Jerry Cherry | Pitting The Cherry

Hello Cherries! Many guitar instructors don't feel the need to talk about this but I find it necessary and that it shouldn't be overlooked. Modes 🤨 There're two in particular that are used so much in music that you should know the differences 🧐 The Ionian mode is the standard Major Scale, while the Mixolydian mode is a Major Scale with a flattened (minor) seventh degree. The key difference is that flattened seventh, which gives Mixolydian a more laid-back, "dominant" sound compared to the strong leading-tone pull of the Ionian's major seventh. Ionian functions as the tonal major scale, while Mixolydian is common in jazz, blues, folk, and rock 😊 In this video I'll demonstrate both and show you the simple theory behind them 🎸 Enjoy the video and have a great week Everybody ❤️

Hello Cherries! Here's a simple and very effective way to solo over a chord progression 🤨 Play the major or minor pentatonic scale that corresponds to each chord as it is played 🧐 This is also known as "playing the changes" with pentatonics. This method can be done while staying in one general area of the fretboard by knowing how the different pentatonic boxes relate to one another 😊 In this NEW VIDEO, I'll show you how to do this 🎸 Enjoy the video Everybody and have a great weekend ❤️

Hello Cherries! Two scales you probably know are the Major and minor Pentatonic scale 🤨 Rather than sticking to one scale for the entire progression, you should select the pentatonic scale (major or minor) that is appropriate for each chord's quality 🧐 This involves identifying the root of each chord and applying its corresponding major or minor pentatonic scale, focusing on chord tones and using passing tones to connect the scales for a more fluid and voice-led improvisation 😎 This is a simple but helpful and useful approach to improvising 🎸 Get right to the important notes, and hit less bad ones. Doesn't that sound good? Enjoy the video and have a great week Everybody ❤️

Hello Cherries! We know our pentatonic scales and our chord tones 🤨 Now it's time to level up our blues playing. You can superimpose a diminished arpeggio a half-step above the root of the chord you're targeting 🧐 Think of the diminished notes as "outside" notes that provide tension and resolve into the underlying chord tones, creating a jazzy, bluesy sound 😄 In this NEW VIDEO I'll show you how to do it 🎸 Enjoy the video and have a great weekend Everybody 😎

Hello Cherries! Happy Labor Day! I know you've heard great blues players that will play a note that really grabs your ear, or bends your ear as they say. The note is just filled with tension and then they release it by resolving to a more stable note. One simple way that they do this is by raising the root note of the chord up a half step "1 fret." The 1 chord G7 is now a G# diminished chord. You can do this on all 3 chords of your blues progression. Of course it takes work and practice knowing where and when to play it. This really is a great way to raise your level of blues playing. You have your pentatonic licks, and your chord tone solo's. Now play a little outside with this diminished trick. I'll show you how in this video. Enjoy, and have a great day Everybody 😎

Hello Cherries! You can use triads to hear modes. Just play a root-note drone and then play two triads from the parent scale of the mode, the 4th and 5th degree, over the drone. This technique, called triad pairing, creates a distinct modal sound by emphasizing the "color tone." Practice this with a loop pedal. You can internalize the unique tonal quality of each mode beyond just playing scale patterns. In this New Video I go through the modes one at a time, finding the parent keys so that we can determine the 4 and 5 chords. Without playing one solo note we can hear the sound of the modes. Enjoy the video and have a great weekend Everybody ❤️😎🎸