Six Strings
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Course

Advanced · step 2 · Putting it into practice · Not started

Three vamps, three modes

Three loops, three colors. You’ll move from one to the next, each time keeping the note that makes the mode. Goal: improvise for a minute per mode, bringing out the characteristic note, then play all three back to back.

Time
15 minutes a day for a few days
Before you start
Modal harmony
You’ll be able to
Improvise over three modes back to back

Vamp 1: A Dorian

Am7, D7. Note to bring out: F#.

EF♯GABCDEF♯GABABCDEF♯GABCDEDEF♯GABCDEF♯GAGABCDEF♯GABCDBCDEF♯GABCDEF♯EF♯GABCDEF♯GAB
EF♯GABCDEABCDEF♯GADEF♯GABCDGABCDEF♯GBCDEF♯GABEF♯GABCDE

High E at the top, just like in tab.Neck seen from the front, headstock at the top: low E on the left, just like a chord diagram.

Play the scale notes over it. Open in the Studio

Vamp 2: A Mixolydian

A, G. Note to bring out: G, and the C# over the A chord.

EF♯GABC♯DEF♯GABABC♯DEF♯GABC♯DEDEF♯GABC♯DEF♯GAGABC♯DEF♯GABC♯DBC♯DEF♯GABC♯DEF♯EF♯GABC♯DEF♯GAB
EF♯GABC♯DEABC♯DEF♯GADEF♯GABC♯DGABC♯DEF♯GBC♯DEF♯GABEF♯GABC♯DE

High E at the top, just like in tab.Neck seen from the front, headstock at the top: low E on the left, just like a chord diagram.

Play the scale notes over it. Open in the Studio

Vamp 3: E Phrygian

Em, F. Note to bring out: F, falling back to E.

EFGABCDEFGABABCDEFGABCDEDEFGABCDEFGAGABCDEFGABCDBCDEFGABCDEFEFGABCDEFGAB
EFGABCDEABCDEFGADEFGABCDGABCDEFGBCDEFGABEFGABCDE

High E at the top, just like in tab.Neck seen from the front, headstock at the top: low E on the left, just like a chord diagram.

Play the scale notes over it. Open in the Studio

Practice

  1. One minute per vamp, separately. Start each minute with your go-to phrase for the mode, then improvise.
  2. One “signature” phrase per mode: a short phrase that lands on the characteristic note. You’ll use it to announce each change of mode.
  3. All three back to back: a minute of Dorian, a minute of Mixolydian, a minute of Phrygian. In between, start the next backing track and open with your signature phrase.

Record yourself. On playback, someone who doesn’t know what you’re playing should hear three different colors.

Going further

A Dorian and A Mixolydian have the same tonic and almost the same notes: only C (Dorian) becomes C# (Mixolydian). Try moving from one to the other without changing position, just by changing that note.

You’ve got it when…

Step 2 review

Improvise with the color of a mode

Check each point once it’s true for you. Everything checked? You’ve got this step: move on to the next.