I always get a kick out of the fancy music theory names for stuff…
Modes are a perfect example… Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian – and they all refer to the same 7 notes!
And whenever someone asks me about why I don’t teach modes in Blues Guitar Unleashed, it’s the same deal…
You see, if you mix the major and minor blues sounds together the way I teach in Blues Guitar Unleashed, or even more in The Slow Blues Supplement, you also get the Mixolydian mode and/or the Dorian mode depending on how you want to look at them.
Now I don’t mean this to be a theory talk, so don’t worry if this makes no sense… all you have to know is that we’re all talking about the same set of 8/9 notes at the end of the day.
And when you think about the fact that there’s only 12 notes on the planet – if you know how to use 9 of them does it really matter what you call them?
To some degree, it actually does, and here’s why…
I grew up playing 80’s heavy metal… I played really fast (still do, given the opportunity) and to play that music I use a lot of modes and long, flowing scale passages.
And if I play that way, you know right away I’m in “shredder” mode and it ain’t blues.
On the other hand, if I use those same notes, but I break them up in my mind into major blues and minor blues notes… it comes out sounding like blues and not like flashy hard rock licks.
Your point of view is everything when you play guitar… and the sooner you grasp that and accept it and realize that it’s a tool and not a curse, the better off you’ll be.
68 replies to "A Rose By Any Other Name…"
Griff–always great info! I’ve become obsessed with Peter Green any tips to squeeze out more emotion?
I’m sure I’m not the only one that can’t read a note of music, and I have played in a rock band, church band, and as a solo artist. I have no desire to learn to read music as it only confuses me.
I find that I can play almost any style, and can join in right off the bat not knowing what key someone is playing in. I guess it is just a gift. But I do find Griff’s lessons help me learn different runs, and add them to my way of playing.
When I played in a church band, the leader was always talking about a retard, and I just figured he was talking about me. HA
Keep up your great way of teaching Griff, I enjoy all of it.
Hey Griff,
All I have to say is this is good medicine for us all blues guitar players or learners etc. We all learn in a different style and at the end of the day we are playing Blues Music or what ever style makes us sound happy playing the Guitar and in the majority of cases Griff Hamlin of BGU has a tremendous input into the lessons we follow, to one day be able to play like he does in Blues Guitar and be proud of the route we chose to get to our Blues guitar destination with Griff Hamlin of Blues Guitar Unleashed.
This is the best route ever…BGU .
Michael-Sydney-Australia Aug 2016
Thanks for all your good lessons and common sense messages. (I from the country) I do have one of your courses and enjoy it. My comment today is that since I play country I especially like your occasional country licks. Would enjoy a few more of those. You are indeed professional and have my upmost respect for all your knowledge. I am age 70 but still love to play guitar and still enjoy music today as much as I ever. Have a great year.
thanks for everything griff.
you are a very good teacher of guitar.
i personally only do the major, minor and blues scales. i really don’t bother with the rest
because you are always gonna cross paths with them anyway.
Love it!!!
Modes Smodes, just getting the fingers up to speed after a 25 year rest. Boxes cool, major minor cool, solo to the melody, intent, of the tune. Remember it’s Blues, play what you would sing if you were a guitar.
OK Griff…Got a Question for Ya! Have You heard of ROCKSMITH and if so what are Your thoughts about it? Is it worth buying/ I’ve heard its the Greatest Way to learn ever!
here’s the trailer WAY OVERDONE in my estyimation
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-Lkry-SF01&hsimp=yhs-SF01&hspart=Lkry&p=rocksmith#id=2&vid=b1df95405c5c2721f36fadbaf12ffa12&action=click
Steve It it before finding Griff, I grew up playing video games but could not make progress with in guitar with RockSmith
meant I tried it before finding Griff
thanks ! I almost threw up my hands and quit playing altogether a few years ago because every book I could find went into so much technical jargon about whichalodian scales and the like that I was beginning to think I could never learn to play well enough to even just enjoy it for myself without being smart enough to be an engineer … and I’m way to dumb to be an engineer … little old computer programmer me just wants to enjoy playing the guitar for being able to string together some fun sounds … so I appreciate your nontechnical approach to blues
That was very interesting…
Stick with Ionion, Dorian, Mixolydian & Aeolian. You’ll be doing fine. Forget rest of the Modes, you’ll never use ’em.
Very good point Griff. Often times I find my self playing and not really relating to the style of music but just laying out notes and chords. The quicker I get your message and relate to the style and incorporate it in my playing, the better it will sound. Thanks for the advice. It will truly help this 50+ year seasoned (unseasoned) player.
Thank you Griff. Wish I lived closer to LA so I could take private lessons.
Cheers Griff
For the advice
but as BB King said if you don’t use the Blues scale it’s not the Blues
I play other styles of music as well so I work on my. Modes
And for the guys who have not seen Griff playing rock checkout
YARDSALE he can cut it no problem ?
Now working on chord tones
l agree with you Griff . As you have said once you know ,and understand the major scale ,and internalize it , you will find on particular songs you actually are using a mode, or emphasizing a raised note here , or there , you are modal . l guess the words of scale degrees sounds scary , but thats all they are .
When you master something, you can turn it upside down. That is exactly what you do with your course in blues guitar unleashed. You keep things simple. For this I applaud you and I thank you
JD
Thanks Teach !!! 12 notes in the whole world- and oceans of ways to put them together. Amen to that!
Thank you!
Thanks for the lesson today the information is valuable
…..I love the Blues but also appreciate some metal and some shredding …..I wouldn’t mind mind seeing you show off some fast licks and maybe a brief lesson on how to play fast myself! Variety is the spice of life as they say…. Thanks Griff!
Griff writes “I always get a kick out of the fancy music theory names for stuff… ”
Hee hee, and I’m just the opposite, I always get a kick out of names like “boxes”, “little chords”, “twiddlies”…
I guess it is a function of who your target audience is. In course of college level students you’d probably be better off with the academic terminology. In a more generalized course you’d probably be better off with the English descriptive terms since the course has a much broader base of educational backgrounds.
In the end its the music that matters, not the terminology, but everyone does need to be on the same page to share ideas.
That’s odd how autocorrect changed “tweedlies” to “twiddlies”. I didn’t even know that “twiddlies” was a word.
I assume that twiddle is the motion where you lock your left and right hands together and rotate your thumbs around each other, as in twiddling your thumbs. Or not! 🙂
You are right. when necessary, Griff invents his own “theoretical” terms but just doesn’t refer to then as such. Sometimes he also modifies standard usage to simplify things such as his term “Circle of Fourths” … because of the way the guitar is set up (i.e., basically tuned in fourths) it is easier to think of Progressing in ascending Fourths but the truth is that the progression is by descending fifths. Banjo players and other string players (tuned in 5ths) probably see this as making things more difficult… But for us traditional Theorists the circle of Fourths represents the reverse of the circle of Fifths… in other words, it means going Backwards: the circle of fifths is musical progress (moving toward the ultimate goal), while the circle of fourths is musical retrogression (Moving away from the goal). Both processes are necessary to make an interesting composition. But the whole point is to progress back to Home (the key note). If you start from home you first have to go somewhere else and then work your way back home. That is basically how most “Tonal” music works.
Griff is right in his disregard for the modes. Classical Musicians Never practise the Modes They practise the Major and Minor Scales: If you can do these, you can do it all.
Griff,
What I like about the way you teach is you provide something that can be used. When it comes to theory one needs to keep in mind that first was music then theory came along to explain it. I personally am kind of fond of understanding the theory. It helps me grasp why something works. But theory won’t tell me how to play the note. It just tells me why that note works. Playing is the goal so your “cut to the chase” approach on theory helps me get to the playing part. Mixing Major and Minor modes is really a very good way to express it.
Thanks
Circle of 5ths, and 4ths, refers to sharp and flat key signatures. Circle of fifths, C, no sharps, G 1 sharp, D 2 sharps and so on . Circle of fourths C no flats, F, 1 flat, Bb, 2 flats, and so on.
Hello Griff
Very positive training you have in your courses i have 3 of them
Page 47 of blues guitar unleashed the F9 chord the little box shows a different fingering than the tab like you drop the A string completely it has a different sound , but rightfully speaking its stiff a F9 correct ?
Kind regards steve
Gladstone qld australia
Hey will that OCD pedal make my fender Pro 185 sound like a marshall ?
I just brought a nice gibson ES 339 I love it need some work adjustment on the A string set up but .
Ok cya
Hey Stephen
Here’s the thing: Marshalls sound like Marshalls (and I assume here you’re asking about expensive, all-tube Marshalls, and not MG Series or something). Can a pedal get your SS Fender close? Depends on your ear bro. Best thing with pedals is to go bug a Guitar Center or whatever near you and hook a bunch up to the closest thing they have to what you have. And even then, it may not sound exactly the same when you get it home, because acoustics in the store are different than the ones at home or at a gig. And one last piece of advice – when you find a sound you like and can afford, don’t listen to any so-called experts telling you that you bought the wrong gear, or that you need to dump 10 grand to get “that sound.” Because “that sound” for you is what makes you smile when you hear it, period.
Hey TB Shaw,
Like your comment, but I have a Marshall MG101CFX 100 watt and it beafs out what to expect on the home front with effects pedals.. as yet to try it when the day comes when I play in a band( If I play in a Band) but it produces a great sound for an Intermediate Guitar player started in Jan 2013. I am an ex Semi Pro Drummer and have played in many bands during the 60’s and had the Ear sound of many Amps. I would say Fender, Vox, & Marshall would be on the top 3 that the guitarists used back then. All Tube is just too expensive unless you are raking in the top dollars in a band. All Good.
Michael-Sydney-Australia-Aug 2016
Well I just got a Epiphone ES 339 and I Love it. I have had Gibsons lots of them to expensive and to much fluf always worried obout it getting scratched or worse. Save your buks and get the Epi ES 339 you wont know the diff
Robert
I dont comment much, suffice to say at 72 and still learning guitar and loving it
I look forward to your posts, dont stop now! My pinky is bleeding for the first time.
Thanks Griff
Admire you for your honesty and factual way of putting things, thinking about it it always makes sense, keep it up – please
Regards
John E
Nice thoughts Griff…was a wonderin if you could ever do a lesson on something like Junior Wells….messin with the kid…? I enjoy your blogs and videos by the way…very helpful…thanks!
Rich Hughes
Hi griff any chance you can do a lesson on before you accuse me by Clapton or maybe at it to the solo from the masters, cheers for all the lessons and courses you provide, I’am really coming on since I started with you, cheers, Thomas
Yeah, I have used it to paractice slide and tried to learn the intro/ solo. Its good for practicing the fills and variations from 52 Rhythm Fills and Variations. The chord changes are easy to anticipate and hear.
Hey Griff, although I can’t afford all the lessons you provide as I’m turnin 78 yrs on the 25 of July, I enjoy all your Emails and look forward to them everyday!! Being old and retired doesn’t provide some of us with all our wants but want to say thank you for all you do !! Bob Sheets
Griff, U say it like it is & that’s just what it is,I love the way U think & teach it is the EASY BUTTON of this life, there R only just 12 notes call them what U want, play them how u will , the SWEET ones played how ever u do it will do & can ,make u cry smile that emotion thing ? excuse my words but U R (F-ING) GREAT @ WHAT U DO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, peace love & all the positive things this world does bring 2 US ALL
I CAN’T VISION YOU PLAYING HEAVY METAL. THEN YOUR A FANTASTIC GUITAR PLAYER AND TEACHER. IT’S FUNNY. BACK IN THE 80’S I WAS PLAYING NIGHT CLUBS ON THE WEEK ENDS AND NEVER KNEW ABOUT ALL THOSE SCALES. JUST THE, DOE RAY ME FOS O LA TEE DOE. MIX THEM UP AND USE THE WHOLE NECK OF THE GUITAR. I COULD SHREAD , BUT THOSE DAYS ARE GONE . I CAN BARELLY PLAY FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES AND MY FINGERS LOCK UP. I LEARNED ALL 5 BOX’S AND FIND THEM TO BE PRETTY USESLESS .FROM JUST USEING BOX 1 AND 2 AND MIX THEM SOUNDS BETTER . SO MANY SCALES THAT JUST END UP ALL OVER THE FRET BOARD. I AGRRE WITH THE BLUES STYLE OF PLAYING. BUT YOU CAN USE THE DORIAN SCALE TO MAKE IT BLUESY.
Wow!! I’m impressed with all of you guys who actually play guitar! Me? All I want to know right now is how to play a ^&*ing ‘F’ Cord as something other than a dull thud and how you know how to change chords when the time comes.
But, hey I can play the hell out’a open ‘E’ notes.
I’m with you Griff played alot of fast metal in the 80s and 90s but now at 53 I find myself more drawn to the blues still like to run through some modes I guess I like the feeling in the music they give but alwsys return to the blues
MARK, IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE BLUES, WE WOULD NEVER OF HAD ROCK AND ROLL.TK, BRO.
I learned that Rock was a mixture of blues, country, gospel, and a few other genres. correct me if I err.
I’m with you Griff played alot of fast metal in the 80s and 90s but now at 53 I find myself more drawn to the blues still like to run through some modes I guess I like the feeling in the music they give but alwa
THANK YOU GRIFF…need and save all your words. …
I love the way you break it down, Griff. It just totally puts your mind at ease by getting down to the common denominator. Thanks for that analysis. Very much appreciated.
All the best,
DaveyJoe
When I see great guitarists solo, even guitarists at a blues jam, I become aware that they are pulling in additional notes then what exist in the pentaonic major, or minor (rock, blues). The reason why I continue to explore modes is to understand how to bring in additional notes to soloing, while continuing to make it sound good (ie – in key).
I never wanted to be labeled as a particular kind of guitar player because I like doing songs from every gender of music. I love heavy metal, blues, rock and roll, fusion, jazz and even country, and in each I have a bucket list of songs that I want to learn. I am a big fan of Joe Satriani who uses all the different scales and modes to do fusion instrumental guitar. The thing I have learned here is that when I am trying to figure out how a guitar player got a particular lead solo, I have a better idea where he actually got it from and that there is a particular pattern or scale he derived this sound out of. There are so many great guitar sounds out there and worth learning and yet still being creative enough to do your own stuff. If I could have the same eight hours I spend at work, being spent on playing and learning guitar I would be one happy camper….
I really think it’s all about CONFIDENCE. To do anything well you have to be confident in what your doing. The more you learn, the more confidence you get.
Even though I was playing in bands (and charging people!), I never even knew a basic scale! Just the necessary chords. I knew I was just “faking” it and it sounded like it! I considered myself the worst professional guitar player on the planet! The knowledge may not transfer to the fingers when you learn theory, but the confidence will!
I agree with the folks getting bogged down in CAGE , modes and scales. Not much fun and not much getting in. I really appreciate your teachin Griff . Fun building gets in! Best wishes to you and urs.
Remember modes and scales are not music.They are just tools we use to make music.
Modes are helpful in they help you see how the guitar is laid out in different keys…..if something helps you see the territory better,go for it…..remember,music is the landscape,everything else is a map.
Thanks Griff for your posts on CAGED and modes. After I had been into your BGU course for awhile I came across the CAGED system. One brief look and I realized that it was nothing more than the box system in your course. Also having played the Appalachian Dulcimer, a 4 string modal instrument, for awhile I saw that the modes I learned on the Dulcimer had similarities to box system. Of course the Dulcimer can only be tuned to one mode at a time.
For what it’s worth, no matter what I come across out on the net I always get back to the BGU course as a reference. Does that make sense?
One last point. I felt my time was better spent learning every note on the fret board ( still working on that), and the intervals and using inversions, than a formalized approach Sure I memorized scales. But I also learned I can turn just about any pentatonic scale into a blues scale by adding a blue note Experiment. Try things. You’ll know when something doesn’t work. Your ear will tell you. If it sounds rotten, it is. So don’t do it.
It all depends on HOW MUCH you want. When I started learning music (at 55) I wanted to play rock and blues IMMEDIATELY. Griff did it for me. I loved it, learned fast, and now play in a band of us old folks (now 70). Some other personal teachers and music friends said BGU was backwards and I needed to learn in the major key first. Maybe if I was 15 and had a whole lifetime ahead of me and wanted the whole ball of wax that might have been true. When I was a High School teacher I’d try to “trick” kids into learning by doing things that were just fun. Not easy but when you find a method, use it. Griff found a method. He has been “tricking” me for close to a decade.
Know where you are coming from but still find the caged system useful in that I can play the same chords all over the neck without thinking too hard about it. I find it a useful way of moving chords around. I also agree with you that most tutorials over-emphasise things and as for the modes……. less said the better
Mike
when there is so much to learn by just using the a minor penatonic scale and it is widely used . you can actually play so much using it alone . i had been self taught till i saw the killer blues solo using only 4 and 5 notes . i can solo now like never before and i am still learning . seems that not too many new videos are made, but, Griff you have taught me so much thanks alot .
Yup you be a shredder given the right time saw You do it once . listened to guy shredding away at the music store once . MAN IT WAS SOMETHING ,He said it was pantera . I
Thanks Griff. For the earliest part of my learning period o got bogged down in theory because of things like the CAGED system and what everything is called. Then I began learning about myself-what I like. I realized its Blues. I realized that I’m racking my brain for nothing. People said it’s much easier if you learn the system. Not for me. For me I just needed to know that everything kind of starts with the major scale and turning into minor. I also learned that my strength and what I enjoy is improvising and that I’ll never be a shredder. I appreciate the skill and work it takes to develop those kinds of chops but that music leaves me cold. The blues doesn’t. I need those fibe notes and a few more and then it’s up to me to put them together. I remember taking a class in soloing. The guy next to me knew quite a few cool licks from iconic songs. But when he had to improvise, he’d get stuck. I didn’t. I just kept going. Guy asks me how I did that Hobdid I know where to putt fingers next. Told him I had no idea. I have a better idea now ten years later. But if I got bogged down in modes, the CAGED system etc. I’d have hated playing before long. So you’re doing it right Griff. Just show us how you did that Stormy a Slide etc and what comes next and we ate good to go. Thanks
How True simple caged system does it for me adding 7th 3rds 5th all work the same way as an old rock guitarist some of the lick in cure notes which sound out of the box but when you record and play them back they do actually work. Very interesting blog though Griff
Best Regards .
Thanks Griff
If you know the Modes, it will keep you from playing a wrong note in a scale! It’s easier to memorize 7 mode shapes then 84 scales. When you use 7th Cords like in the Blues, you have a different scale for each Progression. Without modes how can you keep it all straight. Again the modes keep you from playing a wrong note in the scales. You don’t have to even know the scale, if you know the patterns. It’s a secret that a lot of Guitar players won’t tell you!
Jeffrey Goblirsch
Good teachers break things down and can put them in a manner that for most can begin to understand. No matter what your trying to learn be some kind of work or sport or this right here in music. I think you do a great Job in bringing up things that are what is needed and (blank) the rest of the BS.
Thanks Griff…I have always appreciated your KISS approach…it still is about how to play those same notes and you do it right…later.
cowboy
Finally! Now it’s all starting to make some real sense! And to think it’s all this simple when the smoke and mirrors are removed…..Thanks, Griff
Referring back to July 8, you spoke of playing differently than you teach, or the “dark side”. Lets see some of it.
I believe the harm might do me good.
Thanks,
Pat