Modes Made Easy
Live Guitar Course: Live Course: Learn Modes on Guitar
If you joined us for our Fretboard Roadmap live course, or you have experimented or improvised with scale patterns up and down the neck, this course is will seamlessly help make you comfortable with modes. During Fretboard Roadmap, we experimented with scale patterns over different tonal centers and backing tracks, but we intentionally left out modal theory. Sometimes it is just better to play and let the rest work itself out.Now we’re going to take the playing and sounds used in Fretboard Roadmap and learn what makes them unique, and integrate the concept of modes. Through this course, you’ll not only gain a solid understanding of modes in terms of scales, but also obtain the tools needed to hear and apply the right mode in the right musical situation. Though it's not necessary to have gone through the entire Fretboard Roadmap course, you’ll want to have a good working knowledge of 3-note-per-string scales and some solid experience jamming over backing tracks. If you’ve ever looked into modes and just thrown your hands up because it all looked too complicated, this is the course for you.We will show you how incredibly simple and straight-forward modal playing actually is!
Modes Made Easy
Course Complete
Course available for instant access with guided practice, tabs, and JamTracks where needed.
- Easy to Understand Modal Theory
- Practical Application of Modes
- Using Chords and Modes
- Playing Real Music
- Plaiying Lead
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About our Live Courses
We have upgraded, revamped, and organized in-studio, live weekly workshops broadcasted in 1080p. These focused, task-based workshops include full tablature, interactivity with the instruction, and even homework each week.
Guided Practice
Download guided practice videos to accompany your practice routine. Keep them for life regardless of your membership status. Just a simple, effective and purpose-driven way to learn the material.
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In 2016 and 2017, we completely re-engineered our recording studio with top of the line gear, including a full suite of 4k cameras complimented by a new audio outfit. The result is beautiful live streams!
Tabs & Tracks
Each live course is equipped with full tablature and even backing tracks. Our live lessons are focused, planned, and even provide homework on how to improve and look forward to the next week.
Interact Live
Our staff fields questions from the audience throughout each section, and opens for questions throughout each course. You also have the ability to call in live with your own video stream!
Our live platform has been a major focus over the past 18 months, and we are very excited to fully unleash it's capability! Attend any of these courses with a full JamPlay subscription and get the benefit of full interaction with our instructors in a focused, planned course. We even have the ability to field your questions with live video call in!
Full Course Schedule
And of course, we keep everything, so if you miss a week you can always watch our archive of live courses. Tabs, backing tracks, and a full course PDF are provided for students, along with homework for each week! Interact with other students along with David and get the instruction you need to advance your playing.
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
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Week 1 10/25/2017 at 6pm |
The Major SoundsThis week we’ll look at the patterns from Fretboard Roadmap and review and reintroduce them. We’ll spend some dedicated time identifying what makes each one different from the next and label those differences as “key tones.” We’ll get our voices involved a bit as well as we commit to memory the different sounds over the same tonal center. |
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Week 2 11/01/2017 at 6pm |
The Minor SoundsIt’s time to take a look at the minor sounding scale patterns. After we’ve spent some time with the differences between each scale over the same tonal center and identified key tones, we’ll review a bit of last week and put some names to the different sounds we’re hearing. |
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Week 3 11/08/2017 at 6pm |
Chords and ModesKnowing modal scale patterns and identifying key tones is only a small part of a much larger concept. In this session, we’ll gain a better understanding of major scale harmony as it pertains to playing modally. This is fun, because as you redefine your mode over one tonal center, you get to see how the harmonies for each scale are laid out. It is a window into a whole new level of creativity. |
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Week 4 11/29/2017 at 6pm |
Basically Major Chord ProgressionsWe’ll create and work with many chord progressions that have a major tonal center. We’ll look more closely at chord harmony for each of these modes and discuss common ways the harmonies can be altered in everyday situations. There are lots of implications here which will be further explored in the weeks to come! |
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Week 5 12/06/2017 at 6pm |
Basically Minor Chord ProgressionsThis week will feel a lot like last week only with a sad feel. We get to create and work with minor sounding chord progressions, discuss chord and modal harmony and deal with a few everyday modifications to each set of harmonies. Again, we’re laying groundwork here for more exploration. |
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Week 6 12/13/2017 at 6pm |
Two Ways to ThinkWhen beginning to improvise using modes, there are two ways to look at the theory behind what you’re playing. If you’re playing in A Dorian (2nd mode of the major scale) you’re also playing in the “parent key” of G Major. Using these two ways of thinking can help you map out the neck quickly and effectively. |
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Week 7 12/20/2017 at 6pm |
Real Music and ModesAs we’ve gotten a taste of in the past few sessions, nothing is really black and white or set in stone. Modes and tonal centers can stealthily shift and change. Because, as listeners, we’re used to hearing these shifts as normal, it can come as a huge shock when you begin to improvise. We’ll begin practicing how to handle modal shifts in this session. |
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Week 8 01/03/2018 at 6pm |
From Mode to ModeWe get to work with a track that seamlessly changes from mode to mode and apply what we’ve been learning about musically and artistically changing modes. We’ll primarily look at the first transition in the track and discuss ways to approach it using what we’ve learned in the previous sessions. |
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Week 9 01/10/2018 at 6pm |
Quick on Your Feet (and Fingers)Dive deeper into our example of musically shifting modes. We get to combine the first transition with the second transition in this session and discuss how modifying just a few notes can make all the difference. You’ll also get a sense for the power you have in steering the listener’s ear in a particular direction. |
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Week 10 01/17/2018 at 6pm |
Solid FoundationChanging keys, changing tonal centers, and experimenting with blues and the pentatonic scale are on the menu for this session. We’ll finish up working with the track we’ve been playing over for the past few sessions and look at how the blues can glue modal transitions together. |
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