Trying to learn Phrygian Dominant (Still)

[Glimpsed-AM]

Okay, so I still have a lot of difficulty memorizing scales and haven't found a method that clicks with me yet, I need to memorize a scale and write a tune for my music theory class final, and I want to do it in B Phrygian Dominant. Now I'm going to clarify this as much as I can and forgive me if this doesn't make too much sense, because this subject is still a little difficult for me to comprehend. I'm not looking to learn the full why of things at this moment... I definitely plan on it but I want to become comfortable with the scale first, and by that I mean stuff like "Why that second note in the scale is augmented, and why the intervals follow that specific pattern" etc. Things like that.

What I am looking for right now however, are things like: Where the root note would occur (B in this case), the patterns that are possible, where the recurring patterns are (like where the same exact pitches would occur on other parts of the neck), and memorizing the pattern that the intervals follow, and a simple/effective method I could use to go about memorizing each of those components, like what order I should memorize each part for example.

Again, sorry if this post doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm trying pretty hard to understand this stuff lol... but that's why I'm trying to learn. The only way I can improvise if I pop this up on my computer screen and have it laid out in front of me: B Phrygian Major Guitar Scales, and I want to be able to play without relying on doing that.

 

[wrongnote85]

learn the last solo in 'wake up dead'. you'll be set after that.

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

Honestly, the simplest and best way that I can think of to tackle this and every other scale is to get familiar with intervals. Know how to play a perfect fourth, a major third, a minor seventh, anywhere on the neck, and know how to invert them. I can run numbers and terms by you all day, but that's going to be largely useless. You should be able to get all the information you need from this: 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7

Make sure you know that you're talking about a mode of the harmonic minor scale. Your teacher might give you hell for not picking a major or minor key, if they're close-minded.

musictheory.net

 

[Glimpsed-AM]

Honestly, the simplest and best way that I can think of to tackle this and every other scale is to get familiar with intervals. Know how to play a perfect fourth, a major third, a minor seventh, anywhere on the neck, and know how to invert them. I can run numbers and terms by you all day, but that's going to be largely useless. You should be able to get all the information you need from this: 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7

Okay I understand what you mean about the 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. I can find the root and follow that pattern fine across single strings, but how would that pattern apply across multiple strings? For example, if you were in Drop B tuning and you wanted to play the first 4 notes of the scale on the lowest string starting with the open note: B, C, D#, E and then played up to the octave on the next string up starting with the open again F#, G, A, B? Is there a rule or something that could help me figure that out?

 

[celticelk]

^^^^ The best "rule" is: know the notes in the scale, and know the notes on your fretboard. Play the notes in the scale on your fretboard. Beat the bad guy, get the girl, go home happy.

Learning scales by learning fingering patterns just means that you know the patterns; it doesn't mean that you know the scale. Try playing the scale on one string at a time until you know where the notes for that scale are on that string. Repeat on every string. Repeat for other scales. Eventually, you'll just think "right, I'm in B Lydian, so E# instead of E" and get on with making music instead of trying to run patterns.

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

You don't know how to find the same note on different strings? Play the scale on the low B string up to F#. Where else do you have that F#? It's the next string up. Continue the scale from your open F#. Now keep playing the scale up to B. Hey, your next open string is the same B! You can find notes in the scale on open strings up until your G# and C#. An easy fix: the nearest available scale tones on those strings are A and D#, respectively.

That perfect fifth between the two lowest strings makes scales a bit of a pain, as you have to have four notes per string on one of them. You might consider going up an octave to keep it three notes per string, and save that low B for its intended usage: da powar curds.

C#-6-8-10
G#-7-8-10
E--5-7-8
B--5-7-8
F#-5-6-8------0
B-------------0

 

[Glimpsed-AM]

You don't know how to find the same note on different strings? Play the scale on the low B string up to F#. Where else do you have that F#? It's the next string up. Continue the scale from your open F#. Now keep playing the scale up to B. Hey, your next open string is the same B! You can find notes in the scale on open strings up until your G# and C#. An easy fix: the nearest available scale tones on those strings are A and D#, respectively.

That perfect fifth between the two lowest strings makes scales a bit of a pain, as you have to have four notes per string on one of them. You might consider going up an octave to keep it three notes per string, and save that low B for its intended usage: da powar curds.

C#-6-8-10
G#-7-8-10
E--5-7-8
B--5-7-8
F#-5-6-8------0
B-------------0

Well, I can find the same note on the other strings, I was just asking if I had to use that method of playing the scale up one string to find the same pitch, or if there was some sort of a pattern to make it simpler.

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

I defer you to my initial reply to this thread. Intervals are the answer. Know what they are, know what they look like, how they sound, and how to get to any one of them anywhere on the fretboard.

 

[Overtone]

Learn to know the sound of it... it has a very distinctive sound/feeling to it. Once you are living and breathing that feel the song practically writes itself. Try to HEAR the next note instead of visualizing it on the fretboard. But also learn that pattern SW inside out, as well as any others you can find or create. There are two things in particular for me that really drive home the sound. The sound of a B Major triad and a C Major triad back to back, and the sound of the cluster of notes that includes the 3, 4, 5 and b6. That in particular makes many melodies recognizable as phrygian dominant, harmonic minor, etc. (all are related and include the same set of intervals). Once you are familiar with the sound of that you'll notice how much it's used by YJM, Symphony X, and many MANY metal bands, as well as flamenco music.