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Yngwies & Steves modes
hi, i know that Yngwie shreds out in a phrygian mode for some of his songs. he also uses a harmonic minor mode. does any one know how this mode goes? & what modes or scales does steve vai use? because i really like the sound he gets on tracks such as liberty and i reeaaaaallllllllllllllllyyyy was amazed :eek: by the way he sweeps on the G3 DVD ' i know your here' and wanted to try it out. thnx!!!
# 1
Malmsteen's characteristic mode is the harmonic minor. It is formed by taking your natural minor (a.k.a. Aeolian mode) and raising the 7th. Below is the step pattern for it and an example.
Harmonic Minor = 1, 1/2, 1, 1, 1/2, 1 + 1/2, 1/2
A Harmonic Minor = A, (whole to) B, (half to) C, (whole to) D, (whole to) E, (half to) F, (whole and a half to) G#, (and a half to get you back to A). Without the steps written out it looks like this...
A Harmonic Minor = A, B, C, D, E, F, G#
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As for Vai, he generally uses major (Ionian), minor (Aeolian), and LYDIAN. You may not be familiar with the Lydian mode, so I'll write the formula for that below.
Lydian = 1, 1, 1, 1/2, 1, 1, 1/2
G Lydian = G, (whole) A, (whole) B, (whole) C#, (half) D, (whole) E, (whole) F#, (half to get back to G)
G Lydian = G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#
If you notice, Lydian is just like the plain old major scale, except that the 4th note (a.k.a. the subdominant) is raised. When played correctly, this mode can give you a spacey kind of feel... I think Vai's "Boston Rain Melody" and another song off 7th Song are in Lydian. Satriani's "Flying In A Blue Dream" is definitely Lydian.
About Vai's sweeps, however, he tends to do a lot of 7th (major and minor) arpeggios, many times with tapping.
Harmonic Minor = 1, 1/2, 1, 1, 1/2, 1 + 1/2, 1/2
A Harmonic Minor = A, (whole to) B, (half to) C, (whole to) D, (whole to) E, (half to) F, (whole and a half to) G#, (and a half to get you back to A). Without the steps written out it looks like this...
A Harmonic Minor = A, B, C, D, E, F, G#
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for Vai, he generally uses major (Ionian), minor (Aeolian), and LYDIAN. You may not be familiar with the Lydian mode, so I'll write the formula for that below.
Lydian = 1, 1, 1, 1/2, 1, 1, 1/2
G Lydian = G, (whole) A, (whole) B, (whole) C#, (half) D, (whole) E, (whole) F#, (half to get back to G)
G Lydian = G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#
If you notice, Lydian is just like the plain old major scale, except that the 4th note (a.k.a. the subdominant) is raised. When played correctly, this mode can give you a spacey kind of feel... I think Vai's "Boston Rain Melody" and another song off 7th Song are in Lydian. Satriani's "Flying In A Blue Dream" is definitely Lydian.
About Vai's sweeps, however, he tends to do a lot of 7th (major and minor) arpeggios, many times with tapping.
"You must stab him in the heart with the Bone Saber of Zumacalis... well, you could stab him in the head or the lungs, too... and the saber, it probably doesn't have to be bone, just anything sharp lying around the house... you could poke him with a pillow and kill him."
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Universal Re-Monster
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Universal Re-Monster
# 2
