Session Mode

[noahfence]

Why are some notes in Session Mode filled in, while others are hollow?Are those filled-in notes suggestions on where to go next? 

[alexutzcluj]

Good question, i cant understand how it works session mode, how i must play ?

[a.peter]

The filled notes are part of the chord and will sound more smooth. The hollow notes are still part of the scale but will have an acoustic tension. Playing only the filled notes will sound good but a little boring. Use the hollow notes to make your music more interesting. 

Good question, i cant understand how it works session mode, how i must play ?

It's a mode to learn improvising, aka jamming. Just select a band of your musical choice, select a base tone, select a complexity of the band's accompany. Then begin to play. Use the marked notes and enjoy your own music.

[snowdog]

Those of you that are using the Pentatonic Minor scale in Session Mode for solos may want to combine both the Minor and Major Pentatonic scales for each position instead. Gives you loads more options and is pretty easy to remember the scale shapes. Here's a YouTube video explaining things:

 

 

I've made these scales shapes for all 5 positions, there's probably a proper name for it but unless someone can let everyone know what it's proper name is I'm calling it the Pentatonic Minjor Scale lol

 

http://s30.postimg.org/7fyrfgmyp/Pentatonic_Minjor_Scale.jpg

[noahfence]

Holy shitballs.

 

I read on reddit about session mode - I was 1 more goggle search away from success and I guess I found it.
 

 

To really make use of it you need to learn some 'chops', need to understand that a scale is not a run of notes... it's a pool of notes that you can make a selection from.

How's your :eek: lightbulb moment.

 

I just spent the last 30 minutes in one long jam with the Psychedelic Rock band and it sounded like someone on the frickin radio.  (Well, "ish") 

You get the point...Wasn't exactly Comfortably Numb, but there were absolutely times where it was just falling out of me effortless. 

 

I LOVE LIGHTBULB MOMENTS!!!

 

 

If the person who wrote that, looks like "pigz" finds his way to this thread, thanks  man.

[Flibbs]

Those of you that are using the Pentatonic Minor scale in Session Mode for solos may want to combine both the Minor and Major Pentatonic scales for each position instead. Gives you loads more options and is pretty easy to remember the scale shapes. Here's a YouTube video explaining things:

 

I've made these scales shapes for all 5 positions, there's probably a proper name for it but unless someone can let everyone know what it's proper name is I'm calling it the Pentatonic Minjor Scale lol

 

http://s30.postimg.org/7fyrfgmyp/Pentatonic_Minjor_Scale.jpg

 

I think you may be missing the point. It's not about creating a new scale. It's about combining separate scales to be more versatile. The scales you combine can depend on the chord. e.g. for a 12 bar blues in A Maj on the D you could combine Am pentatonic and D Maj pentatonic. Similar for the E chord.  

 

 

[Squarc]

Those of you that are using the Pentatonic Minor scale in Session Mode for solos may want to combine both the Minor and Major Pentatonic scales for each position instead. Gives you loads more options and is pretty easy to remember the scale shapes. Here's a YouTube video explaining things:

 

 

I've made these scales shapes for all 5 positions, there's probably a proper name for it but unless someone can let everyone know what it's proper name is I'm calling it the Pentatonic Minjor Scale lol

 

http://s30.postimg.org/7fyrfgmyp/Pentatonic_Minjor_Scale.jpg

Just saying. Thanks, you saved me, i'm learning through this now! Thank you!

[snowdog]

No probs. You may also find the video below very useful. It gives you a very good way of building a scale map, and obviously the Hopscotch Method can be used for any scale.

 

I've started a thread in the Learning Guitar And Bass sub-forum for useful YouTube videos regarding soloing tips.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_qw03-3gFg#t=0

 

[v8Tuna]

Thanks snowdog! The videos I've watched today have helped immediately with "shrinking" the fretboard in my mind. I like the hopscotch idea a lot. That along with the minijor scales today really makes everything come together.

[noahfence]

Diving further into Session Mode, it's becoming more and more clear what's happening.  The wavy lines are indicating whether you're playing a consonant note (noob translation: good!) or a dissonant note (not so much).

 

Since I've been playing mostly session mode the last week, I've been going through more and more missions.  I'm not sure the wavy lines are going to function until you get to that particular mission.  Perhaps someone who hasn't made it that far can fill us in.

Anyway, I'm on the D minor pentatonic way down on like the 12th fret, and every time I hit one of the notes, the lines are solid.  If I hit the wrong note, they separate and you can immediately hear that it sounds bad.  On a lark, I decided to move up and down the fretboard searching for notes elsewhere that would produce a solid line.  I found some by the 3rd, 5th and 7th frets of the D string, some one the A and some on the low E.

 

Next thing I know, the screen is still zoomed in, showing only the 12th - 16th frets for the scale, but I'm up on the 3rd - 7th frets on my guitar and it's still all solid.  Basically, without much effort, I'm moving up and down the entire fretboard still in the same scale and it's sounding like music.

 

Bottom line, if you're new - drop everything and go to session mode.  Do the missions.  It's becoming more and more obvious that this is a tool, not a game.

[snowdog]

I've started a Session Mode Recordings and Videos thread here if anyone wants to contribute.  :mrgreen:

 

Haven't had much chance to do another video yet because I haven't been well and have been unable to practice that much, but should be doing something during the next few days.

 

Definitely the best part of Rocksmith 2014, although it's annoying that a part of the game that's so important in developing skills isn't counted in allocating time to the 60 Day Challenge.  :mad:

[noahfence]

How's that FRAPS work?  I can't get it to record sound...  Video looks great.

[dazedandbemused]

iirc you'll need to disable audio exclusivity in the RS options.

 

And as for dissonant notes - sometimes they sound 'off', but other times(admittedly more rarely), the dissonance can be exactly what you want. The notes from the scale diagram are, to quote Captain Barbossa somewhat out-of-context, "more what ye'd call... guidelines".

[noahfence]

I just found a thread-zilla with 76 pages detailing session mode on the Ubi forums:

 

http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/809449-Getting-the-most-out-of-Session-Mode?s=48945d53ef9b915ac429edc5f2a356a2

 

Major league shout-out to lesslargemarge for putting that together.

 

Looks like a great Youtube video by the guys that made it too:

 

 

Timestamps on youtube of specific topics (Tempo Slew, Groove, etc...)