[Stratmaster]

what modes does jerry use to get more color

[wisedyes]

Well, the mode most often associated with Garcia is Mixolydian. Jerry does also use the straight Major ( and Major pentatonics ) alot.

For example, over the B-A progression in "Fire On the Mountain", the chords should be treated as a V-IV in the key of E Major. Therefore, use the B mixolydian over the B part, and I like to use either A Major Pentatonic or the more correct ( and colorful ) A Lydian mode over the A.

There are also some songs where he uses the Dorian mode over minor chords. To really help nail Jerry's sound, though, you want to concentrate on playing chord tones more than anything, so learn( if you don't already know them ) some arpeggios on different string sets.

[jck_strw]

Not sure if this will help or not. This is an old post here, but I think it's describing what you're talking about:

WOW i just found out the secret to Jerry's dance.

My guitar teacher showed a technique that jerry

himself created and it's called

"Descending Intervalic Thirds"

Jerry did this mostly with the mixolydian scale but

he knew how to do it with every scale

Heres what it would look like in a mixolydian scale

In A on the 5th Fret


E-10-7-9----7----------------------------------------
B--------10---8-10-7-8---7---------------------------
G----------------------9---7-9-6-7---6---------------
D----------------------------------9---7-9-5-7---5---
A----------------------------------------------9---7-
E----------------------------------------------------

E---------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------------------
D---------------------------------------------------
A-9-5-7---5-----------------------------------------
E-------9---7-9-5-7---------------------------------


There it is the descending intervalic thirds of the mixolydian scale this took me forever to get down i went one day without practicing it and it totally through me off. Also along with this technique also mess around with jumping around whitin a scale you will find that Jerry used these techniques to create the amazing Dark Star. Please post and let me know if this helped you at all.

The actual post is from http://community.rukind.org/viewtopic.p ... rrys+dance

[reccstermatt]

thats pretty sweet, havent ever seen it before but I find it very helpful thanks!

[brainflossrhythm]

That was pretty helpful, thanks much, the both of you.

[kenneybonz]

i played that through a bunch and see where there are parts that fit into bits of jerry scales, but it seems off just a bit...
open question to all more experienced guitar folk?
is ther some other scale that i should be practicing first? one that if i knew it in my sleep i would have those odd sort of fillers that go in to late 80s and early 90s jerry?
i'd always heard it was some other scale that was his mainstay but i dont know enough to call it and be wrong///
peanut gallery? what say ya?

[shakedown_04092]

what modes does jerry use to get more color

The short answer: All of them and none of them

And kenneybonz: just learn them all, starting with I-Vii (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aoelian, & Locrian)

That way you know your fretboard no matter what key your in. You'll figure it out from there by listening to shows and applying what you've learned.