B Mixolydian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Scale: B Mixolydian

Related Scale: E major diatonic

Notes: B C# D# E F# G# A

Hollow Circles: B notes

Orange Circles: B major pentatonic, simple pattern

Gray Circles: B Mixolydian outside of simple major pentatonic pattern

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: B G#m A

B Ionian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Mode: B Ionian

Related Scale: B major diatonic

Notes: B C# D# E F# G# A#

Hollow Circles: B notes

Orange Circles: B major pentatonic, diagonal pattern

Gray Circles: The rest of the B Ionian mode

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: B G#m E

B Major Diatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: B major diatonic

Notes: B C# D# E F# G# A#

Hollow Circles: B notes

Orange Circles: B major pentatonic

Gray Circles: E and A# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: B F# G#m E

B Major Pentatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: B major pentatonic

Notes: B C# D# F# G#

Hollow Circles: B notes

Orange Circles: B major pentatonic

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: B E F# E

E Blues Horizontal (Guitar, Intermediate)

Scale: E blues

Notes: E G A A# B D

Hollow Circles: E notes

Orange Circles: E minor pentatonic, diagonal pattern

Gray Circles: E minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): A# (or Bb)

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: E5 G5 D5 A5

E Blues Diagonal (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: E blues

Notes: E G A A# B D

Hollow Circles: E notes

Orange Circles: E minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): A# (or Bb)

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: Em C G D

E Blues Vertical (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: E blues

Notes: E G A A# B D

Hollow Circles: E notes

Orange Circles: E minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): A# (or Bb)

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: Em G

E Mixolydian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Mode: E Mixolydian

Related Scale: A major diatonic

Notes: E F# G# A B C# D

Hollow Circles: E notes

Orange Circles: E major pentatonic (simple pattern)

Gray Circles: E Mixolydian, outside of the simple pentatonic pattern

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: E D C#m B A

E Ionian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Mode: E Ionian

Related Scale: E major diatonic

Notes: E F# G# A B C# D#

Hollow Circles: E notes

Orange Circles: E major pentatonic (simple pattern)

Gray Circles: E Ionian outside of the simple pattern

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: E A E B

E Major Diatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: E major diatonic

Notes: E F# G# A B C# D#

Hollow Circles: E notes

Orange Circles: E major pentatonic

Gray Circles: A and D# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: E A B A B

E Major Pentatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: E major pentatonic

Notes: E F# G# B C#

Hollow Circles: E notes

Orange Circles: E major pentatonic

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: E C#m A B

A Blues Horizontal (Guitar, Intermediate)

Scale: A blues

Notes: A C D D# E G

Hollow Circles: A notes

Orange Circles: A minor pentatonic, diagonal pattern

Gray Circles: A minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): D# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: Am D7 Am D7

A Blues Diagonal (Guitar, Beginner

Scale: A blues

Notes: A C D D# E G

Hollow Circles: A notes

Orange Circles: A minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): D# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: A5 C5 D5 D#5 D5 C5 A5

A Blues Vertical (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: A blues

Notes: A C D D# E G

Hollow Circles: A notes

Orange Circles: A minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): D# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: A5 D5 C5 A5

A Mixolydian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Mode: A Mixolydian

Related Scale: D major diatonic

Notes: A B C# D E F# G

Hollow Circles: A notes

Orange Circles: A major pentatonic, simple pattern

Gray Circles: A Mixolydian outside of the simple major pentatonic pattern

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: A G Bm A G D

A Ionian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Mode: A Ionian

Related Scale: A major diatonic

Notes: A B C# D E F# G#

Hollow Circles: A notes

Orange Circles: A major pentatonic (simple pattern)

Gray Circles: A Ionian mode outside of the simple pentatonic pattern

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: A E D

A Major Diatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: A major diatonic

Notes: A B C# D E F# G#

Hollow Circles: A notes

Orange Circles: A major pentatonic

Gray Circles: D and G# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: A E F#m D

A Major Pentatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: A major pentatonic

Notes: A B C# E F#

Hollow Circles: A notes

Orange Circles: A major pentatonic

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: A E D A

D Blues Horizontal (Guitar, Intermediate)

Scale: D blues

Notes: D F G G# A C

Hollow Circles: D notes

Orange Circles: D minor pentatonic, diagonal pattern

Gray Circles: D minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): G# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: Dm Bb F C

D Blues Diagonal (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: D blues

Notes: D F G G# A C

Hollow Circles: D notes

Orange Circles: D minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): G# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: Dm C F

D Blues Vertical (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: D blues

Notes: D F G G# A C

Hollow Circles: D notes

Orange Circles: D minor pentatonic

Blue Circles (Blue Note): G# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: D5 F5 A5

D Mixolydian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Mode: D Mixolydian

Related Scale: G major diatonic

Notes: D E F# G A B C

Hollow Circles: D notes

Orange Circles: D major pentatonic (simple pattern)

Gray Circles: D Mixolydian

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: D C G D

D Ionian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Mode: D Ionian

Related Scale: D major diatonic

Notes: D E F# G A B C#

Hollow Circles: D notes

Orange Circles: D major pentatonic (simple pattern)

Gray Circles: D major Ionian outside of the simple pentatonic pattern

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: D F# Bm G

D Major Diatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: D major diatonic

Notes: D E F# G A B C#

Hollow Circles: D notes

Orange Circles: D major pentatonic

Gray Circles: G and C# notes

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: D A Bm G

D Major Pentatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Scale: D major pentatonic

Notes: D E F# A B

Hollow Circles: D notes

Orange Circles: D major pentatonic

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: D Bm G A

G Blues Horizontal (Guitar, Intermediate)

Learning this expanded pattern will give you total control over the G blues scale - horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. It is advisable to memorize the entire scale in chunks that are four frets wide. Here are a few things to be aware of:

1. Hollow circles represent the G note.
2. Orange circles represent a simple pattern for the G minor pentatonic scale: G, Bb, C, D, and Eb notes.
3. Gray circles represent the rest of the pentatonic scale, outside of the simple diagonal pattern from yesterday.
4. Blue circles represent the jazzy-sounding blue note of the scale: C#.

G Blues Diagonal (Guitar, Beginner)

This pattern of the G blues scale will make you move in a mostly diagonal motion, relative to the fretboard. Here are a few things to be aware of:

1. Hollow circles represent the G note.
2. Orange circles represent a simple pattern for the C minor pentatonic scale: G, Bb, C, D, and F notes.
3. Blue circles represent the jazzy-sounding blue note of the scale: C#.

The blues scale sounds great above several varying chord progressions, from those resembling a major key (G7, C7, D7) to those more minor in nature (Gm, Bb, C) to the relative major (Bb, F, Gm, Eb), etc.

G Blues Vertical (Guitar, Beginner)

This pattern of the G blues scale will make you move in a mostly vertical motion, relative to the fretboard. Here are a few things to be aware of:

1. Hollow circles represent the G note.
2. Orange circles represent a simple pattern for the G minor pentatonic scale: G, Bb, C, D, and F notes.
3. Blue circles represent the jazzy-sounding blue note of the scale: C#.

The blues scale sounds great above several varying chord progressions, from those resembling a major key (G5, C5, D5) to those more minor in nature (G5, Bb5, C5) to the relative major (Bb, Eb, F), etc.

G Mixolydian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

A mode is just a certain way of expressing a scale. In this case, the G Mixolydian mode expresses the scale in the same way as the C major diatonic scale. The G Mixolydian mode contains the following notes: G, A, B, C, D, E, and F.

I personally like the spacey quality of this mode, and it works quite well in many chord progressions that involve the G major chord and the F major chord.

Also note that the major pentatonic scale is encoded within the Mixolydian mode (the same simple orange-circle pattern from a few days ago).

G Ionian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

A mode is just a certain way of expressing a scale. In this case, the G Ionian mode expresses the scale in the same way as the G major diatonic scale. Deeper theory aside, you can treat the Ionian mode and the major diatonic scale as one and the same.

With that stated, this larger pattern is basically an expansion of yesterday's simpler pattern. The hollow circles still represent the G note. This time, however, the orange circles merely represent the simple pentatonic pattern we discussed two days ago. The gray circles represent the fretboard-wide expansion of the scale - G's, A's, B's, C's, D's, E's, and F#'s.

G Major Diatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Yesterday, we played with the G major pentatonic scale, which is made out of five notes - G, A, B, D, and E. Now, let's add two notes - C and F# - to the lineup to create the G major diatonic scale (dia = through, tonic = tones).

Adding to yesterday's pattern, this is a very simple pattern to use when playing lead lines in the Key of G. The hollow circles are the locations of the root note (G), the orange circles are part of the major pentatonic scale, and gray circles represent the rest of the scale (C and F#, or the Professor and Mary Ann, if you like).

When you memorize this pattern, be sure to jam with someone else in the Key of G major. Among other chords, these chords are often used in the Key of G: G, C, and D. While the other plays rhythm, experiment playing lead guitar with the G major diatonic scale!