Happy to help - although it feels weird replying to a post I wrote about 9 years ago



Thanks Todd!

Hi Fuebob -

You need to keep in mind the root notes of these chords which are a clue to the tonal center. Both of those riffs (as is often the case) seem to me to start with the first root note as the tonal center - C in the first, D in the second.

For the first rift, that confirms what you already said - this seems to be a C minor riff.

For the second riff, the first root note is D, meaning we are looking for a scale that starts with D and incorporates F, G and A# as well.

D aeolian is D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C D - since Bb is the same note as A# it fits in nicely.

The reason we would say Bb and not A# in this context is that D Aeolian is a mode of F major which is the scale we get when using one flat (Bb), but that is really just a matter of notation and doesn't change our conclusion.

To answer your general question - the fact that we don't have any thirds here in theory gives you a little more leeway in scale choice but since power chord riffs are usually painting around full scales in the actual songs anyway, in practice the 3rds are kind of assumed and you end up with the same result.

One way to confirm this is to not just listen to the riff, but also any bass and melody line that goes with it - they will often incorporate other missing notes of the scale and give you a fuller picture.

Interesting points.

I tend to think of music as a language just as much as speech - both change over the years to accommodate the needs of the people using it. These days. speech is written down a lot which probably tends to slow down change, but I suspect the majority of musicians alive don't write anything down ...

It will probably be all different again in another 2000 years

Yeah, I know they are different but I didn't really call it out in my post, you are right. The link does go into details about ease of use and other stuff which still should be relevant but I have never used any Fractal Audio gear myself.

There's a good thread comparing the Helix and the AX8 on the Line 6 forum which may help.

http://line6.com/support/topic/19199-helix-vs-ax8/

Personally I have been using Line 6 for nearly 10 years and I think they finally got it right with the Helix - I love mine!

That's the key right there - it's your music, so if it sounds OK to you it's cool

Scales are a guide, almost like training wheels in some ways but if you stick to them too fanatically you will eventually limit yourself. Having said that, they are however a good place to start and use as an anchor to come back to. In the end, learn the scales be fluent with them and use them as a guide but don't be afraid to play out for a specific effect or tension that sounds good to you.

Thanks for your kind words Ruben - I don't currently have plans to finish the missing articles, but never say never!

David Walliman created a great lesson that shows all the modes on a single backing track, all with the same root - its a really great way to understand the different modes and how they sound, it really helped me.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...ring-the-modes/

It is just a couple of chords for each mode however - finding larger progressions to match all the modes is difficult, as they will be different for each mode.

One way to tackle this would be to pick a root, and write out the chords for each mode and pick some common ones that would match a couple of different modes. The key of course is to keep the same root and avoid relative modes as they will share exactly the same chords.

Having said that - it is really difficult to separate chords and the notes in a modal context. Picking chords common to more than one mode would tend to mask the distinctiveness of the mode itself, and would also be harder to play to - picking distinctive chord changes for each mode is very important in cementing the sound of the mode - this is what David does in his lesson but is actually the opposite of what you are asking for!

Thanks guys, glad my work is appreciated

It's basically a collection of all the theory posts I did back in the day here.

Glad to see active theory stuff happening at GMC, welcome Professor!

Coolness Brett!

LOL - haven't really been away, just a little distracted

Check it out here:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=43310

Another great lesson Gitarrero, thanks, and keep it up!

Glad you are making progress Not sure what you are asking in your second post?

Hi there - not quite sure what the problem is here ...

Guitar pro will let you add notes continually, you just use the right arrow each time you want a new one, and it adds the bars automatically. You may need to change the duration of the notes you are adding, and need to take care that they all add up to the correct number of beats per bar (4 unless you have changed it) but it should just let you keep adding notes forever. If a bar goes red, it means you have the wrong number of beats there.

I have GP5, maybe 6 is different if you have that- I can't easily check that!

LOL, thanks for the suggestions - I have an SM57 ready to go



Thanks - I'll need to get another SM57 then, obviously



With this much gain I didn't think I would need a TubeScreamer, but now you mentioned it I will definitely try it!

Thanks guys!

Still getting to know this beauty, but its awesome!

Sparkling cleans - check!
Monster gain but still articulated and tight - check!
Freakin loud - check!

It does sound surprisingly good with the master dialed all the way back though. I havent tried the emulated out for recording yet but I will soon.

Still working on dialing in a lower gain saturated lead, and a nice warm overdriven sound for my Strrat, but wow, this thing is versatile!

Only issue so far is that the footswitch is labeled backwards - the reverb switch changes channels and the channel switch turns the reverb on an off! Going to have a word with Sweetwater about it when they wake up.

Just arrived, my new Blackstar Club 50 head and 4x12 cab:



I'll either go deaf or my wife will kill me, but either way I'll die happy And after just 5 minutes messing around, I am closer than ever to the sound in my head!

Now I need to figure out the best way to record it so I can post clips!

Thanks Ben - you are obviously a very discerning individual!

Heh, I love that metaphor so much that I feel compelled to push it to an extreme!

Imagine that the girl you love is Russian, or Swedish, or French or German, just pick a language you have never learned and don't understand. How are you going to tell her how you feel? She is the love of your life, so just picking up a dictionary and learning 3 words "I Love You" in her language is not going to cut it - it doesn't convey the vastness of how you feel and she deserves so much more.

So, you go to classes, you learn the language properly. You spend some time learning words, phrases, vocabulary. Then you study the poets of that language in their native tongue, you read extensively. Next, you have a go at writing some love poetry yourself. At the end of this, you are so well versed in the language that it ceases to be the barrier it once was, and you are able to tell the girl the way you feel straight form your heart using all the words and phrases at your command, both learned from great poets, and also that you have written yourself. The result? Of course she falls in love with you!

OK, I am sure you see where this is going - the foreign language is the language of music. Words are notes, phrases are riffs, and those other poets? All the other guitarists you have admired over the years. When you have all of this inside you, it becomes easy to take the music straight form your heart to the guitar - not as a 3 word phrase you learned form a book, but as a living breathing thing that shows your true emotions.

This is the true reason we practice so hard, not so that we can consciously play those notes and scales but so that we have them inside us unconsciously, ready to pull out when we need them in response to a particular thought or feeling.

OK, I think I kicked that metaphor to death, I'll be quiet now!

Best wishes Ivan - feel better!

Excellent! and Congratulations

I remember the day you started at GMC, and some of your superb early in the style of lessons - since then you have become an incredibly respected and valued resource for the site, and not only that, you rock hard too

Hi, and welcome to GMC!

happy to help - in any case theb2 things are very closely related since you need a dry signal before you can successfully reamp!



Interestingly enough, the older pods (I had an XT live before the pro) allowed you to pick the dry or effected signal to record but not both. This seems like the kind of thing that could be addressed in firmware depending on how flexible the DSP routing is in the unit.
The pro actually has a Dry Out on the back, potentially meaning that you don't need a DI box,although it comes out at instrument level rather than mic or line, and in any case I don't use the pro as my audio interface, it is mainly for noodling and monitoring of guitar when I record it. I usually rely on VSTs to add effects in the DAW, I used to be able to get the exat sounds from my XT live in the gearbox plugin but sadly there is no equivalent yet for the HD units, I really hope they release one as it was a really flexible way of working, kind of a virtual reamp without the recording part, I could change the tone all day as much as I wanted and hear it against the dry guitar with no need to commit to a particular effect until I liked the sound in the mix.