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Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 25 2012, 08:50 AM

Hehe this is your place buddy let's discuss modal tricks here. As i said, we can start based on the things you will read in the lesson notes thread and we can start with each mode then. I'll try and underline all sorts of tricks and after that, you will try and implement them over backing tracks what say you my friend?

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Mar 25 2012, 11:26 AM

Hey Cosmin! Thanks a lot my friend

I will check out your v-chat lesson notes topic in great detail and when I'm done with that, I'll probably have lots' of questions

Cheers mate, really appreciate it

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 25 2012, 08:15 PM

Can't wait to exchange impressions and ideas mate! Let's rock!!

Posted by: Dinaga Mar 26 2012, 11:17 PM

Whooooosh. Well I'm not ashamed to admit that my music theory knowledge is less than pathetic.

A whole new world opened to me. I mean, I have been familiar to the basic stuff like intervals and scale construction, but I feel that before I even think of diving into modes, I must learn chord constructions and chord progressions better. I never really sat down and learned this, so that's what I'll be doing these days, just to set up the basis so I can understand you better.

Oh and your v-chat notes are freakin' AWESOME So much useful info! I already see that I'll be learning a lot from this, so I can't wait to gain some pre-knowledge so I can start jammin' in modes It's great that you tab out ideas and even put video clip examples like the one for Phyrigian mode

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 27 2012, 10:31 AM

Hey D-man! Good to know let me know what you started with and what you'd like to ask if there's anything you'd like to develop

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Mar 27 2012, 03:08 PM

Alright, finally I'm thinking about everything in intervals, not boxes and shapes. I know the construction of basic triads and the four types of 7th chords.

I'll post some of the things I learned here so you can correct me if I'm wrong:



* About many names for one interval

If you raise a Major interval by a semitone it becomes augmented, and if you lower a Minor interval by a semitone it becomes diminished.
Also, if you sharp a Perfect interval it becomes augmented and if you flat it it becomes diminished.

So, we can say, for example, that:

- perfect 4th is the same as augmented 3rd,
- augmented 5th is the same as minor 6th,
- major 3rd is the same as diminished 4th.

But it isn't very common in reality to call a perfect 4th - an augmented 3rd, is it?
That's what confuses me. Because there can be more than one name for the same interval, I suppose there is a convention for naming these intervals when building chords so things don't become too complicated?

I saw in your lesson notes that you write a formula for each mode like this:
Lydian mode: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7
If I got it correctly, this notation is not absolute (like the discussion about intervals above), but is relative to the corresponding major scale, so for the key of C, the Lydian mode is played exactly like the C major scale with the exception that fourth note of the C major scale (F) is sharpened, so the mode is C D E F# G A B C. I know these questions are stupid but it's the only way to learn

* About 7th chords and extentions

7th chords are built by taking a triad (which already has a root, a major or minor 3rd and a perfect fifth) and "spicing it up" with a minor or major 7th to gain a new flavor, thus the four possible combinations of 7th chords.

That 7th in the chord is the most important note in the chord (obviously besides the 3rd which determines if the whole chord is major or minor), and 7th note in the chord is actually essential for modes, right?

Actually, if I got everything correctly, many modes actually have a 7th chord as a root chord, is this correct? I guess that "flavor 7th" note is very important for modes...

Also, when we extend our 7th chords, for example a if we want to extend a C7 chord with an added major 2nd (which would here be D) we will call it C9, because the D is from the next octave so it is actually C(7 + 2) = C9?

And this should work for every 7th chord, so if we have a C Major 7th chord (I suppose you can write it as C7M) and add a note D to it we get C7M9. Or if we add a D to a Cm7 chord we get Cm9?

But this "adding business" happens when we add a major 2nd to a chord. But what if we add a minor 2nd to a chord? I saw in Guitar Pro that one of the names for a C7 chord with added C# note (which is a minor 2nd) is called "C9-", so I'm wondering if this is how musicians really call these chords...



That's it for now... Sorry if this is a bit too trivial but I'll feel much more confident if I ask someone with experience to confirm if my way of thinking is OK. I suppose as I dig more into this, I'll have more questions Thanks in advance mate!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 27 2012, 03:19 PM

Mate, I'll answer everything in about 2 hours when I get inside the house again do we have a deal?

Cosmin

QUOTE (Dinaga @ Mar 27 2012, 02:08 PM)

Alright, finally I'm thinking about everything in intervals, not boxes and shapes. I know the construction of basic triads and the four types of 7th chords.

I'll post some of the things I learned here so you can correct me if I'm wrong:



* About many names for one interval

If you raise a Major interval by a semitone it becomes augmented, and if you lower a Minor interval by a semitone it becomes diminished.
Also, if you sharp a Perfect interval it becomes augmented and if you flat it it becomes diminished.

So, we can say, for example, that:

- perfect 4th is the same as augmented 3rd,
- augmented 5th is the same as minor 6th,
- major 3rd is the same as diminished 4th.

But it isn't very common in reality to call a perfect 4th - an augmented 3rd, is it?
That's what confuses me. Because there can be more than one name for the same interval, I suppose there is a convention for naming these intervals when building chords so things don't become too complicated?

I saw in your lesson notes that you write a formula for each mode like this:
Lydian mode: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7
If I got it correctly, this notation is not absolute (like the discussion about intervals above), but is relative to the corresponding major scale, so for the key of C, the Lydian mode is played exactly like the C major scale with the exception that fourth note of the C major scale (F) is sharpened, so the mode is C D E F# G A B C. I know these questions are stupid but it's the only way to learn

* About 7th chords and extentions

7th chords are built by taking a triad (which already has a root, a major or minor 3rd and a perfect fifth) and "spicing it up" with a minor or major 7th to gain a new flavor, thus the four possible combinations of 7th chords.

That 7th in the chord is the most important note in the chord (obviously besides the 3rd which determines if the whole chord is major or minor), and 7th note in the chord is actually essential for modes, right?

Actually, if I got everything correctly, many modes actually have a 7th chord as a root chord, is this correct? I guess that "flavor 7th" note is very important for modes...

Also, when we extend our 7th chords, for example a if we want to extend a C7 chord with an added major 2nd (which would here be D) we will call it C9, because the D is from the next octave so it is actually C(7 + 2) = C9?

And this should work for every 7th chord, so if we have a C Major 7th chord (I suppose you can write it as C7M) and add a note D to it we get C7M9. Or if we add a D to a Cm7 chord we get Cm9?

But this "adding business" happens when we add a major 2nd to a chord. But what if we add a minor 2nd to a chord? I saw in Guitar Pro that one of the names for a C7 chord with added C# note (which is a minor 2nd) is called "C9-", so I'm wondering if this is how musicians really call these chords...



That's it for now... Sorry if this is a bit too trivial but I'll feel much more confident if I ask someone with experience to confirm if my way of thinking is OK. I suppose as I dig more into this, I'll have more questions Thanks in advance mate!

Posted by: Dinaga Mar 27 2012, 03:20 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Mar 27 2012, 02:19 PM)

Mate, I'll answer everything in about 2 hours when I get inside the house again do we have a deal?

Cosmin

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 27 2012, 06:28 PM

If you raise a Major interval by a semitone it becomes augmented, and if you lower a Minor interval by a semitone it becomes diminished.
Also, if you sharp a Perfect interval it becomes augmented and if you flat it it becomes diminished.

You can say that but the names are just in theory as not all intervals are usually bearing these functions in reality.

So, we can say, for example, that:

- perfect 4th is the same as augmented 3rd, - you can say that
- augmented 5th is the same as minor 6th, - yes
- major 3rd is the same as diminished 4th. - the diminished 4th is not usual so it's not a big deal

But it isn't very common in reality to call a perfect 4th - an augmented 3rd, is it?
That's what confuses me. Because there can be more than one name for the same interval, I suppose there is a convention for naming these intervals when building chords so things don't become too complicated?

Usually it depends on the context

I saw in your lesson notes that you write a formula for each mode like this:
Lydian mode: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7
If I got it correctly, this notation is not absolute (like the discussion about intervals above), but is relative to the corresponding major scale, so for the key of C, the Lydian mode is played exactly like the C major scale with the exception that fourth note of the C major scale (F) is sharpened, so the mode is C D E F# G A B C. I know these questions are stupid but it's the only way to learn

You are very right but not stupid

* About 7th chords and extentions

7th chords are built by taking a triad (which already has a root, a major or minor 3rd and a perfect fifth) and "spicing it up" with a minor or major 7th to gain a new flavor, thus the four possible combinations of 7th chords.

That 7th in the chord is the most important note in the chord (obviously besides the 3rd which determines if the whole chord is major or minor), and 7th note in the chord is actually essential for modes, right?

Actually, if I got everything correctly, many modes actually have a 7th chord as a root chord, is this correct? I guess that "flavor 7th" note is very important for modes...

Yes and no, it depends, by this meaning that you can harmonize a mode by using only minor and major chords

Also, when we extend our 7th chords, for example a if we want to extend a C7 chord with an added major 2nd (which would here be D) we will call it C9, because the D is from the next octave so it is actually C(7 + 2) = C9?

Yes sir!

And this should work for every 7th chord, so if we have a C Major 7th chord (I suppose you can write it as C7M) and add a note D to it we get C7M9. Or if we add a D to a Cm7 chord we get Cm9?

But this "adding business" happens when we add a major 2nd to a chord. But what if we add a minor 2nd to a chord? I saw in Guitar Pro that one of the names for a C7 chord with added C# note (which is a minor 2nd) is called "C9-", so I'm wondering if this is how musicians really call these chords...

Yes mate you understood everything just perfectly!


That's it for now... Sorry if this is a bit too trivial but I'll feel much more confident if I ask someone with experience to confirm if my way of thinking is OK. I suppose as I dig more into this, I'll have more questions Thanks in advance mate!

No problem! You are very diligent and careful! I like that! Bring on the questions man!

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Mar 27 2012, 06:58 PM

Thanks a lot for your quick answers, Cosmin! I'm glad I got this basic stuff right because I'm about to go deeper And questions will be brought

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 28 2012, 08:45 AM

QUOTE (Dinaga @ Mar 27 2012, 05:58 PM)

Thanks a lot for your quick answers, Cosmin! I'm glad I got this basic stuff right because I'm about to go deeper And questions will be brought

Posted by: Dinaga Apr 3 2012, 11:13 AM

Hey mate, I know you're busy with all the students - I'm not going to ask you questions right now - just checking in to post the progress. I will not be playing much in the next week or so because I have exams and it will be ultra-time consuming! So I have to study hard now in order to pass all exams so I'll have plenty of time for guitar again

However, I learned a lot about constructing chord progressions and which scales are related to which progressions. In my next post (when I get some more free time) I will probably post some of those progressions along with the scales I used so you can check out whether it's correct or not

Meanwhile, I found this EXCELLENT video by Joe Satriani about modes, and it helped a lot



I like his quote on how "when you're past the musical part you start to feel in modes"



The 2nd vid is maybe even more inspiring because it's al about the feel in this one - "The fewer the notes a chord has, the more freedom you have to play over it".

I think that it's good that I realized that I don't really know that much and there's a lot more to explore The journey is the most interesting part, more important than the goal itself. Can't wait to get back to this

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 3 2012, 03:30 PM

Hey mate exactly, if you only have a power chord, imagine all the possibilities Satch's videos are truly inspirational and I am looking forward to expanding this discussion who knows what we can learn from each other?

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Apr 16 2012, 10:45 PM

Hi Cosmin! I'm back on track.
I learned about building chords and I have now started with the Dorian mode.
Before I get into the mode, I have some questions about chord/scale relationships.


If I got it correctly from the GMC Guitar Theory Grimoire book, chords that "fit" the scale are built by taking the scale notes, for example C major:
C D E F G A B C

and then for each note in the scale, we take a note, skip a note, take a note, skip a note, take a note and we have the basic triad for that note.

So for the C major scale it would be:
C + E + G = C chord
D + F + A = Dm chord
E + G + B = Em chord
F + A + C = F chord
G + B + D = G chord
A + C + D = Am chord
B + D + F = Bdim chord

Now we have triads which fit over the scale of C major.
Anyway, my question is this: What if we want to build more complicated chord progressions, say - if we want to use seventh chords instead of triads? Or sus chords? Is the rule for this - First build all the basic triads by applying the "take a note, skip a note rule" above, and then add whichever additional notes we want, as long as they are in the scale?

Does that mean that while in the key of C major instead of G chord we can play any variation of G chord which has new notes from the C major scale? I know that it gets down to just listening to the music and feeling what's best, but I like to have a strong foundation - a "safe" area which can't fail



Question 2 - How did you memorize mode positions/notes? Did you really remember all the notes and "calculated intervals on the fly" while playing, or you had some other method?

I somehow always tend to relate all the modes to the pentatonic scale, because you really can't go wrong with pentatonic. For example if playing in B Dorian I would visualize B minor pentatonic and then add other notes specific for B Dorian mode.
Or - because Dorian is a "minor mode" - I would even relate it to the minor scale (which I know well) and just change the 6th note, which differs from the B minor (Aeolian) scale. Just wanted to see how you coped with this


Question 3 - Is it usually the best practice that the root chord of any scale/mode is a "strong" chord, like just a triad? Is it common for a song to have say 7th chord as root chord?


Question 4: in your Dorian Lesson Notes (January 26 2012) you wrote:

Typical progressions: Im IV; Im IIM; Im bIII IV; Im VM IV Im; Im IIm bIII IIm

Now I see that 'Im IV' means: First chord is the minor chord of the first note in the scale, the next chord is a major chord from the 4th note of the scale.

But what does 'bIII' mean? Major chord from the flattened 3rd note of the scale? It seems just weird to me...


Question 5: How do you make chord progressions? Do you just take the "chords that fit nicely over the scale" which I discussed earlier and experiment with them so you can come up with basically anything? That's what I always did anyway. Yeah it looks like a really stupid question but I better ask now than live in denial I suspect that certain intervals have different meanings for a song (for example, a specific interval for a transition to another mood), but I haven't really thought about that in practice... I always went "with the feel"...


Question 5: Is there anything else you can tell me about the Dorian mode? Like when you use it or such. It does have a jazzy/blues vibe to it but I don't think it's so common in say, heavy metal or hard rock...



Sorry if I overloaded you with questions mate
I might record something in Dorian mode but with my own chord progression just so you can check it out I think of doing this for every mode, one by one. It will be fun

Posted by: Dinaga Apr 19 2012, 04:33 PM

OK, nevermind, I sort of answered these questions myself already. I downloaded a lot of mode backing tracks from GMC lessons, and I'll play along to them and memorize the mode positions and special characteristics that way.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 20 2012, 09:23 AM

Alright bro, you sure? Let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with

Hope you'll make it to the next session

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Apr 21 2012, 03:13 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Apr 20 2012, 08:23 AM)

Alright bro, you sure? Let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with

Hope you'll make it to the next session

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Apr 21 2012, 05:53 PM

QUOTE (Dinaga @ Apr 21 2012, 02:13 PM)

And Phyrigian Dominant is the same as Phyrigian but with additional sharp 3rd note. (I love this one ) BTW why is it called "Dominant"? Are all variations of scales which have a Major 7th in them called dominant?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 22 2012, 06:16 PM

Fine observations my friend! I have an idea Why don't you cook up the progressions, let me know what mode you intend to use and we can start swapping modal licks over the tracks you create we shall record short phrases emphasizing on various modal ideas

Are ya in?

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Apr 22 2012, 07:10 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Apr 22 2012, 05:16 PM)

Fine observations my friend! I have an idea Why don't you cook up the progressions, let me know what mode you intend to use and we can start swapping modal licks over the tracks you create we shall record short phrases emphasizing on various modal ideas

Are ya in?

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Apr 23 2012, 12:20 AM

OK I came up with something. I tried to use 6 modes in one song, and you be the judge how it fits together! I wanted to emphasize the different moods of every mode with mode-specific chords.

So here's what I composed:

It starts with the A Ionian mode over these chords:
A, D, A, E
A, D, A, E
A, F#m7, A, E,
A, F#m7, Bm7, C#m7

Then we switch to A Lydian mode with the B7 chord... is this transition too drastic?
A, B7, C#m7, B
A, B7, C#m7, E
A, F#m7, C#m7, E
A, F#m7, E, Esus4

Now it breaks to A Aeolian mode which is the most significant mood switch, from major to minor:
Am, C, F, Esus4, E
Am, C, F, G
Am, C, F, Esus4, E
Am, C, F, G

Now I added the D major chord which brings A dorian mode:
Am, D, Cadd9, C, G6
Am, D, Cadd9, C, G6
Am, D, Em, G6
Am, D, Em G6

And now another big switch to A phrygian using the A# chord:
Am, A#, C, A#
Am, A#, C, A#
Am, A#, C, A#
Am, F, G

And I found out that dominant chord as a root has really funky/bluesy feel which is great for A mixolydian mode:
A7, A7sus4, D, Dsus4
A7, A7sus4, D, Dsus4
G, D, A7
G, D, A

That's it my friend. I enjoyed making this but I'm not sure how correct and musical it is. I'll leave that to you to decide!

I quickly recorded me strumming all these chords, so you can check it out by hearing the whole idea. Guitar tone sucks - I know, and it probably went a little out of tune because my strings need replacement, but you'll hear the most important stuff in this mess, I hope
I'm really sleepy now and didn't have the time to record and mix this better


When we decide over a certain progression, I'll make something with better quality using virtual instruments.

http://soundcloud.com/dino-trnka/dinaga-modes


I had to take a picture of my desk, just for fun These interval/chord/scale cheatsheets I made are quite helpful, I'm looking forward to being able to do this without looking at the paper But I'm slowly learning





Now that I look at this, I really shouldn't have used A chord at the beginning of every progression. But hey, it's a start

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 25 2012, 10:38 AM

Hey D-man!

Let's take them one at a time

Ionian - all good

Lydian - I would use a B add 11 to make it sound more authentic, instead of the B7

In the case of Aeolian - the E major, hints us towards a major mode - you would want to use Em to keep it Aeolian here

Ok for A dorian

For A phrygian, the G should be minor, otherwise the last three chords belong to the C Ionian (Am F G)

Ok for the Mixolydian

Now I would like to hear this in a more organized way but, I will try a hand myself and see how I could arrange the chords - some transitions would be very nice thanks for pushing me mate I never worked with such a big progression

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Apr 25 2012, 11:56 AM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Apr 25 2012, 09:38 AM)

Hey D-man!

Let's take them one at a time

Ionian - all good

Lydian - I would use a B add 11 to make it sound more authentic, instead of the B7

In the case of Aeolian - the E major, hints us towards a major mode - you would want to use Em to keep it Aeolian here

Ok for A dorian

For A phrygian, the G should be minor, otherwise the last three chords belong to the C Ionian (Am F G)

Ok for the Mixolydian

Now I would like to hear this in a more organized way but, I will try a hand myself and see how I could arrange the chords - some transitions would be very nice thanks for pushing me mate I never worked with such a big progression

Cosmin

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 26 2012, 07:58 AM

Will post this during the weekend man see ya around

Cosmin

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 1 2012, 10:15 AM

Hey D man it's going slow but sure footed. Check this out:

I modded your progression like this up the the Aeolian mode and managed a smooth transition between the B7 and the Am7 by playing E over B7 and then sliding down to C over Am7 :0

Ionian - I used a lot of open string chords due to the fact that they will make a smooth and great sounding team with the Lydian as well

Asus2 F#m7add11 (open B and E strings) Esus4 Emajor
Asus2 F#m7add11 F#m7 (9th position with the open high E string) Emajor (or C#m with the open E for a bit more tension)
Bm7add11 C#m (with the open E string) D5 E5

Lydian

A Bmajoradd11 (fret 2 with the open E string) C#m (with the open E) G#mb6 (4th fret with the B and E open strings)
A Bmajoradd11 (fret 2 with the open E string) C#m (with the open E) Bmajoradd11 (fret 2 with the open E string) (over this B chord we can play an E not and slide it to C when we shift to the Aeolian mode in Am)

I'll keep workin on it and try to give it as much sense and direction as I can

Let me know if you like the ideas and I'll record them

Posted by: Dinaga May 5 2012, 06:02 PM

Hey mate! I didn't respond right away because I don't want to overwhelm you with this since I know it's a lot work for you too!

This sounds great, and really exotic!! I am trying to play this as a progression and I'm not 100% sure if my fingering is OK in all the chords but the open strings really give it a mystic feeling! The fact that Ionian mode doesn't start with a major chord sounded a bit strange to me but it just adds up to the whole melody to make it more interesting.

The Bm7add11 C#m D5 E5 part which leads out of the Ionian mode is AWESOME! The tension builds up with four chords and finally releases with the A chord. Sounds really cool and it's a LOT better transition to Lydian than mine!

I also jammed to the Lydian progression and the Badd11 really gives the Lydian feeling - playing Ionian here really sounds wrong! I guess the D# note in the Badd11 chord is the one most responsible for this, and the fact that the B chord is a major instead of minor! This gets really interesting

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 5 2012, 06:35 PM

He D-man! Thanks for the love! This will take a bit more but in the end you and me will be tearing this track apart, k? I got big plans so, let's take it slowly but at a surefooted pace! Everything NEEDS to flow

The E note is the 5th for B chord and it goes over to the C note which is the b3rd for the Am chord, it offers a wonderful transition useful for the melody part Dig it, D-man?

All the chords look good in the tab there Let's see what I can concoct next!

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga May 5 2012, 06:42 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ May 5 2012, 05:35 PM)

He D-man! Thanks for the love! This will take a bit more but in the end you and me will be tearing this track apart, k? I got big plans so, let's take it slowly but at a surefooted pace! Everything NEEDS to flow

The E note is the 5th for B chord and it goes over to the C note which is the b3rd for the Am chord, it offers a wonderful transition useful for the melody part Dig it, D-man?

All the chords look good in the tab there Let's see what I can concoct next!

Cosmin

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 15 2012, 09:49 AM

Alrighty D-man

For the next two modes, I see them as creating a transition towards the more furious and tense Phrygian and the Mixolidian who should solve everything

As for the groove, a shuffle/ swing aery beat would be great, to create the feeling of transition and calm

The progressions:

Aeolian:

Am7 Cadd9 Fsus2 Em7
Am7 Cadd9 Fsus2 G

Dorian:

Am7 DM7
Am7 DM7 Cadd9
Am7 DM7
Am7 DM7 Cadd9 Dadd11

what do you think?

Cosmin

 Aeolian_Dorian.mp3 ( 607K ) : 86

Posted by: Dinaga May 16 2012, 06:49 PM

Cosmin my friend! This sounds so freaking cool!
I'm currently jamming to this and the transition to Dorian is awesome and I also like the arpeggio to jazzy-style chord feel transition VERY MUCH!

When we're done with these progressions, if you have the time and will, we might double these chords and make a kind of an instructor-student "call-response" modal-collab or something, what do you think? Just an idea, I think it would turn out really cool.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 16 2012, 06:51 PM

That was my intention ALL ALONG I can't wait either!! I'm glad you like it mate!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 23 2012, 09:19 AM

D-man, check this out:

What if we make a little vid together over the modal backing we're working on having the following scenario:

The two guitar heroes D-man and C-man are on a hot pursuit for the 'Holy Note' which lies at the end of the modal labyrinth. To get it, they must successfully cross all the levels of the labyrinth by playing over the modal progressions

In fewer words, we both write down solos over each progression, record them, shoot vids and then I mix everything and make up a story in the vid

What do you think mate?

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga May 24 2012, 02:30 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ May 23 2012, 08:19 AM)

D-man, check this out:

What if we make a little vid together over the modal backing we're working on having the following scenario:

The two guitar heroes D-man and C-man are on a hot pursuit for the 'Holy Note' which lies at the end of the modal labyrinth. To get it, they must successfully cross all the levels of the labyrinth by playing over the modal progressions

In fewer words, we both write down solos over each progression, record them, shoot vids and then I mix everything and make up a story in the vid maybe we'll end up on the front page with this

What do you think mate?

Cosmin

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 24 2012, 05:07 PM

Yes yes I shall make the backing based on the progressions we discussed 2 more and we are there. I would like you to focus on phrasing and melody in this little collaboration, I mean let's both try to be as musical as possible Does the end of June fit you for the final take?

Posted by: Dinaga May 24 2012, 06:12 PM

Alright mate, no problem! End of June sounds great I will try to be as musical as possible, I too think it will be more than fitting for this type of collab.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 25 2012, 02:20 PM

Great D-man! I am so glad you are into this let's make it count, ok?

Posted by: Dinaga May 25 2012, 06:46 PM

OK C-Man, I already composed my part for the Aeolian mode progression. When I learn it well, I'll post it here so you can tell me whether it's good or it sucks.

What tempo should we play at? I composed this mini-aeolian solo with around 110-115 bpm in mind but if you want a faster or slower tempo just let me know, so I'll know what to compose.
Cheers mate!

Posted by: Dinaga May 25 2012, 08:56 PM

OK, here's the solo, played at around 115 bpm, so you can check it out and say if it's any good.

I wanted to give it a "crying" mood, as it's such a sad mode. That's why I had some grace notes combined with legato and sliding instead of just alternate picking, to make it sound more mellow.

I used your chord recording as a backing track, for now.

 Dinaga___Aeolian_solo.mp3 ( 314.28K ) : 82

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 25 2012, 09:45 PM

Dude! YES, I like this! Very nice I'll cook up what we got till now in the backing track we will focus on the transitions a lot my friend

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 26 2012, 11:03 AM

This is the first draft of our whole mix of progressions:

Ionian - acoustic strumming - the beginning

Asus2 F#m7add11 (open B and E strings) Esus4 Emajor
Asus2 F#m7add11 F#m7 (9th position with the open high E string) Emajor (or C#m with the open E for a bit

more tension)
Bm7add11 C#m (with the open E string) D5 E5

Lydian - acoustic strumming - amazed at the wonders they encounter

A Bmajoradd11 (fret 2 with the open E string) C#m (with the open E) G#mb6 (4th fret with the B and E open

strings)
A Bmajoradd11 (fret 2 with the open E string) C#m (with the open E) Bmajoradd11 (fret 2 with the open E

string) (over this B chord we can play an E not and slide it to C when we shift to the Aeolian mode in Am)

Aeolian - jazzy mood (wind in the background) - life is beautiful

Am7 Cadd9 Fsus2 Em7
Am7 Cadd9 Fsus2 G

Dorian - jazzy mood (building tension) - approaching the fight

Am7 DM7
Am7 DM7 Cadd9
Am7 DM7
Am7 DM7 Cadd9 Dadd11 - passing phrase with open strings and a bit of drive

Phrygian - metal - the fight for the prize

A A# C A# x3

F5 G5 A

Mixolydian - cools down as the conclusion of a nice story

Dsus4 D Dsus2 A7sus4 A7 x2

G Dsus2

G D A

I will come up with a tension chart for you to analyze and build your lead sections accordingly

let me know what you think mate

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga May 26 2012, 02:00 PM

Man, you really put your heart into this.

I am amazed! Thank you so much!
These chords sound great together, and I love the jazzy mood in the middle! This will be one big, beautiful story.

Looking forward to your further directions so I can create some more music.

Cheers!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 27 2012, 04:59 PM

Glad you are as excited as I am man Let's see what we can build this up to

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 9 2012, 02:52 PM

Hey D-man! Get ready! I'll try to finish the track till Monday, so we can start working on the leads, k? if you got any suggestions or other ideas, shoot my way, ok?

Cosmin

Posted by: Dinaga Jun 9 2012, 03:10 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 9 2012, 01:52 PM)

Hey D-man! Get ready! I'll try to finish the track till Monday, so we can start working on the leads, k? if you got any suggestions or other ideas, shoot my way, ok?

Cosmin

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 11 2012, 09:58 AM

You've got a PM waiting mate

Cosmin

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 24 2012, 02:41 PM

Hey Dinaga! How's it goin with the exams! Are you ready to rumble?

Posted by: Dinaga Jun 25 2012, 08:38 PM

Yeah, the exams are coming to end and I guess I'll be able to do something (probably after Thursday). But my f****** hands will not get better. I'm not sure if I'll make it through this repetitive s*** at all. I'm just too goddamn demotivated and disappointed. I haven't played at all for about 2 weeks and now my playing is a lot worse.

I don't know, Cosmin... it makes me sad that I destroyed myself and I feel I'm getting boring with these posts about the injury as well. I'll be able to play something but it won't be really technical (which is the purpose of the collab after all, I guess it should be melodic).

Just tell me which parts are mine and I'll come up with something...

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 26 2012, 09:52 AM

D-man, while I am working on the track... Don't be hard on yourself this frustration does not lead to anything good - I know you know - but it is important to keep this in your mind. Tell me, what sort of a break would you need to heal back completely? Is that possible? You know, we could focus on other aspects of music while your hands get back in shape, so that they won't cause problems anymore. If that's possible of course.

Posted by: Dinaga Jun 26 2012, 10:44 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 26 2012, 08:52 AM)

D-man, while I am working on the track... Don't be hard on yourself this frustration does not lead to anything good - I know you know - but it is important to keep this in your mind. Tell me, what sort of a break would you need to heal back completely? Is that possible? You know, we could focus on other aspects of music while your hands get back in shape, so that they won't cause problems anymore. If that's possible of course.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 27 2012, 03:27 PM

Hey D-man - expect indications and ideas tomorrow hope to catch you on a fresh start with exams done and nothing to cloud your heart

hugs

Cosmin

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 28 2012, 05:05 PM

Alright D-man We have to move swift so we can get this done in a decent timing

Here's what I have in mind - you will find a doubled track in a PM - meaning it has my part and your part - just the empty backing for now.

We both have 'till Saturday included to come up with the Ionian melodies to lay down and then, 2 days for the Lydian and so on till we nail them all. We first record audio so we can be happy with what we got, we put all the parts together and then shoot the video parts with final audio takes as well

What do you think? Let's see how fast and good we can move with this I wanted to split them into parts so we can best focus on tiny bits and then we shall take care of linking them all together.

You can either have the first or the second half, it's ok for me

cheerios

Cosmin