Building up my chops.

[Hellraizer]

Sorry if this has been posted I couldnt find it. So here lately I have been tryin to work on my lead skills. I can improv a little, I mean no badass by any means. My problem though is I can play, but I just don't know what it is I am playing if you catch my drift. Well I've been reading into theoery (scales and modes) and I am so damn lost. It doesn't make sense to me when I read it. Are there any good videos that demonstrate these scales and modes?

How does the penatonic scale tie in to the seven scale modes or whatever..........lydian, ionian, etc,etc.

This shit makes my brain hurt

 

[distressed_romeo]

I don't know about any videos that deal with theory in great detail, but try a book called 'The Complete Guitarist' by Richard Chapman. It's the best theory book available for guitar, beyond a shadow of a doubt. It goes through all the fundemental scales, modes and chords, and builds up towards far more advanced stuff (there's even a little bit on 12 tone theory towards the end).

It'll be one you refer back to for years.

 

[telecaster90]

I see pentatonics as "nuetral" scales. The major pentatonic scale has the natural third, but doesn't have any of the color tones of Ionian, Lydian, and Mixolydian. It just has the notes that the scales have in common. The minor pentatonic scale works the same way. It has the flat third and flat seventh and no color tones. Just the notes that Dorian, Phyrigian, and Aeolian have in common. There isn't a Pentatonic scale that goes with Locrian at all.

That help at all? I can explain it more if you want.

 

[Hellraizer]

yea that kinda makes sense.
so i guess your not really looking at the scales as notes you are seing them as patterns right?

 

[telecaster90]

Yeah, I'm not sure if that's the correct way, but I see the scales as patterns. It's important, though, to know what notes are in the patterns.