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Jeff's Lesson Notes

"Halluciterium"
(Website version)

 

For this lesson I've taken a "modal" route.  Normally we wouldn't apply so much "theory" to this VH style.  In this case though, I often when explaining to people what the "Lydian mode" feels like refer them to VH's "Baluchitherium."  I don't think Ed per say was aware or was thinking about the specific mode of the track but never the less, it's a very Lydian track.

It is however often transcribed with the key of "E" key signature.  Not the best way to transcribe it in my opinion.  The reason being is every time a D occurs you need to write a natural symbol next to it.  Rather than writing it in D and putting a Sharp next to the G's as they occur.  There are far less G#'s than D's in this track, but to each his own.  I'll talk about this on the video to help make it more clear but basically the Lydian mode of D, is the same scale as the Mixolydian mode of E.  Which in turn is the same scale as the Ionian or (Major) of A.  So in a nut shell we're in the key of D but we're soloing in the key of A.  That's probably the easiest way to put it. 

If this kind of thing is a foreign language to you, I STRONGLY and Highly recommend my "Soloing 101" CD ROM.  Not only did my critics like it, it's a really awesome, and easy to understand mode lesson.  Explained in plain English and not a bunch of mumbo jumbo.

Either way, I've chosen to manipulate this track into a track I call, "Halluciterium."  This is the Lydian mode lesson from Hell.  I, with forethought and purpose, staying in the Lydian mode for the whole thing.  I'm using 1 scale for this whole track. 

The Lydian mode is a good mode to break out of the Blues Box with.  This is a very moody mode that often delivers a very dramatic effect when used. 

Please be sure to take the lesson here.  Don't just go straight in for the song tab.  There is a lesson here that's far more important than "Halluciterium" the track.  The track, is the byproduct of the techniques and scale that are being used.  If understand the scale and the techniques being used, you don't need the track, because you can make up similar tracks all day long if you wanted to. 

Enjoy the lesson...


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Lesson

Main Scale in use for this lesson

D Lydian:  Major scale with a Sharp 4th.

Pitches:  D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#

The G that normally occurs in a regular D Major scale is not a G# in our "D Lydian" scale. 

Scale version 1:  Mid fret board area

G# is what makes this Lydian.  All G#'s in the scales below have been highlighted in Yellow.
 

E___________________________7_9_10_________________
B____________________7_9_10________________________
G______________6_7_9_______________________________
D________6_7_9_____________________________________
A__5_7_9___________________________________________
D__________________________________________________

 

Scale version 2:  Open position

E__________________________________________________
B________________________________0_2_3_____________
G_________________________0_1_2____________________
D__________________0_2_4___________________________
A___________0_2_4__________________________________
D__0_2_4_6_________________________________________

This lesson track utilizes the scales above almost exclusively.  I think I hit an actual G natural in one spot for a dive bomb.  The chord pattern under most of this track is actually a 4 chord pattern as opposed to the 2 chord pattern used in Baluchitherium. 

Halluciterium's main chord pattern under the lead sections is, D, E, A, G# diminished. 

The key to understanding a tune like this is breaking down what exactly it is that makes tick.  The checklist I give below will help you to do that with not only this track, but any track from any band. 

Analysis like this is a huge part of how we learn how to create music.  You learn to create music by learning how it's created.  This way you don't have to spend your life guessing how things are done and even better, it will cut the time it takes you to write a song in half or more if you understand what it is you're doing.  It also cuts down on the time it takes you to learn a song by ear or even from a tab. 

I can usually go through a tab for a song that I don't know, and figure out what the next part probably goes to, purely based on the part I just learned.  Most of this stuff is pretty predictable or at the very least can be predicted on some level if you know what's  going on.  Like I say in Ear Training 101 all the time.  "Knowing what someone might be doing, is far better than not having a clue what they're doing."
 

Basic checklist of analysis:

1.  What chords are in the song

2.  What pitches make up those chords

3.  What's the probable key of the song.

4.  What pitches make up a riff or solo.  (put the solo or riff into scale form by writing down the individual pitches.)

5.  Cross check the chord pitches with the solo and riffing to see pitch similarities.

6.  Observe the chord and or key changes as the song transitions.  I.e. look at what chord the solo goes to.

My teacher used to always tell me that there was a lot of "Deduction" involved with playing a musical instrument.  That's very true.  In order to learn how to play and understand what you're playing, you have slow down, and look at what you're playing and try to look at it logically.  Often we over complicate this stuff in our heads to a point that creativity is stifled and in severe cases we psych ourselves out that stuff is too complicated for us.  That's not true, none of this is Rocket Science.

The check list above will give you a lot of information about a song.  It's also important that you remember it all.  Write stuff down, either on paper or in windows notepad, or word, what ever, write down notes, write down scale, write down the notes that make up chords.  That is if you want to learn what you're playing and how and why it works.  If you don't that's fine, but your guitar playing experience will be far more rewarding, I think, if you can walk into any jam and rip into something without panic setting in about whether or not you're going to suck. 

It's best to remember that "We all suck from time to time."  " It isn't about NOT SUCKING, as much as it's about SUCKING LESS than someone else sucks."  LOL  

Notes that make up our chords, figured out logically based on our key. 

(see video for a better understanding of what's going on here.)

D:  D, F#, A   R, 3, 5

E:  E, G#, B   R, 3, 5

A:  A, C#, E   R, 3, 5

G# dim:  G#, B, D   R, m3, flat 5

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