someone will say "Here I play a Phrygian" but it doesn't resemble what I understand is Phrygian. I sorely need some instruction that will clarify these things for me. If this instruction DVD does it it will definitely be worthwhile for me.

[jpfeifer]

Hi Aeolian,

In this video Scott Henderson moves very fast through the various scale choices. He assumes that you already know what the scales and modes are, he just shows how to apply the modes to various chord types and then demonstrates what these modes sound like over the chord.

The main idea is that he shows howyou have a wide variety of options to choose from for playing over any type of chord. His video is demonstrating what these various options are rather than explaining the modes as a separate topic on it's own.

But even still, the second half of the video is useful on it's own just for ideas on practicing phrasing.

I've always thought that the whole idea of modes is usually made to be overly complicated in most books that I've seen. Modes are really nothing more than major scale patterns where you are calling a different note of the scale the root note. For example the Dorian mode is built from the second degree of the major scale. To apply this mode, just play a major scale pattern as if your root note were a whole step lower. For example: If you are playing over a Dmin7 chord you could use a D dorian mode. D dorian is the same thing as C major scale. By the same example A dorian mode would be the same thing as a G major scale.

The other modes work in a similar way. For example the Mixolydian mode is built off of the 5th scale tone. So if you want to play mixolydian mode, just play a major scale down a 5th from your desired root note. For example D mixolydian would be the same thing as a G major scale.

I hope this helps, -- Jim

[aeolian]

Thanks Jim. Actually what you described is what I understand about modes (it was actually explained to me a few years ago when I was taking lessons from a teacher who has a music degree), and I described it as "pretty much which note in the scale I start and end at."

To push this discussion a little further, in your example you mention D Dorian which is the same as C major scale, which I understand to be true. But I thought in order for something I play to be recognizable as D Dorian I play the C scale, but I have to resolve (or return) to the D (the ii note in the C scale) in the phrase I'm playing. If I resolve back to the C, then I'd just be playing the C Ionian. I think this is what causes part of my confusion.

I appreciate your help in my trying to understand this.

[jpfeifer]

Hi Aeolian,

The good news is that you understand modes correctly.

The part that is cofusing you is the same thing that used to trip me up about the explanation of modes in most music theory books.

They always have this notion of explaining modes by saying things like "playing D to D in the key of C major is the Dorian mode" Although this is true, they are implying that you always have to start and end with a given note, which is not true at all.

Modes are are really just another name for scales. The mode is simply describing the pattern of notes and it doesn't matter which note you start and end with. For example, you could take the pattern of notes that make up the C major scale can call it the D dorian mode and you would still be correct. It would be more correct to call it D dorian mode only if you were playing this pattern of notes over a Dminor chord, but the pattern of notes doesn't change, only your frame of reference for what to call this pattern of notes. The modes are only describing the same pattern of notes that make up a major scales only the frame of reference is changed. But most books describe this part by saying that you play note X to X in a given major scale and this is kind of confusing. Why don't they just say "modes are the same friggn' thing as major scales, but the frame of reference is changed".

-- Jim

[aeolian]

:thwap: Jim, I'm glad you are around (and Robert and the rest of the gang)! You just explained away my confusion that I've been stumbling over for the last few years.

Let me see whether I can explain modes now: I am still playing the same notes from the major scale, but based on what chord I'm playing over, that give the notes the mode flavor. The chords really dictates the mode I'm hearing rather than the notes I'm playing (although the chord dictates to a large extent what notes fit and what notes don't.)

Am I close to being right now?

[Robert]

Yah, I think you got it. Pay attention to the "shape" of the mode too. I mean the fingering for the D dorian mode looks different than the C major scale. Now, you can can just think of it as "I'm playing C major over Dm7", but you need to know which are the chord tones, so you can emphasize them if you need.

As an example, if you like to play the 3rd of C major (the note E) when the chord is C major, it sounds good. But then the chord changes and you are playing over Dm7. Now your 3rd is going to be a minor 3rd, namely the note F. If you pick the note E as before, you are playing the 2nd interval of Dorian mode, not the 3rd, and it will not sound as convincing.

I hope this is not confusing. I am trying to show that each mode have their intervals, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, etc) slightly different.

In the end, you CAN just say "I am just playing C major over these chords". That will work too, as long as all these different chords are in the same key. In the key of C that would be:
C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim - play C major scale over any of those and it will sound fine.

[jpfeifer]

Yes, I think you have it.

Here's another example of how to apply modes:

Let's say you are playing a solo and you decide to use a G major scale because you're soloing over a G major chord, this is just the standard use of the G major scale - just as normal.

But, let's say that the chord suddenly changes to a G Minor7. You could now change to G Dorian mode for your choice of notes to use in your solo, to get a minor kind of sound. You could get these notes by simply playing the F major scale notes (same pattern of notes as G Dorian).

Let's say the chord changes again to a G7. Then you decide to use the G Mixolydian mode because this pattern of notes sounds good over dominant 7 chords. You could do this by using the C Major scale notes (same pattern of notes as G Mixolydian).

The idea is that each of these modes is just a major scale that has been shifted from it's normal place. We're just renaming the root note to a different scale tone than the normal root note of the major scale.

Modes are cool because they allow you to bring out certain note choices in your solos to highlight the type of chord you might be playing over. For example the Dorian sounds great over minor chords. Mixolydian sounds great with dominant 7 chords, etc.

Some of the modes can give you some exotic sounds too if you want that. For example, if you want to evoke a flemenco sort of vibe try using the Phrygian mode over a minor chord.

The Lydian mode brings out a more modern sound when you use it over Major 7 chords (I also hear it used a lot in movie scores, etc) because it uses a #4 which sounds kind of unresolved or dream-like.

-- Jim

[aeolian]

Robert, thank you for chiming in. I understand what you are talking about perfectly. Fortunately I already know how to figure out chords for any key based on the root note and the triads, also the 7th, 9th chords etc.

The theory is clear, now I just need to be able to play it like I understand it.

[just strum]

Wasn't there a sample of Scott Henderson's video posted on this forum? I thought there was, but I can't find it. Anyone have the link to the video?

[aeolian]

Let's say you are playing a solo and you decide to use a G major scale because you're soloing over a G major chord, this is just the standard use of the G major scale - just as normal.

But, let's say that the chord suddenly changes to a G Minor7. You could now change to G Dorian mode for your choice of notes to use in your solo, to get a minor kind of sound. You could get these notes by simply playing the F major scale notes (same pattern of notes as G Dorian).

-- Jim

Jim, that is extremely helpful!

Now I see that for G Minor7 I can play G Dorian (key of F), or G Phrygian (key of Eb), or G Aeolian (key of Bb) since the G Minor7 is the ii, iii, and vi in these keys. That's an eye-opener.

On the other hand, the dominant 7 is unique in any key, so the option of what mode to play is pretty much restricted to the Mixolydian.

Interesting!

[Robert]

Uhh, no, you can actually play a lot of different scales over the dominant 7 chord! You can play almost anything over this chord actually, as long as you do it right. You can try:
G blues scale
G minor pentatonic
G whole-tone scale
D melodic minor
D harmonic minor
D diminished

and more. This is the kind of stuff Scott Henderson explains on the DVD, right Jim?

[jpfeifer]

Yes, exactly!
The point of this video is that Scott Henderson is showing all of the available options to use for soloing over a particular type of chord. He covers Major, Minor, Dominant7, Altered Dominant, and half-diminished (Minor7b5 chords).

He starts out each one by showing the most common scales to use, then he adds more and more options showing how to apply pentatonic scales, triads, and various modes as substitutions for the commonly used scales. He goes from very basic to very outside-sounding applications of these scales. He demonstrates the use of each one so that you can hear what it sounds like when played against the chord. (and he plays his butt off!)

This is the part that I like best about the video. You can take as much or as little as you want from his examples, it all depends on how far you want to take it. But it really does open up your mind to all the possibilities of what you can use in your solos.

I've always wanted to get better at playing some outside-sounding ideas over dominant chords so this is the part that I will take from this video and work on. But there is so much in this video that you could work out ideas for a long time and never run out of things to try.

-- Jim

[aeolian]

Uhh, no, you can actually play a lot of different scales over the dominant 7 chord! You can play almost anything over this chord actually, as long as you do it right. You can try:
G blues scale
G minor pentatonic
G whole-tone scale
D melodic minor
D harmonic minor
D diminished

and more. This is the kind of stuff Scott Henderson explains on the DVD, right Jim?

Actually I know that I can play something outside the chord, like playing a B over a C chord would give it a major7 sound. What I don't know is the list of modes/scales that will work for any particular chord like you listed above.

I think I'll ask my wife to add this DVD on my holiday list.

[Robert]

This DVD can keep you busy for years. The material Scott demonstrates is something that takes a long time to really get down. A life long journey!

I can tell you I learned the most from Scott's video than any other guitar teaching material. People often ask me about some cool licks I play in some of my videos. Well, a lot my ideas do actually stem from what I learned from this Scott Henderson video.

[sunvalleylaw]

Actually I know that I can play something outside the chord, like playing a B over a C chord would give it a major7 sound. What I don't know is the list of modes/scales that will work for any particular chord like you listed above.

I think I'll ask my wife to add this DVD on my holiday list.

I already printed out the Amazon page on it for that purpose. It is beyond me for sure, but looks like a good one to put in the library to chew on over the years.