"Which way you choose to visualize or conceptualize them depends on what you are trying to accomplish musically."
I'd appreciate elaboration on this.
because I always viewed it like this:
"You can also view them as all just different sequences of the major (or minor) diatonic scales."
Which to me lacks the elegant cohesion I now see in the [scaling] from scale degree > triad > mode;
but your reply implies I'm missing something;
is it in regards to modulation... or...?
"I often use the pentatonic scales as handy visual guides (less clutter!) & then insert diatonic notes as needed depending on what I'm playing & what sounds I want."
Yes: the "skeleton" concept; that your pentatonic lessons are build on.
That was a huge aha for me:
I started noticing how that applies to what the masters are doing; regardless of if they're aware of it or not.
...
I appreciate the way you [contextualize your links to your lessons] in your replies.
The laundry lists on the instructor pages are overwhelming; due to their lack of nesting > context.
It depends on if it helps or hinders your ability to make the sounds you want to make. Sometimes thinking of it as all just notes of the major scale is more efficient. There's no need to clutter up your thinking with modes. It's just the major scale.
In other cases it helps if you need to think in terms of a specific mode in order to get it's unique sound. Modulation is definitely one of these situations. But even then you can just alter the scale in order to target chord tones. I cover that in one of the modes tutorials, in my improvisation tutorials & in my intro jazz lead guitar.
Another situation is what I call ornamental playing. You simply play the mode that you like the sound of regardless of the key. This happens in a lot of instrumental guitar styles. Often the entire composition is written in that mode. Or the bass & other instruments play a simple line that could imply a few modes & the guitarist plays a variety of modes that could work in that context.
There are musical examples in the tutorials so you can associate the concepts with actual auditory events.
Hope that helps!
