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Hi all,

So despite having read music theory books and thoroughly appreciated them I found that there were three things that bothered me not knowing about and I grow tired of ignorance. :) So I've gone ahead and explored the following:

1. CAGED System
2. Circle of Fifths and Fourths
3. Modes

One problem I have with reading theory is that once I read a music theory lesson I don't make much use of it as I am playing guitar because the info is not at my fingertips. I am a fan of 1 double-sided page crib sheets that contain all the condensed details of the theory and having it on my music stand for use on-the-fly between playing Rocksmith songs. I also like to make my crib sheets such that it can be read from beginning to end like a detailed lesson.

The CAGED system and Circle of Fifths/Fourths crib sheets are more casual hand-written notes however the Modes crib sheet is a ode to nerds as it is a very detailed yet very demystifying lesson.

My goal is not just to summarize but to organize the mind with ALL the info found in these references but all viewable at a glance.

I believe you'll get the most out of these crib sheets if you actually view/read the references I link to since a crib sheet makes the most sense to the reader when he/she already understands the info contained in it. The references linked take you through the material at a more leisurely pace whereas the crib sheet is all business and intense.

One day when I have time I'll type up the hand-written crib sheets, so thanks for tolerating my lefty penmanship.

DISCLAIMER: All of the following are merely representations of the content in the links I provide and, though logical, have not yet been fully verified by myself since I am new learning this. This assumes the Reference links are providing correct content.

 

CRIB SHEET 1 - CAGED SYSTEM

References:
Pentatonic Minor Scale
Pentatonic Minor 5 patterns
CAGED System

Just to understand how to derive what we see in the Rocksmith Guitarcade game, Scale Racers, here is my derivation of the 5 patterns of a the A Minor Penatatonic scale with annotations showing positions within the framework of the CAGED system.

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/A%20Pentatonic%20Minor/IMG_1563_zpsru6lbo26.jpg

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/A%20Pentatonic%20Minor/IMG_1562_zpszrtzjkeg.jpg

Note how the image below shows the CAGED system (or rather EDCAG) chord shapes which I label.

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/A%20Pentatonic%20Minor/IMG_1564_zpssw41tzua.jpg

Pattern 1 -> contains a G-shape amidst all the scales notes
Pattern 2 -> contains a E-shape amidst all the scales notes
Pattern 3 -> contains a D-shape amidst all the scales notes
Pattern 4 -> contains a C-shape amidst all the scales notes
Pattern 5 -> contains a A-shape amidst all the scales notes

However Pattern 1 is actually called the E-shape, Pattern 2 the D-shape, Pattern 3 the C-shape, Pattern 4 the A-shape and Pattern 5 the G-shape. So what are we missing here?

In short: The names of the patterns annotated on the above image are correct. What was missing was that E-shape for a Minor scale such as the Minor Penatonic scale is actually referring to the Eminor-chord-shape. My earlier expectation was that I thought they were referring to EMAJOR-chord-shapes.

Substantiation:
Hmm, very interesting that despite the Major chord shapes apparent in the Pentanic Minor patterns, that within those same patterns ALSO exist Minor chord shapes. Below, I've updated my drawing of the patterns shown above to add SQUARES around notes that belong to MINOR chord shapes. So I changed my labels to say Pattern 1: Em-Shape instead of Pattern 1: E-Shape.

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/A%20Pentatonic%20Minor/Deriving%20A%20Pentatonic%20Minor%20-%205%20patterns%20-%20skewed%20CAGED%20patterns%20I%20noticed%20-%20REVISED%20WITH%20MINOR%20SHAPES_zpsavtwgymx.jpg

References:
1. Googling Minor Pentatonic CAGED system was my first step. It confirmed that CAGED system applies not only to MAJOR scales but also MINOR, PENTATONIC MAJOR, PENTATONIC MINOR scales, and I guess all scales too. So I realized that the chord shapes for a minor scale are minor chord shapes!!

2. I then verified correctness and landed upon the confirmation in a very nice tutorial.

3. I also landed upon a nice diagram on this Rockprodigy website

This image from that Rockprodigy website has a great summary diagram to show derivation of chord shape names for the Minor Pentatonic.

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/A%20Pentatonic%20Minor/Minor%20scales%20summary%20Rockprodigy.com_zpsubysoeey.png

Salient Features of this image:
1. Bottom row of chord boxes shows Natural Minor scales in all 5 patterns, in which red dots show notes that disappear from the Natural Minor when moving to the Minor Pentatonic scale. That is because, Pentatonic Minor formula relative to the Major scale is: 1 b3 4 5 b7 1, or relative to the Natural Minor scale is 1 3 4 5 7 1 which shows that the 2nd and 6th degree notes of the Natural Minor scale don't appear in the Pentatonic minor scale.

2. The 2nd row of chord boxes show the Pentatonic Minor scales in all 5 CAGED patterns and dotted lines show the actual Minor chord shapes. The red dots in those 2nd row boxes, when removed, leave behind the notes of the Minor chord shown in the first row.

3. So similar to the MAJOR scale the Pentatonic Minor uses the same names and retains the name CAGED which actually should be called EDCAG but CAGED is more memorable.:
Pattern 1 - E shape
Pattern 2 - D shape
Pattern 3 - C shape
Pattern 4 - A shape
Pattern 5 - G shape (well a permutation of the standard chord shape is shown in the image).

4. Major pentatonic scale formula relative to the Major scale is 1 2 3 5 6 1 (Take away 4th and 7th note from Major scale, or can be seen as adding a 2nd and 6th note from the typically 1-3-5 MAJOR triad)

5. Point 4 and the above points show that Pentatonic Major and Pentatonic Minor scales are simply traditional MAJOR and Minor scales with notes omitted.

6. In passing I read and only briefly confirmed with spot-checks a very important point: that Minor and Major scales have the same patterns. Here are 2 examples out of 10 that apply to MAJOR, Minor, MAJOR Pentatonic and Minor Pentatonic:
Example 1: MAJOR D shape pattern is identical to the Minor C shape pattern except with different root notes.
Example 2: PENTATONIC MAJOR D shape is identical to the Pentatonic Minor C shape pattern except with different root notes.So memorizing a minor shape implies memorizing a MAJOR shape. Cool!

You may want to confirm point 6 above by inspecting the same image as above but summarizing the MAJOR scales.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/A%20Pentatonic%20Minor/MAJOR%20scales%20summary%20Rockprodigy.com_zpsaighvsoq.png

My favorite part of learning is that "Eureka!" moment. Nerd bliss!


 

CRIB SHEET 2 - CIRCLE OF FIFTHS/FOURTHS





http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/Circle%20of%205ths%20and%204ths/Music%20Circle%20Circle%20of%205ths%20and%204ths%20-%20Page%201_zpsryqr7kor.jpg

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/Circle%20of%205ths%20and%204ths/Music%20Circle%20Circle%20of%205ths%20and%204ths%20-%20Page%202%20-%20Take2_zps5qpygmfp.jpg

Two days after I posted this Karen Ramirez released a digitized circle which looks nicer than my handwritten one. She posted it on her web site and she introduces and explains it in this YouTube video. Here is a link to her PDF of the image below.

 

This circle below is identical to the above but instead of having to look at 9 o'clock for the relative minor, she now added relative minors (minor scales that have the same key signature (same sharps and flats on the musical staff) as their related MAJORS) on the inner circle and explains it a bit in the linked Youtube video. For example: the relative minor of the C MAJOR scale is the A minor scale (who both share notes  C,D,E,F,G,A,B with no sharps or flats). Note: whereas the MAJOR scale has equation T-T-S-T-T-T-S, the natural minor has the equation T-S-T-T-S-T-T.

 

Also on the outside of the circle she added the individual notes of the MAJOR chord, ex: C MAJ contains notes G, C,E; A chord contains A, C#, E.

 

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/Circle%20of%205ths%20and%204ths/KarenRamirez-NewChordCircleJuly2015_zps3isrfwii.png

 

CRIB SHEET 3 - MODES


Reference to 16 part-lesson

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/Modes%20Crib%20sheet/Modes%20Crib%20Sheet%20Page%201%20Image%2020July2015Berneer_zps6rf7rbek.png

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomRockStuff/Modes%20Crib%20sheet/Modes%20Crib%20Sheet%20Page%202%20Image%2020July2015Berneer_zpsycszcolt.png

I am sure there is more information out there and that I could have done things differently but this suits me as a solid introduction and I thought I'd share.

Now I think I can understand Rocksmith Session Mode much better! Woo!!!

Here is a PDF version of the images above (if you print this please do so in legal and landscape settings, and preferably print in colour and double-sided for best effect.)

In case you wish to make changes tailored to your taste or wish to inform me of any mistakes or improvements, here is a Word 2010 version.

I suspect the PDF and Word versions will offer you better resolution that the images posted.

Spent many hours learning this reading things over and over again until it sank in. I hope this helps you learn a bit faster and that like me who always felt like, "yeah, fine so solos are scales", that this now gives you the same satisfaction I got in dymystifying how solos work. So cool this stuff!!!

Enjoy.... is this a new record length post for Berneer... :)

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"A dreamer is someone who wants beyond what is reasonable. A hero is a dreamer who cannot take no for an answer." (Martin Spina)

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great work @@Berneer, that's plenty of theoretical stuff.

It's good to tinker with it for everyone who's interested in, but make sure you don't do too much at one time.

I suggest everyone who wants to learn that step by step and piece by piece. It's very important to work on each theme a while, make exercises to it and practice them. So you get reference to it and internalize. But always in small steps and also repeating already mastered stuff.

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Lefties for life! :lol:

Also, great work. Now I just need to find the time to work through that. ;)

Thanks, Berneer.

 

Now I know why we got along famously from the beginning.... :)

 

I find that I get most of my reading (and You Tube education) on my phone or tablet while in dead times during the day, whether I'm in line somewhere, waiting for a doctor's appointment, bathroom ...... and to single-mindedly devour all I could get my eyes upon ... translates into vast knowledge acquisition. Then night time is for Rocksmith. :)

 

 

great work @@Berneer, that's plenty of theoretical stuff.

It's good to tinker with it for everyone who's interested in, but make sure you don't do too much at one time.

I suggest everyone who wants to learn that step by step and piece by piece. It's very important to work on each theme a while, make exercises to it and practice them. So you get reference to it and internalize. But always in small steps and also repeating already mastered stuff.

 

Hi frippchen,

 

Thanks.

 

I have this nasty personality trait that I like to gobble up all information before I put it into practice....  whereas I'd probably be better at playing guitar had I learned theory in bite size chunks and put it into practice. Your advice seems like great advice to me.

 

This crib sheet idea is me ensuring I capture all the things to experiment with instead of leaving them to be forgotten on a web site. Now I plan on experimenting with everything written on on the crib sheets.

 

I know Rocksmith is good for this with Session mode, but I just bought a Boss RC-3 Loop Station pedal to create the backing tracks (specifically chords) upon which I'll solo over to experiment with the modes.

 

Cheers guys!

 

 

 

By the way, checking out Rocksmith Session Mode last night I loaded up some G Mixolydian and it seems Rocksmith has the Solid Gems representing what the crib sheet calls "home notes" (aka notes to land on) and empty gems form the rest of the mode scale (notes to, perhaps cautiously, pass through). But I think RS uses a different approach than the CAGED system to define patterns (scale positions).... perhaps the 3 notes per system convention  .... I need to further investigate this.

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"A dreamer is someone who wants beyond what is reasonable. A hero is a dreamer who cannot take no for an answer." (Martin Spina)

My Released CDLC - Blaze Bayley - Stare at the Sun & MacGyver Theme Song & Iron Maiden - No More Lies

Check out the Tech Notes Tutorial Version 1.1 // Chordify Tutorial Rough Draft.

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That's a lot of stuff. Good to have you around, so I don't have to look for it on the web :P :lol:

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Added a digital version of the music circle in the OP. Coincident with this post, Karen Ramirez, the lady in the referenced YouTube videos just released this this week. What a sweet lady.

"A dreamer is someone who wants beyond what is reasonable. A hero is a dreamer who cannot take no for an answer." (Martin Spina)

My Released CDLC - Blaze Bayley - Stare at the Sun & MacGyver Theme Song & Iron Maiden - No More Lies

Check out the Tech Notes Tutorial Version 1.1 // Chordify Tutorial Rough Draft.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well at least RS doesn't touch the topic in anyway,it would be a letdown for beginners. It's would be better to improve your playing technique and let the mumbo jumbo for the end, not the opposite. Meanwhile I can live without that,if music theory would be a mandatory requirement for playing elec guitar I definively wouln't even try. <_<

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Back in time, early 70ies, so many children got disgusted first years to "serious" music by serious "teachers", meaning "Classic",

because of all this theory stuff.

 

And then you could not even touch the instrument, first you had to sing the scales / notes, my God I hated to sing.

And then you could not even choose your instrument, it had to be piano.
Guitar ? No way, instrument of hippies, drugs and sex.
E-Guitar ? Even worse, nothing but noise.

 

Its like forcing kids who want to play soccer to study FIFA Laws and Tactics before even touching a ball on the Field.

And then when they are allowed to touch the instrument, the ball, you give them an American football.

 

Practice and Theory go side by side, little progression on one side gives little progression on the other side.

It is necessary to know how, why, when to use the theory, or else it will be quickly forgotten.

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My personality is such that I prefer to know all about a thing while I learn a thing. Then when learning said thing everything makes more sense in proper context.  I tend to take advantage of places where I don't have a guitar, to gobble down YouTube videos and books of music theory. I am very happy that even if I cannot play a solo yet that I now understand how it works and how it is possible to improvise too and now I know the gap to be overcome. Feels motivating when the gap is known. Feels less helpless.

 

I think it is good to come back to music theory in waves so that practical playing introduces you to the necessity of learning the theory. Then in the 2nd wave, you begin to understand stuff you didn't understand the first time and that feeling is bliss. I only understood and made these crib sheets on Wave 3. And now it has sunk in!

 

What is also fun as a noob is playing straight out, a-la-Rocksmith, without too much concern for theory and picking out patterns you see repeating in various songs and then reading theory and noticing that you were really onto something with your early observations.  So I agree with @@TomSawyer2112 that optimal learning is to focus on both theory and practical  in increments.

 

What sucks and makes me "suck" at guitar is not learning theory but rather having free time so limited that I don't improve actually playing the guitar.... 

 

I have since bought all of Karen Ramirez's books and DVD's and she does a great job explaining basic theory. I think she also has most of her courses posted on YouTube and to figure out the order you can go to her web site which lists all her YouTube links:

 

http://www.musicinnewcastle.com/

 

It is focused on keyboard type instruments but it's all the same theory as guitar. In fact some stuff sinks in more easily looking at a keyboard. Now I even understand how piano players do to play without looking at their fingers ... chord inversions (changing the order or the notes in the chord)... during chord transitions you are only moving one or two fingers by 1 or so keys. Brilliant! @@TomSawyer2112, regrettable that they don't allow us to play guitar in school but I think piano teaching is very exportable to other instruments so at least there is that.... :) ... though I'm told they don't teach music in school anymore..... boneheaded.

 

Edit: I forgot I already made some of these points in an earlier post..... I guess I should practice my memory....

"A dreamer is someone who wants beyond what is reasonable. A hero is a dreamer who cannot take no for an answer." (Martin Spina)

My Released CDLC - Blaze Bayley - Stare at the Sun & MacGyver Theme Song & Iron Maiden - No More Lies

Check out the Tech Notes Tutorial Version 1.1 // Chordify Tutorial Rough Draft.

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I agree, I have my periods, checking theory, correcting my technique, training scales, speed, doing customs,

and I feel the puzzle completing.

 

And RS keeps me coming back every day, as well as this site.

Before I was "running on empty" (oh, missing custom ;) )

 

RS alone won't do, but it's like a good soccer coach, who keeps players motivated.  

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  • 1 year later...

I found two very good videos on putting modes into practice and which correspond perfectly with my crib sheet on modes in the OP.

 

 

These are from the guitarist of Blue Oyster Cult, Richard Castellano, who has a major YouTube presence and is very good at explaining things.

 

This video below explains diatonic chords without ever using the word diatonic :)

 

This video below runs through the modes and shows examples of which scales to play on which chords in all the modes.

To use the crib sheet terminology, it basically demonstrates how the 'tonal centre' tells you the (diatonic) chords to play while soloing over that using the "parent major scale"

Ex: C Dorian, you play diatonic chords (Maj-min-min-Maj-Maj-min-dim) of the CMaj scale and then solo over it with the Bb Parent Major Scale since Dorian always has it's PMS down a Major 2nd from the tonal centre (C tonal centre--> Bb PMS)

 

Another very good music theory instructor on YouTube is Michael New. His tutorials on modes are visual and attack modes from a different angle but it is nonetheless instructive.

 

 

Watch his three brilliant videos on demystifying time signatures.

 

"A dreamer is someone who wants beyond what is reasonable. A hero is a dreamer who cannot take no for an answer." (Martin Spina)

My Released CDLC - Blaze Bayley - Stare at the Sun & MacGyver Theme Song & Iron Maiden - No More Lies

Check out the Tech Notes Tutorial Version 1.1 // Chordify Tutorial Rough Draft.

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  • 1 year later...

OK I've resurrected this topic from the dead by paying for a Photobucket hosting subscription so that now the images can be seen again.

 

I found 4 little typos in my Modes crib sheet and will update soon.

1) Page 1, Row 2, Column 1 --> C# Phrygian in the table should end with a C# not a C note,

2) Page 1, Row 1, Column 2  last bullet, last sentence --> the words 'but' and 'then' should be interchanged.

3) Page 1, Row 2, Column 3, bullet 4 --> should say "Db <-- Eb <-- F<-- Gb <-- Ab <-- Bb <-- C

4) Page 1, Row 2, Column 2, bullet 2 --> It's called the diatonic sequence not the diatonic series.

 

I found a prominent You Tuber, an experienced former music producer and music school teacher, Rick Beato, that explains modes. I even spent $60 buying his hand-written PDF book (The Beato book) and I realize now that this subject of modes can get quite deep which might be more useful for Jazz than Rock due to the necessity for improvisation but which Ritchie Castellano showed, in the 2 videos posted above, is also very pertinent for metal. Rick Beato is quite knowledgeable but his camera in the various mode videos is not focused on the piano and so we could only really hear what he is playing but this is really helpful to get a feeling of the modes. I've just scratched the surface myself but intend to watch all his videos. My crib sheet is proving a valuable companion to watching these videos and understanding his various assertions. This is really exciting once you get it!

 

Here is a first modes video made by Rick Beato:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DayGRT4084&index=16&list=PLW0NGgv1qnfwOCvaua3pRBCT7Vx-mlrHI

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"A dreamer is someone who wants beyond what is reasonable. A hero is a dreamer who cannot take no for an answer." (Martin Spina)

My Released CDLC - Blaze Bayley - Stare at the Sun & MacGyver Theme Song & Iron Maiden - No More Lies

Check out the Tech Notes Tutorial Version 1.1 // Chordify Tutorial Rough Draft.

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  • 2 months later...

Whoa... feel like i just peeked deep down the rabbit hole... 0_o

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IL2zOTjhzm3gQCZ3_GR26ocW3ziEhg-2?usp=sharing__
Backup CDLC link ^^ - should list even the ones that got removed for inactive links...
just restored my ability to login again, so will try to slowly resubmit the missing ones...
and hoping to make a small come-back with some new CDLC ideas...
______________________________________________________________________________

YAMAHA 4-String 24 Frets - D Standard -> C Standard & D Drop C...

ASHTON - 4-String 21 Frets, E Standard, Drop D, Half-Step Down (Nirvana)...

Phoenix? - BASS 21-22 Frets? - 4-in-line Headstock...
(3 BASSES + 2 ELECTRIC G + 2 ACOUSTICS + a UKE)

Les Paul Special II - Guitar 

IBANEZ - USED MODIFIED MODEL...
After-market Tremolo Bridge + head-stock locking nut thingys --- Free 1994-ish Guitar =   🙂

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