Putting together a solo with the modes

I have been practicing the modes (Ionian, Dorian, Prygian, Mixolidian, and Aeolian) up and down the fingerboard and have gotten to where I feel relativley comfortable with my speed and my knowledge of how they fit together. What I want to concentrate on now is getting some sort of guidlines together so that I can put together solos.

Is there any formula or recipe in the guitar world that leads to a basic solo E.g. If the key/chords are in A...I start in A Aeolian...is there a way to add depth to the solo by ascending to a certain other mode e.g. mixolydian? Are there two modes that sound better together than the others?

As a reference, I would like a sound similar to Slash's or hard rock like that. Also, would it be worth my time to learn the other two modes even though they are not used as often? Thanks for the time.

Hi,

Typically, in the rock and metal world, a solo will be played using only one mode. Sometimes a combination of modes can be used to good effect as well.
For example, since you mentioned Slash, much of hs soloing is pentatonic based--but he does use combinations of aeolian, dorian, and mixolydian very often. However, I doubt Slash realizes he is doing this.

It sounds like there may be some essential theory you are missing in order for you to be able to use modes effectively in your soloing.
For example, which mode would you use to play over this chord progression: G, C, and D?
How about this one: A minor and D major?

Let me know if i can help!

Nick

Nick -

I think you may be right...I do not know what modes would be used in the examples that you provided. If I wanted to play over those, I would probably just pick a mode and play in the key that sounded right. I would really like to know some general rules about how to solo over chord progressions...I think that would help me out a lot at this point. If you could point me in the right direction, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the help,

Rob

Hi Rob,

There are many, many resources available for understanding modes and how to apply them. Here are a few things that have helped me out over the years:

Modes--book/cd, by Tom Kolb
Shred Guitar--book/cd by Paul Hanson
Modes, No More Mystery--dvd, by Frank Gambale
Practical Theory--book/cd, by Don Latarski

Hope that helps

Nick

I will look into those books...thanks for the help

No problem...glad to help.