Modal Pentatonics
(25 Aug 05)
The other modes
F Lydian: F G A B C D E F
Take out the 2nd and 6th note, and you get F A B C E F.
Which IS NOT the F major pentatonic (F G A C D F). Instead, this one is quite unlike our major or minor pentatonic.
Try playing it (in each of the examples, I have provided a small segment of the respective modal pentatonic, and a full pattern that covers all six strings). I am sure you have heard people refer to the lydian mode as "oriental" or "mysterious sounding". Well, I think this "Lydian Pentatonic" brings out that sound quite a bit!
In fact, whenever I play that, or hear it, just this lydian pentatonic played ascending or descending without any phrasing or licks, I immediately think of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai and some of their melodies ("Answers" and "Feathers" by Vai, or "Flying In A Blue Dream" by Satch, which are both based on the lydian mode).
I think that the sound of that pentatonic gives the listener the essence of the mode. A lot of people seem to be confused if they hear the regular lydian scale played ascending or descending, as it still sometimes sounds like a major scale played from its 4th degree to the octave of that.
In this case, due to the notes which we left out, the sound of the mode is pretty well.
Let's move on to Mixolydian, the next mode. The root in our example would be G.
G A B C D E F G.
Take out the 2nd and 6th degree, and you get the mixolydian pentatonic: G B C D F G.
Same as above... the mixolydian sound immediately becomes obvious (at least to me, and back then the whole modes-thing was still a big riddle to me). When I hear this one, I immediately think of Jeff Beck and melodies like "Freeway Jam" (one of the best and easiest-to-remember examples of a "mixolydian melody")
Aeolian is our next mode, and we have covered that one above... A Aeolian (minor): A B C D E F G A, A Aeolian / minor pentatonic: A C D E G A.
And finally, the last mode, B Locrian: B C D E F G A B.
Take out... blah blah, and you get B D E F A B.
Quite a weird one, as the root of our "mother scale" (C Major) is excluded from it. The result to me sounds both a bit mysterious, and a bit odd.
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