Fretboard Freedom Masterclass

If you bought this package you probably already know how the modal system works. In case you don’t, I’ll briefly summarise it here:

Let’s take, for example, the C major scale:

CDEFGAB

A scale just a collection of notes, intended to create a specific sound (the “major scale sound” in this case). The sound of any scale results from the unique set of intervals between the root note and all the other notes.

But what happens if we use the same 7 notes, but use different notes as root notes?

CDEFGAB

DEFGABC

EFGABCD

FGABCDE

GABCDEF

ABCDEFG

BCDEFGA

You might think that nothing has changed. It’s just the C major scale written in different ways... or is it? This is where the root note is VERY important. As we said above, the significance of each note in a scale depends on its distance (interval) from the root. So let’s look at all those scales above, analysing the intervals of each note from the root.

C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

D E F G A B C

1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7

E F G A B C D

1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

F G A B C D E

1 2 3 #4 5 6 7

G A B C D E F

1 2 3 4 5 6 b7

A B C D E F G

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

B C D E F G A

1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7

As we can see, the scale beginning with C is the familiar major scale (think “Doe a deer” from The Sound of Music!) with the major 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th, the perfect 4th and perfect 5th. By using different roots from the same 7 notes, we get 6 different scales, because the different interval structures produce completely different sounds. This is why it’s so important to learn to think in intervals, not note names. The C major and G major scales have the same character, but C major and D Dorian sound very different, even though they have the same notes.

What we have here is the 7 modes derived from the C major scale. Here are their names, with some “thumbnail sketch” descriptions, which might help you remember them...

1) Ionian (standard major scale)

2) Dorian (minor scale with a major 6th)

3) Phrygian (minor scale with minor 2nd)

4) Lydian (major scale with augmented, or raised 4th)

5) Mixolydian (major scale with minor 7th)

6) Aeolian (natural minor scale; note the minor 6th)

7) Locrian (minor scale with diminished, or flat 5th; also known as half-diminished scale)

In just that little list, there’s a lifetime of musical exploration, so take your time! In this masterclass we’re going to work with just one of the modes, the Dorian. However, we’ll work with some concepts that you can then apply to any mode or any other type of scale.

Even within just one mode, there’s a lifetime of musical possibilities, so we’re going to concentrate on specific ideas. This masterclass is not intended to be the ultimate scale dictionary! I’m going to show you have to achieve the maximum from every lick so you can make it part of your playing and not forget it after a week. We’re going to expand a small idea all over the fretboard, avoiding the boring old up-and-down scale or arpeggio patterns. Most importantly, I want to help you develop your own sound and help you find your own ideas from the Dorian mode.

All of this is designed to help you to move freely on the guitar without wondering “where am I now?!” or “where am I going now?!” or “where is the note I’m looking for?!”

How this masterclass is structured:

1) MODAL ÉTUDE: Specially written to work with the scale all over the fretboard, using seven positions with three notes per string. I’ve provided an analysis to show you how it all works.

2) 10 LICKS: These are 10 short fragments taken from the étude, so we can analyze them and work in different rhythms.

3) DORIAN SOLO: This is more of a “real world” solo, rather than a study, taking elements of the 10 licks.

Let’s get started!