These are some issues I've been having some real trouble with so I would appreciate any help...

1. I know from having played the piano that a song in the key of G has one sharp (F#) and no flats. So why does it say in my guitar book that if you want to solo in the key of G then you need to use the Mixolydian mode when that uses notes such as Ab, Bb and C# - which don't belong in the key of G?

2. Also, another thing which I don't understand - what about songs which aren't in major keys? How do you know which mode to use for a song in Gb or Gminor or G# for example?

3. Also, how do you determine which songs are in which key? For instance, I've written a song which uses the following chords: Bbm, Eb, C, Fm, Db, Ab and G. How do I tell which key that's in? And which mode would I use to solo
in?

MattyJam said:

Hmmm... I'm finding this confusing. Can you write what the book says exactly?



I think a shortcut way to think of it is like this... you have the key that the song is in... now just change the note you start on and the note you end on...

If you have a song in G natural minor for example (B flat and E flat)... now suppose the song has a B flat major chord in the song... you want to use the same notes as G natural minor but start the phrase on a B flat and end on a B flat (remember this is just a guideline... no hard and fast rules...) So if you check the notes you'll see that this is just B flat major (ionian mode)

This is just one way of soloing... staying within the same key (same set of notes) and changing modes (changing the starting and ending notes)... it can get more complex...



Have a look at this page: http://www.free-guitar-ch...chords.htm

Look at the table of keys against the chords... See where your chords fit... Yours fits into the key of A flat major... I recommend taking a scale and working out the chords that fit into it yourself just to see how this table was developed (just go along the notes of the scale and the first third and fifth make up the chord)

Remember that modes just involve staying within the same set of notes and changing the starting and ending notes (probably depending on which chord is being played at the moment)...

In your song for example you're in the key of Abm... now suppose the Ebm chord is being played (Ebm is the fourth note in the scale of Abm ionian)... so the scale you solo with is Ebm lydian

Remember that these rules for soloing not hard and fast... and you don't necessarily want to always stay within the same key in a song (same set of notes)...

Think of the key as the "set of notes" and think of the mode as the changing the starting and ending notes...

Remember it is possible that a chord progression may have multiple keys that they can be fit in (so it's up to you to choose what key the melody is in)... For example Bb, C, D can either be F major or Bb major...
[Edited 2/6/07 7:01am]