Lesson of the week

        Written by:  Jeff Fiorentino

       Copyright © 2006 JFRocks   All rights reserved

 

The technique lessons featured on this page are designed to be for Electric guitar.  Most of the lessons covered here however will transfer to acoustic without any issue.  This lesson page will be updated as often as possible.  The other pages on JFRocks and JFRocks UNplugged keep me rather busy and I try to keep all technique lessons to CD ROM.  What this page will do a lot of the time is expand upon lessons covered on various CD ROMs.  If this is the case the Category below will state which CD ROM the lesson is expanding on.  I hope you enjoy these mini lessons as I call them and remember all lessons from the past are located on the Lesson Archives page.

 

 

Lesson Title Using modes to create moods, lesson 2 Locrian mode

 

 

CD Category Expands on Soloing 101 Topics

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff's Guitar's tuning Standard  E, A, D, G, B, E or Flat if Kramer

 

 

Key of A minor

 

 

 

 

*Remember Effect suggestions are my suggestions for the home player.  Usually suggestions are geared for a low budget.

 

 

Optional FX used in this Lesson Reverb, light compression, PS/Harmonization

 

 

Sound used for this Lesson Modern Rock tone, moderate level of crunch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson Features
The song track The Jam along track The Video Guitar Lesson

Lesson MP3 song track

 

N/A

 

 

 

Tabs & Lesson

 Original score by:  Jeff Fiorentino

  Transcription by:  Jeff Fiorentino

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This Lesson's difficulty level  1-10 scale

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson notes

 

For the last lesson we used the Dorian mode to solo with.  This time around we're going to do some leads and also see that modes can also create moods in our rhythms or riffs as well. 

 

The Locrian mode is what we will be dealing with this week.  The Locrian mode is defined as a minor scale with a flat 2nd and a flat 5th. 

 

So for example in our Key of A minor here, our A minor scale would be, A, B, C, D, E, F, G.  Well we want to create an other worldly Locrian feel here.  The 2nd note in the A minor scale is the B so that needs to be flattened to a Bb.  The 5th note in our A minor scale is the E, so that needs to be flattened to an Eb. 

 

So our A Locrian scale is now, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G.  These are the notes we will be working with both in our leads and in our root rhythm as well.  It's about keeping the mood.

 

The mood a mode sets as I say on Soloing 101 is interpreted differently by each person.  I see the Locrian mode as other worldly, others find it to be melodic and sweet.  To each his own.  The Locrian mode happens to be one of my favorites to solo with.  I often mix it with Dorian mode to form solos in minor keys.  This is a cool mode.

 

We will not be mixing it in this lesson but remember, I'm going to give you a scale below in tab.  However, when I play on the video I may at times stick to the scale pattern I've tabbed out but, I know the notes on the guitar, (which I pray to god that everyone is trying to learn at this point) If I want to do a D I may use the open 4th string.  A "D" is a "D" is a "D" no matter where you do it, the pitch that is "D" is a "D"  I say that little riddle because some people think to use scales you have to stay in some pattern that's pre-set.  This is not the case. 

 

For our Locrian mode the pitches we are working with are, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G.  These pitches occur all over the fret board.  Not just in a scale pattern that I will give you.  You will never open the fret board up to yourself if you do not learn the notes.  You will always be stuck in one position for fear of leaving that pre-set little scale pattern.  As with all of my lessons on this site and CDs, the main theme here is learn those notes.

 

If you do not know the notes or note orders or understand the fret board.  I cannot recommend my Beginners 101 CD ROM enough.  I give an amazing lesson on that CD on the notes and how to learn them.  Don't let the name beginners 101 fool you, there is plenty on that CD for intermediate and even advanced level players to learn.  I pride myself on not insulting anyone's intelligence.  There are no appearances by Big Bird on my Beginners CD.  LOL 

 

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Main Lesson

 

A minor scale (Aeolian) basic

Pitches"  A, B, C, D, E, F, G.

E______________________________5_7_8_10_12_13_15_17_____
B__________________________6_8__________________________
G____________________5_7_9_____________________________
D______________5_7_9___________________________________
A________5_7_8_________________________________________
E__5_7_8_______________________________________________

 

 

"A" Locrian mode (minor scale with a flat 2nd, and flat 5th.)

Pitches"  A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G.

**tip**  Some of you who are observant will notice the pitches of this "A" Locrian scale match the pitches contained in the Bb major scale.  This is no accident, a very easy way to find the Locrian scale in any key is to do the Major scale a half step above the Locrian scale you want. 

For example if you wanted to do a G Locrian scale you could easily find this by doing the G# Major scale and starting it on the G instead of the G#.  See vid for additional explanation, but really these topics and many more are very long and explained in graphic detail on Soloing 101.

Note highlighted in Yellow is where the Bb Major scale would begin and end.  By starting and ending on the pitch of A instead of Bb we create and play in the "A" Locrian scale.

E______________________________5_6_8_10_11_13_15_17____
B__________________________6_8_________________________
G____________________5_7_8_____________________________
D______________5_7_8___________________________________
A________5_6_8_________________________________________
E__5_6_8_______________________________________________

 

 

Lesson example tabs

Using Locrian mode properties in our rhythm as well as any Leads we throw in.  It's a short example but it should point you in the right direction. 

Working with and understanding modes is a huge topic and one that I feel I cover quite well in the 5 hours I spend on it on the Soloing 101 CD.  This is simply an expansion lesson on the topics covered on that CD.

 

Notes highlighted in Yellow represent the Bb or the Eb which are the flattened 2nd and 5th that make this a Locrian mode piece.

Basic chord pattern, A5 power chord to Eb power chord.

With pitch shifter (optional)

E______________________________17-18-17>trill_________________________________
B_10-11-10>trill___---18_16~_--sl dwn--_____________15-16-15>trill__10-11-10>trill________
G_________________________________________________________________________
D_________________________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________________

 

 

E______________________________________________
B______________________________________________
G_7-8-7>trill_____________________________________
D__________7-8-7>trill____________________________
A_____________________5-6-5>trill__5______________
E_________________________________8_6_8________

 

 

Main rhythm riff, this theme continues through leads.

E_______________________________________________________________
B_______________________________________________________________
G_______________________________________________________________
D_____8_7_______________________________________________________
A__7__6_6___repeat 4 times________________________________________
E__5___________________________random slide_12---17----8____________

 

 

Main riffing

E____________________________________________________
B____________________________________________________
G____________________________________________________
D__________7-8-7___7_8~___________7-8-7_______________
A_______________8_____________________8_6~_--sl dwn--___
E_5~__x_x________________5~_x_x_____________________

 

 

E_________________________________________________________________________
B_________________________________________________________________________
G______________________8~_________________________________________________
D__________7-8-7___7_8________________7-8-7_________________________________
A_______________8_________________________8_6~____________________________
E_5~__x_x____________________5~_x_x_____________random slide down noise_____

 

Extra riffing

E___________________________________________________8_____________
B___________________________________________8_10_11___11_10_10~___
G_____________7-8-10_______7_8_10_10~__7-8-10_______________________
D_______7-8-10_______7-8-10_________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________
E_5~_____________________________________________________________random slide down noise_

 

E________________________________________________________________________
B________________________________________________8_10_11_11-10_11_10~~~__
G______________________7_8_10_8^1/4>release_8~_7-8-10_________________________
D________________7-8-10__________________________________________________
A__________5-6-8_________________________________________________________
E_5~__5-6-8______________________________________________________________

 

 

E_10_11-10_11_11-10_____________________________________________________
B__________________11_10~~__10-11_10~__10-11_10~__w p/s 10-11_10~_--sl dwn--__
G______________________________________________________________________
D______________________________________________________________________
A______________________________________________________________________
E______________________________________________________________________

 

 

E_6-8-6___6________________________1------------18_____________________
B______8___8_6-8-6___6________________________16~~~_______________
G_________________8___7__________________________________________
D_______________________8_7~~~___________________________________
A________________________________________________________________
E________________________________________________________________

 

 

Optional Pitch shifter off, now back to riffing for ending.

E_____________________________________________
B_____________________________________________
G_____________________________2_______________
D_8_7__8_7__8_7__8_8--sl dwn--____2_______________
A_6_6__6_6__6_6__6_6--sl dwn--____0_______________
E_____________________________________________

 

 

E___________________________________
B___________________________________
G___________________________________
D_8_7__8_7__8_7__8__________________
A_6_6__6_6__6_6__6__8___7~__________
E___________________6___5~__________

 

 

Ending

I used a combo of Diminished intervals and an arpeggio for this ending.  Notice the arpeggio keeps with the Locrian them as it has an Eb in it.  It's made up of an A, C, Eb combination of notes.  

P/S/ on optional

E_____________________________________11____17~_--sl dwn--__
B_________________________________10____________________
G______________________________8________________________
D_________________________7_10__________________________
A_______________6_9_6_9_________________________________
E_1-------_5_8_5_8_________________________________________

 

E_8-10-8____8_______________________________________________________17--sl dwn--__
B_______10___10_8-10-8________________________________________________________
G_____________________10_7-8-7____7___________________________________________
D_____________________________10___10_7-8-7____7______________________________
A__________________________________________10___10_8_6_5_____________________
E________________________________________________________8_6_5~~~____________