Metal and Minor tonality go hand in hand. With the tonal range of the 7 string extending down to low B, we'll begin with the 7 tone B Minor scale, which we'll later refer to as the Aeolian Mode. Then we'll break it down to the 5 tone Pentatonic scale and finally the B minor triad for our chord tones. Take note of the 2 sharp signs in the key

Metal and Minor tonality go hand in hand. With the tonal range of the 7 string extending down to low B, we'll begin with the 7 tone B Minor scale, which we'll later refer to as the Aeolian Mode. Then we'll break it down to the 5 tone Pentatonic scale and finally the B minor triad for our chord tones. Take note of the 2 sharp signs in the key signature which indicate that C is sharp and F is Sharp. Note: Despite it's minor tonality, these drills can be played along with the backing track. More on why that is later! Enjoy!

The major scale is said to be the foundation of western music and is this foundation of this course. It's that bright and uplifting sounding scale ( Do, Re, Mi from The Sound of Music anyone?) that is seemingly a contradiction to Metal, but surprisingly is used a lot in Modern Progressive Metal. Whether a song is major or minor, a major scale can

The major scale is said to be the foundation of western music and is this foundation of this course. It's that bright and uplifting sounding scale ( Do, Re, Mi from The Sound of Music anyone?) that is seemingly a contradiction to Metal, but surprisingly is used a lot in Modern Progressive Metal. Whether a song is major or minor, a major scale can be found lurking either directly or indirectly within most songs because as you will soon learn, these scales are related. So let's shift up from B minor to D major and nail down the diatonic (7 tone) major scale, the D major pentatonic (5 tone) and the D major triad arpeggios. Take note that the two sharps in the key signature did not change.

A mode is an inverted or displaced scale. When isolated, they reveal their specific mood. When mastered we can use them to create the emotions that we want to embody in a song. Earlier I mentioned that Ionian (Major) was bright and uplifting and Aeolian (Minor) was dark and sad. Those are our "bookends" and the other modes sit on the spectrum

A mode is an inverted or displaced scale. When isolated, they reveal their specific mood. When mastered we can use them to create the emotions that we want to embody in a song. Earlier I mentioned that Ionian (Major) was bright and uplifting and Aeolian (Minor) was dark and sad. Those are our "bookends" and the other modes sit on the spectrum somewhere in between. That's for a future lesson on "Parallel Modes", for now we'll explore them as "relative" modes where they exist in the same key. Same 7 notes, but different roots. We'll also derive 7 chords from those same notes in the arpeggio study. Modes and chords are 2 sides of the same coin.

The Box Modes were named as such due to their boxey shape as they would appear on a fretboard diagram. They maintain this shape because, for the most part we're playing in one position on the fretboard with very little left to right hand movement along the neck. Now we're going to move diagonally up and down the fretboard due to the 3 note per

The Box Modes were named as such due to their boxey shape as they would appear on a fretboard diagram. They maintain this shape because, for the most part we're playing in one position on the fretboard with very little left to right hand movement along the neck. Now we're going to move diagonally up and down the fretboard due to the 3 note per string formula for these modal studies. Likewise the arpeggios will move in a similar fashion, but even more exaggerated giving you a nice little workout!. We'll also work on the D Minor Pentatonic Scale. This is where the scale shows it's true colors, becomes the antagonist and causes tension as it seeks to do its own thing. Yet, it somehow still works against the major sounding backing track. Those are called Blue Notes my friend... the stuff Rock, Metal and Blues is made of! More on that later.

Okay y'all this one shifts into high gear. A tetrachord is where a scale is divided into two parts. The first four notes is the lower tetrachord. The last four notes is the upper tetrachord. In our modal study each tetrachord is divided by a position shift... four notes, shift, four notes shift, four notes, shift, etc. This greatly extends the

Okay y'all this one shifts into high gear. A tetrachord is where a scale is divided into two parts. The first four notes is the lower tetrachord. The last four notes is the upper tetrachord. In our modal study each tetrachord is divided by a position shift... four notes, shift, four notes shift, four notes, shift, etc. This greatly extends the range of each mode over the fingerboard. The arpeggio study does something similar, but uses a technique called "chunking". This is where we play a Root, 3rd, 5th Triad and then immediately shift our hand position up two frets to the next octave root and play the same triad shape or "chunk". Then we'll examine the 5 modes of the Blues Scale. The Blues Scale is the minor pentatonic scale where we add flat 5 in with the flat 3 and 7, that will give us the bluest of all the blue notes. It sounds fantastic on the 7 string! Enjoy!

We're going 4 notes per string on this round of tetrachords, expanding our triad arpeggios even more and replacing the flat 7 with a major 6 tone in the ultra cool sounding Minor -Major 6 Pentatonic scale. From this point forward we will begin stacking more tones to our arpeggios so get ready! Reminder: If you're not observing the down/up picking

We're going 4 notes per string on this round of tetrachords, expanding our triad arpeggios even more and replacing the flat 7 with a major 6 tone in the ultra cool sounding Minor -Major 6 Pentatonic scale. From this point forward we will begin stacking more tones to our arpeggios so get ready! Reminder: If you're not observing the down/up picking symbols above the tab, you're not getting the full benefit of the lesson.

For this lesson's modal study we're going to play a sequence of 1-3-2-4-3-5-4-6-5-7 up and down the scales to work out a form of economy picking called "Inside Picking". Pay close attention to the pick symbols in this study or it won't work right. In the arpeggio study we're going to stack the 7th tone on to the triads. The Blues Scale with a flat

For this lesson's modal study we're going to play a sequence of 1-3-2-4-3-5-4-6-5-7 up and down the scales to work out a form of economy picking called "Inside Picking". Pay close attention to the pick symbols in this study or it won't work right. In the arpeggio study we're going to stack the 7th tone on to the triads. The Blues Scale with a flat 6 is the coolest of them all. I think you'll agree. This lesson is loaded with guitar playing goodness! Take your time and if you experience any pain take a break!! Don't play in pain!!

Scale Sequence #2 is a workout and wil do wonders for developing finger independence. Try to keep your fingers as close to the strings as possible but take it slow at first then gradually increase your speed. The tempo marking at the beginning of all of these studies is the suggested starting point. If you are using Guitar Pro, then you'll be able

Scale Sequence #2 is a workout and wil do wonders for developing finger independence. Try to keep your fingers as close to the strings as possible but take it slow at first then gradually increase your speed. The tempo marking at the beginning of all of these studies is the suggested starting point. If you are using Guitar Pro, then you'll be able to adjust the tempo as you progress. The Nineth Arpeggios have a melodic jazzy flavor and some really cool sweeps in the picking department. If it sounds too jazzy, don't despair because the flat 5 Blues Scale will yank you back into the Metal pit pronto!

In case you weren't aware, I've been training you from the very beginning, a superior form of picking called Economy Picking. This form of picking better synchronizes the two hands over the more standard alternate (straight down / up) picking. Since this is considered an advanced form of picking, this is another facet of this program that is unique

In case you weren't aware, I've been training you from the very beginning, a superior form of picking called Economy Picking. This form of picking better synchronizes the two hands over the more standard alternate (straight down / up) picking. Since this is considered an advanced form of picking, this is another facet of this program that is unique in addition to the 7 string format. Upon completion of this lesson, you will have gained a strong command of this picking style! All three studies will see to that. If you find yourself in the weeds with the picking aspect of this lesson, go back through the previous studies and focus more on the picking aspect. You will thank me later as your ability to develop speed and precision hinges on this! All of the previous lessons contain their own set of challenges, so you should be continuing to practice them anyway.

DISCLAIMER: The Pedal Tone Sequence Etude MUST be played slowly at first or you will run the risk of injuring your left hand. This is a right hand alternate picking exercise that involves wide string skips and for the left hand involves finger stretching. For this reason we'll start high on the fretboard and work through the modes down to the wider

DISCLAIMER: The Pedal Tone Sequence Etude MUST be played slowly at first or you will run the risk of injuring your left hand. This is a right hand alternate picking exercise that involves wide string skips and for the left hand involves finger stretching. For this reason we'll start high on the fretboard and work through the modes down to the wider frets. The guitar should be positioned on your left leg classical style for optimum hand positioning. By the time you play through this twice, your muscles should feel warm and elastic. Keep your muscles loose and don't tense up! If at any point you feel pain anywhere in your arm or hand, STOP and take a break. Over time you will gradually be able to pick up the pace but don't rush. The Arpeggio Mode study is where we have now come full circle and are play all 7 modes as arpeggios. This is so enjoyable to play through and you should be able to take this and play through chord changes as solos. The Major Blues Scale is the easiest of the three and I'm giving you a break after the effort you put into the previous two.