Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to hear the unique sounds of the 3 minor scales (Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, and Melodic Minor), plus Dorian Mode. You’ll also learn how to use them when improvising.
Guitar Lesson Video
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Thanks Brian, I need a lot of work in this area.
beautiful lesson, never had a decent grasp on these.
Now, if you would turn the camera and show your studio some, it would maybe help.
thanks
Thanks Brian, excellent as usual.
Hey Brian-is there a way to request a lesson from you? There’s a couple of areas I can’t seem to grasp regarding minor scales and when and how to use maj7 chords in key families
you could just do it right here in the comments – i read them all :). plus someone else might jump in w/ a solution!
Have you done anything on spread triads?
What a fantastic lesson with very helpful pdfs for all the minor and Dorian scales. I can’t’ thank you enough Brian for all your hard work. I’ll be using these pdf scales many times over.
Thanks again.
Very informative lesson Brian thank you.
Thanks Brian! Great explanations as usual. This will be fun to improvise over the different minor scales this week.
Great one this week. Thanks for putting this all together. Define bookmark.
Oh my goodness this is gold. I knew all of this but didn’t know I knew until now. Ping. Thank you.
Another great lesson from you, Much appreciated yet again happy days 🙂
Again very well done, Brian! This was the ideal saturday late breakfast lesson 🙂 You always find a didactic concept that makes it fun to make your way through the dense forest of theory, illuminated by all these ‘light bulbs’, thank you!
Brilliant lesson, I love that you explain it by how it sounds, don’t get too bogged down in theory, get in and use this stuff, …..I did 4 years online with Berklee and came out more confused than when I went in, you nailed it in 24 minutes …..
That lesson was a peach!
I have been putting so much emphasis on the scale patterns relating to chord shapes. All good, but its time to stop thinking and start listening. This lesson is so helpful in that regard. Thank you!
Despite what I just said: What do you use to make the scale patterns in your pdf’s? (… but I will keep listening and using my ears)
Photoshop
Love the way one note makes all the difference, all about the sound.
Thanks again!!
Brilliant lesson from a brilliant teacher. Thanks.
Thank you very much for fulfilling my wish, Brian!
Thanks for this one Brian! I’ve been waiting for this one for years! AWESOME!
Always learning from you Brian! Thanks!
To teach THE BASE first as the shared structure to all minor scales was very helpful. Then playing each scale behind 3 simple chord progressions to see which scales work over each chord seemed to open my ears up to hearing the chord changes because of the note in the scale that you told us to target when that chord comes around, You put alot into this lesson. Thanks
I was confused? the scale you showed was 6/3 6/6 5/3 5/6….but you played 6/3 6/6 5/3 5/5?
That was the best lesson I’ve ever seen on variations of the minor scale. With your tips, I can now expand on the other 4 positions and have an idea on how to play across the entire fretboard with those minor scale variations. I was always stuck on position 1 in which I already knew several of those minor scales. Excellent info!
Enjoying the lesson, Brian. Thank you for sharing your rationale for using the different minor scales.
excellent stuff. playing the long Gm loop is so helpful– one dang chord and so much can be learned under it.
This was a great lesson. To me the key the key was the introduction of the core 5 notes. Once I appreciated this idea it was easy to grasp and navigate the various scales, The long jam tracks are great. Especially useful was the strong emphasis on the chord changes. Very helpful to someone like me who is still learning how to listen to chord changes.
Thanks Brian
Amazing lesson Brian. Your lessons are the best I’ve found. I recently signed up to Truefire on a decent sale, and so far am quite disappointed. Pale in comparison to your lessons. Pace is too fast, tabs are average, often don’t come with supporting pdf/charts.
Thanks again.
Flat 3rds, 6ths and 7ths; then running with it. Very helpful in getting my ears to learn the sounds of those scales then letting my fingers follow suit with each chord position.
Thanks!
Thanks Brian, great lesson.
Is there a typo on the download, Dorian mode? Think the Dorian sound should be two notes to the left unless I’ve misunderstood.
Jon
Sorry, I mean one fret to the left
Looking at it, If I’ve understood correctly (and that’s by no means certain) the Dorian sound is represented by blue rather than green.
Great lesson, Brian! While I was noodling with the harmonic G minor and natural G minor scales, one melody that quickly emerged was the Pink Panther Theme. By combining these scales with a few notes from the G minor pentatonic/blues scale, it’s easy to figure out this catchy melody.
So I’m retired with plenty of time on my hands, and working my way back through Brian’s entire library of lessons for a few years now, On lesson 155, Brian was talking about people asking him how he comes up with something new every week. Isn’t he afraid that he will get burned out or run out of ideas? “Paraphrasing: No he replied, I have enough ideas to last for years, as long as people want to keep coming back to learn more, this is what I will be doing.. Almost 400 lessons, 8 years later, it’s still going, always something new to learn, and getting better with age. I just thought this would be a fun comment to share with the group. Amazing Brian, really amazing! Thanks!
Just keep going through those lessons Paul N I’m with you all the way when you go back over an old lesson its amazing how much has been learnt another great lesson Brian
I try and hum the minor scales during the day I find it really helps when I pick up my guitar later
Great lesson Brian.
I am a beginner and follow you since more or less two years. First time I was so happy to learn the pentatonic and use it in different forms. It was a great experience, but after two years, slowly it start to be a bit boring to use only it. For short time I saw your other great lesson about different scales which get me some idea to try to use it. Quickly I discover a Natural scale without to know it name. I just saw that it works definitely in lot of cases, where other combinations some time yes and sometime know. I am even was thinking to ask you, what is this, but today you give me exact the answer.
I like your way to bring us guitar playing.
Thanks a lot.
Check out Tommy Guerrero if you like these sounds. He’s a master.
Cracking’ good lesson, Brian. The various minor scales have haunted me for years … you brought ’em together for me.
Nice Brian. I think with the harmonic minor scale it might be easier, for me, to just learn what notes not to play. Think I need a chart just showing those! As always, thanks for the well thought out lesson.
Thank you Brian, for the lesson on scales. Now I know what a Dorian scale is. Good job!
Terrific lesson Brian – the concept of ‘The Base’ is masterly! But what is that very interesting Tele you are playing? I can’t make out the headstock logo on screen.
A welcome lesson, although it’s just going to take some work. One of my fuzziest, weakest knowledge. Dreaded it. You sure take a lot of the dread away. Thanks so much, my friend.
J in SC
Brian great lesson I was able to use these scales for a solo in the song come together I always learn Something in every lesson keep em coming!
Great lesson Brian! It’s just what I needed!
Thanks for a very accessible lesson to extend the minor scale 🙂
A quick question. Is there a mistake in the colors on the Dorian mode in the PDF?
In the lesson I think you said the 5th fret on the second string gives the dorian sound. In the PDF this is coloured blue and the dorian sound – green is the 6th fret. I would make the 5th fret the green dorian sound colour.
I found myself getting into a Santana groove!
Thank you for the lesson and the PDFs. I really appreciate the thought and time you put into your lessons.
I use this shortcut for Modes as well as Minor scales that works for me but may be somehow incorrect since it is not taught this way; Dorian mode in your selected key is just the Major scale two frets down – in this case F. The Minor scale in your selected key is just the Major scale three frets up, in this case Bflat. Comments welcome…
Super lesson this one. Very helpful and well explained. I found it easy to remember using R 2 b3 4 5 as the base and then adding a 6 and b7 for Dorian, 7 for Harmonic Minor and 6 7 for Melodic Minor, and b6 b7 for Natural Minor scales.
👍👍👍