INTENSEGUITAR
TOSHI ISEDA
Ionian Mode Recap
Hey there Premier Guitarist! Apparently
I started something last month when I
mentioned that I practice my scales in a
cycle of 4ths with the Ionian mode (major
scale) and the Aeolian mode (natural
minor). I’d gone over it a few years ago
when Premier Guitar was Musician’s
Hotline, but I’ll run it again for the many
new readers. If you want me to cover
something, you can reach me at Toshi@ ToshiIseda.com, intseguitr@aol.com or
myspace.com/toshiiseda.
Fingering 4 is also used by Steve Morse,
as well John Petrucci, who, like me, grew
up listening to and being influenced by
Steve Morse.
Fingering 8 is our beloved three-note-per-string fingering, ala Paul Gilbert and Vinnie
Moore.
Fingering 9 is actually an Andrés Segovia
fingering from his great book, Tonic Major
and Minor Scales, so it’s a legitimate, clas-sically-influenced C major scale fingering.
Fingering 10 is another horizontal fingering that starts on the 5th string, and it’s
one that I’ve seen Steve Vai employ.
One formula for arpeggios in the key of
C major is 1, 3, 5, 7 (C, E, G, B), which is
taken from the Ionian mode, otherwise
known as the major scale. Its formula
is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8va, with no
sharps or flats. With the arpeggio, we
we’re taking the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th
degrees of the scale which created our
major 7th arpeggio. This is applicable to
all the keys.
Now that we’ve got the fingerings down,
how do we practice them? First, use a
metronome and count 16th notes and use
alternate picking. Play cleanly and accurately and memorize the fingerings so that
you may improvise within them fluently.
Finally, practice them in a cycle of 4ths
– G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D and
back to G.
I’ve accumulated several useful fingerings throughout the years that I’ve
seen other players use. The fingerings
we’ll go over today will present different degrees of difficulty; some of these
fingerings may seem awkward but the
goal here is to overcome any technical and
physical limitations. These are all practical
fingerings used by today’s top players, so
I’ll try to name someone who uses each
fingering to show you that you can play
them effectively.
Fingering 5 is used by Steve Morse, too!
It’s actually a very awkward fingering to get
down, but I like it because it’s challenging
to play with authority.
Make sure that every time you go to
another note in the cycle you change the
fingering and try to utilize all ten fingerings
throughout the cycle. You want to start
with a different fingering every time you
start the cycle so you don’t form a habit
of starting with the same fingering every
time. Remember, we don’t want our fingerings to become habits.
Fingering 1 is a common fingering that
everyone from Paul Gilbert to Marty
Friedman has used. Three-notes-per-string
shapes are very conducive to fast pattern
or sequence type playing (shredding).
Fingering 6 is similar to the first, but displaces one note which can throw some
people for a loop when they then have to
descend the scale and hit that B note on
the B string with an upstroke.
Now you have your work cut out for you,
so have at it. Until next month, “who dares
wins!”
Fingering 2 is used by guys like Al
DiMeola and Steve Morse. Morse was the
first guy I saw using this pattern in an old
Hot Licks lesson cassette.
Fingering 7 is a horizontal pattern that I
really love to get around the fretboard with.
Greg Howe uses this shape in his improvisation as well as some cool three-octave
extensions of the pattern.
Toshi Iseda
Toshi Iseda is an Alumnus of the prestigeous Berklee
College of Music and the American Conservatory of Music.
He has been featured in Guitar Player, Guitar World and
Guitar/Guitar One Magazines, and is a former instructor
at the National Guitar Workshop and former instructor at
the American Institute of Guitar.
Fingering 3 is used by John Petrucci of
Dream Theater on occasion.
The last three fingerings all start on the
5th string.
toshi@toshiiseda.com intseguitr@aol.com
toshiiseda.com myspace.com/toshiiseda
