Key:
A minor and E minor (A Dorian and E Aolian modes)
This piece is primarily A Dorian mode, however it also moves into E Aolian (E natural minor) and arguably G Ionian (G major).
My intention is to give you a better appreciation of how several modes relate to each other.
To enable you to confidently jam / solo over this piece, I encourage you to familiarise yourself with the rhythm guitar part.
Rhythm
I simply finger-pick a single, Am chord for the intro. It is played from the 5th fret (start fret marked with an asterix):
The grey circle marks the root-note and I play the 1st & 2nd strings open.
Once the drums and bass kick-in, we’re straight into the first, four-bar progression:
| Am / C / | G / Bm / |
| Am / C / | G / D / |
Most are played as standard, open chords except the D. This is played with the F#, which is normally on the top string (thinnest), fingered on the thickest, bottom-string:
This piece is repeated a twice. The next progression is as follows:
| C / D4 / | Em / / / |
| C / D4 / | Em / / / |
| C / D / | G D Em / |
| C / D / | Em / / / |
The C is played as a standard, open chord. The D4 is exactly the same shape, simply slid-up the neck by two bars:
The C is played as a standard, open chord. The D4 is exactly the same shape, simply slid-up the neck by two bars.
I simply ripple-pick these; picking the strings in the following order:
5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
The Em in the 2nd and 4th bars is played by sliding up another two bars, and changing the fingering slightly so that I am only actually fretting two strings, using the same picking:
This is played from the 7th fret, so the root-note is on the 5th and 1st strings. The minor-third is on the 4th and 3rd strings, and the 5th is on the 2nd.
The 6th bar has a nice, common run of chords which uses the same D as in the previous section. This gives a running bass-line down the 6th string (3rd to 2nd to open frets), coming to rest on a standard, open Em chord:
The final bar of Em is played using a standard A-type barre chord, but with the 1st string left open – since it is an E:
---0---
---8---
---9---
---9---
---7---
---X---
I then repeat from the beginning, prior to moving into what I consider to be a middle-eight, although it’s repeated later in the piece. Middle-eights usually only occur once in a composition – although they are often not eight bars long….just to confuse!
This one is eight bars, and comprised of the same two bars repeated four times:
| Am / / / | Bm7add4 / / / |
The Am is a standard, open chord. The Bm7add4 is simply exactly the same shape but slid-up the neck by two frets:
---0---
---4---
---5---
---5---
---0---
---x---
If you play a B major scale, you’ll find that the flattened 7th is an A and the 4th is an E. So the two open strings make it a minor7 and add a 4th. For a deeper understanding of how chords are formed check out my 'Chords' tutorials.
This is a perfect example of how seemingly complex chords need not require complex chord-shapes / fingering.
I then introduce a distorted guitar section. This begins by simply continuing the Am to Bm theme, but simply uses standard bar chords:
It begins with one bar of each, for four bars:
| Am / / / | Bm / / / |
I then halve the amount of time on each chord, and move into a two bar pattern, which I repeat once:
| Am / Bm / | Am / C D | Am / Bm / | Am / C D |
And the final piece halves the time on each chord once again, with this pattern played four times:
| G Bm Am C | Bm D Em / |
Jamming & Soloing
This tune can be seen as moving between several modes. All relate to G major, so the notes of G major will work throughout:
G A B C D E F# G
It begins in A dorian mode. Here are the notes of A dorian:
A B C D E F# G A
Here is the box position for dorian mode with the root on the 6th string (roots shown in grey):
Play with notes from this position at the 5th fret for the key of Am.
Notice how the dorian mode is only one note different from the aolian, or natural minor scale.
When it moves into the second section, the E natural minor or aolian mode fits better. Here are the notes:
E F# G A B C D E
Here is the chord diagram to remind you of the section I’m referring to:
| C / D4 / | Em / / / | C / D4 / | Em / / / |
| C / D / | G D Em / | C / D / | Em / / / |
And here is the aolian mode box, root on 6th string:
Play around this in the open position (although you’ll need to move one of the notes from the third string up to the 4th fret on the 4th string) ~ or at the 12th fret.
During this final section:
| G Bm Am C | Bm D Em / |
Play around the Ionian mode (major scale):
G A B C D E F# G
Here is the Ionian mode / major scale box, root on 6th string:
A minor and E minor (A Dorian and E Aolian modes)
This piece is primarily A Dorian mode, however it also moves into E Aolian (E natural minor) and arguably G Ionian (G major).
My intention is to give you a better appreciation of how several modes relate to each other.
To enable you to confidently jam / solo over this piece, I encourage you to familiarise yourself with the rhythm guitar part.
Rhythm
I simply finger-pick a single, Am chord for the intro. It is played from the 5th fret (start fret marked with an asterix):
The grey circle marks the root-note and I play the 1st & 2nd strings open.
Once the drums and bass kick-in, we’re straight into the first, four-bar progression:
| Am / C / | G / Bm / |
| Am / C / | G / D / |
Most are played as standard, open chords except the D. This is played with the F#, which is normally on the top string (thinnest), fingered on the thickest, bottom-string:
This piece is repeated a twice. The next progression is as follows:| C / D4 / | Em / / / |
| C / D4 / | Em / / / |
| C / D / | G D Em / |
| C / D / | Em / / / |
The C is played as a standard, open chord. The D4 is exactly the same shape, simply slid-up the neck by two bars:
The C is played as a standard, open chord. The D4 is exactly the same shape, simply slid-up the neck by two bars.
I simply ripple-pick these; picking the strings in the following order:
5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
The Em in the 2nd and 4th bars is played by sliding up another two bars, and changing the fingering slightly so that I am only actually fretting two strings, using the same picking:
This is played from the 7th fret, so the root-note is on the 5th and 1st strings. The minor-third is on the 4th and 3rd strings, and the 5th is on the 2nd.
The 6th bar has a nice, common run of chords which uses the same D as in the previous section. This gives a running bass-line down the 6th string (3rd to 2nd to open frets), coming to rest on a standard, open Em chord:
The final bar of Em is played using a standard A-type barre chord, but with the 1st string left open – since it is an E:
---0---
---8---
---9---
---9---
---7---
---X---
I then repeat from the beginning, prior to moving into what I consider to be a middle-eight, although it’s repeated later in the piece. Middle-eights usually only occur once in a composition – although they are often not eight bars long….just to confuse!
This one is eight bars, and comprised of the same two bars repeated four times:
| Am / / / | Bm7add4 / / / |
The Am is a standard, open chord. The Bm7add4 is simply exactly the same shape but slid-up the neck by two frets:
---0---
---4---
---5---
---5---
---0---
---x---
If you play a B major scale, you’ll find that the flattened 7th is an A and the 4th is an E. So the two open strings make it a minor7 and add a 4th. For a deeper understanding of how chords are formed check out my 'Chords' tutorials.
This is a perfect example of how seemingly complex chords need not require complex chord-shapes / fingering.
I then introduce a distorted guitar section. This begins by simply continuing the Am to Bm theme, but simply uses standard bar chords:
It begins with one bar of each, for four bars:
| Am / / / | Bm / / / |
I then halve the amount of time on each chord, and move into a two bar pattern, which I repeat once:
| Am / Bm / | Am / C D | Am / Bm / | Am / C D |
And the final piece halves the time on each chord once again, with this pattern played four times:
| G Bm Am C | Bm D Em / |
Jamming & Soloing
This tune can be seen as moving between several modes. All relate to G major, so the notes of G major will work throughout:
G A B C D E F# G
It begins in A dorian mode. Here are the notes of A dorian:
A B C D E F# G A
Here is the box position for dorian mode with the root on the 6th string (roots shown in grey):
Play with notes from this position at the 5th fret for the key of Am.Notice how the dorian mode is only one note different from the aolian, or natural minor scale.
When it moves into the second section, the E natural minor or aolian mode fits better. Here are the notes:
E F# G A B C D E
Here is the chord diagram to remind you of the section I’m referring to:
| C / D4 / | Em / / / | C / D4 / | Em / / / |
| C / D / | G D Em / | C / D / | Em / / / |
And here is the aolian mode box, root on 6th string:
Play around this in the open position (although you’ll need to move one of the notes from the third string up to the 4th fret on the 4th string) ~ or at the 12th fret.
During this final section:
| G Bm Am C | Bm D Em / |
Play around the Ionian mode (major scale):
G A B C D E F# G
Here is the Ionian mode / major scale box, root on 6th string:
