IN LESSONS GT #323
You say TOMAYTO. I say TOMARTO. A big part of being a progressive guitarist - that is, developing rather than prog rock based - is cultivating flexibility as regards terminology. Scale and chord names are just two areas that one needs to be savvy about. Take this issue’s lesson from the legendary Mike Stern where he covers the Mixolydian b2 b6 scale. For some, this name is already familiar and is easily related back to the parent scale of the Harmonic Minor. Mike talks about how Mick Goodrick used that name so it sits well with him too. However, for many rock guitarists brought up on, say, UFO and Yngwie Malmsteen, the name Phrygian Dominant might be more familiar. Both musical camps understand that it’s the fifth mode of the Harmonic Minor. So, two popular names for the same scale.