do i need to learn modes to play solos?

[hincks]

i dont need anyone to explain modes to me that'll just confuse me more, all i want to know is if just learning pentatonic/blues scales is enough to play solos. or do i need to learn modes in order to play pentatonic/blues scales to begin with

[MDV]

I did and my solos suck. Read into that what you will.

[hincks]

but i dont have to learn about modes to play solos though, correct?

[MDV]

You dont HAVE to, no.

It helps.

[gordiji]

No, you can manage with blues & pentatonic and your ears especially if more scales confuse you.
You will notice in more elaborate chord progressions though, that sometimes there are notes you can play and sound good but sometimes they will sound wrong.Understanding modes will help in these situations.
My advice is keep playing the scales you mention but don't rule out learning modes later, they help.You will probably
know the sound of some of them intuitively already eg, carlos santana is generally playing in dorian mode which works
in rock progressions when the  I, IV & V chord are all minor.

[witeter]

No you dont, im sure it helps but its not a pre-requisite at all. A good way of doing it is to 'hear' a solo in your head and then look for the notes on the guitar-this way you dont limit yourself by guitar technique/theory but it may also help you to learn new stuff whilst trying to perform the 'solo in your head'.

[Matt77]

Just copy the guitar players you like and you will be fine to get started.
Joe Satriani has some great lessons on modes on youtube if you do want to learn them.

[Twinfan]

You could do what I did.  Learn the pentatonic/blues scale in all 5 positions, then try adding 'extra' notes in songs and see if they fit.  That's basically adding the notes from the modes but without the theory  ;)  Works for me so I can get by.

Oh, and learn little licks from your favourite guitar players.  Then you can throw those in to create your own mix-up of solo style.  Mine's somewhere between Angus Young, Billy Gibbons and a hamfisted amateur  :lol:

[Matt77]

Come on Dave. Don't be so hard on Billy and Angus :D

[Twinfan]

Oooh, you cheeky monkey!  :lol:

[darkbluemurder]

i dont need anyone to explain modes to me that'll just confuse me more, all i want to know is if just learning pentatonic/blues scales is enough to play solos.

That depends on the musical style(s) you want to play and how ambitious you are. E.g. for blues and country you can do fine without it. For Jazz you should know about them.

or do i need to learn modes in order to play pentatonic/blues scales to begin with

No. Just start with the pentatonic and blues scales. They will get you a long way.

Cheers Stephan

[gwEm]

its good to have a few up your sleeve i think, but its not necessary.

in fact after you've learnt a few you start to learn ways to play outside them anyway (though it often turns out some classical composer figured out some theory for those notes too at some point)

[AndyR]

A great big NO from me.

Feel free to get into them if you're interested... don't rule anything out... if you're the sort of person who likes rules and theories, they will definitely help you understand why things work.

But you do not need them. The most important thing is your ears - use them first. If it sounds good it is good.

You could do what I did.  Learn the pentatonic/blues scale in all 5 positions, then try adding 'extra' notes in songs and see if they fit.  That's basically adding the notes from the modes but without the theory  ;)  Works for me so I can get by.

Oh, and learn little licks from your favourite guitar players.  Then you can throw those in to create your own mix-up of solo style.  Mine's somewhere between Angus Young, Billy Gibbons and a hamfisted amateur  :lol:

That's exactly what I did :D (slightly different guitarists as my main ones, but those two were high on the list as well)

When you've got happy enough to stand in front of an audience like this and make like a guitar-hero, you'll possibly find yourself "stagnating" in your own mind after a while. You aren't stagnating at all, but you'll feel like it. For me personally, that was when modes got interesting - they can help you break out and learn some new tricks in your daily practice/noodling, and you'll understand nodes a lot more if you can recognise bits in them that you already do by ear anyway.

But don't ever get into the frame of mind where you think "I'll play a bit of dorian and then some twidlian (I don't even know the names!) followed by a few phrases of doodlian, finishing up with a great big ascending knoblian... that'll make a superb solo..." - you're human, not a computer, make music like a human, like you talk, not like a computer...

:D

[gwEm]

twidlian mode is my favourite too  :lol: :lol:

(actually I'm big into modes at the moment, but I stand by not recommend them initially)

[AndyR]

Yeah, I wouldn't knock modes themselves - I was really into them as well for a while (many years ago now). I'd tried them before and got very frustrated.

But there was this period when I thought I'd look it all up again. By then I'd played enough, and trained my ears enough I guess, to actually understand and hear some of what I was looking at.

I still didn't bother learning any of the modes or anything (as if that wasn't obvious already! :lol:), but I did experiment with the intervals and what sounds came out playing them over different chords. I ended up finding at least two or three more notes I could play when in a tight corner - and suddenly I thought my playing sounded interesting again.