In The Mode: Learn Music Theory For Guitar Plus over 200 Scales In One Day! Watch Preview

You may listen to this introduction (recommended) instead of just reading. Just click the green "watch preview" button above!

Note: This course is the result of what happens when a guitar-playing documentary film maker and meticulous researcher and author finally decides to study and document the subject of music theory.

And now for something completely different...

Greetings!

What if I told you that learning Diatonic music theory on the guitar was actually quite simple? And what if I then told you that I can teach you the fundamentals of music theory in a single days' time, plus over 200 scales (as MODES) within just the first hour of this course? Well, that’s exactly what my course  In The Mode is designed to do, through a series of PATTERN RECOGNITION exercises that will absolutely change your life, as well as level up guitar ability overnight!

No matter what your skill level, beginner to advanced, this course is for you if you either never learned Diatonic music theory and/or especially the Diatonic MODES. And if you did, this course is I dare say an unorthodox approach that is certainly worth the ride, if only for the short-cuts and tools provided. If you thought music theory was or is still hard, I assure you it's not, especially on the guitar.

More importantly, let me tell you what this course is not…

To be clear, this course is not going to teach you anything new. Perhaps anything modern is more apropos. That is to say that this course will not be teaching what is currently taught in the corrupt, for-profit pedagogy of the university system or from so-called internet gurus and self-proclaimed “teachers” that are really just influencers selling products, selling themselves and their own licks, and wasting as much of your time as possible in order to charge you for as many billable hours as they can convince you to purchase. This, unfortunately though, is the sad state of the world today in most avenues of learning and commerce.

Instead, In The Mode is designed to go back in time to the era and the mentality where the science of Diatonic music theory was first created by ancient Greek philosophers over 2400 years ago. You see, it was not a for-profit commercial venture for them, and certainly not an industry secret between session players (because there were none). There was no music industry, no wannabe rock stars (because there was no rock). There were only logical and spiritually-driven endeavors toward an understanding of how the science of the arts, in this case music, work. To this end, the ancient Greeks poured their mathematical and scientific genius into the creation of the foundational language of music, its terms of art we call today as music theory. We must consider that science (thus music theory) was and still is intended to be a purely logical language system that surpasses all societal nonsense: the political, religious, and social constructs that ultimately cause perversion, prevention, censorship, and limitations on such free and open exploration and learning, replacing this pure and rational thought with the dreaded logical fallacy. The language of music transcends all irrationality stemming from human existence and conditioning, leaving one with the purely scientific and thus true understanding of the art itself. And this knowledge allows the spirit to sore!

*** So important was the science of music theory considered for thousands of years that it has been taught as an integral part of the traditional seven liberal arts education model, included in the QUADRIVIUM along side arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. This was of course taught along side of the fundamental TRIVIUM, which consisted of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. 

Yes, indeed, music theory was anciently considered to be as important as the study of the Universe Itself, and still is in certain sectors of private learning! Public education, to say the least, does not depend on this ancient liberal arts model. Far from it! Music was said to be linked to the cosmos by these most cherished thinkers. And so it was for over two millennia until the advent of these modern industrial and technological times, where inspired and reasonable education was corrupted and misused as a means of centralized propaganda and control instead of learning. In other words, instead of being taught privately how to think through a classic liberal arts education, whole countries are now publicly taught what to think.

Please understand that this so-called system of music “theory” was not directed toward the structure or sound of any one instrument, but towards a scientific and spiritual understanding of the music itself. This massive set of RELATIVE SCALE PATTERNS was commonly called as the “Greek” or “Church MODES,” as sung by monks in their methodical and precisely chanted harmonies over the last 2400 years. This learned chanting was a considered as a form of inspired spiritual divination, if you will, a soulful communication and form of harmonious prayer and meditation with the heavens. But we must realize that those that did the chanting were absolutely steeped in that ancient science behind the music.

Over time, many versions of modern, familiar instruments like the guitar were perfected to their current form. The guitar was given its more modern 6-string form, but not until the early 1800’s did it become popular in Spain, and known as the “classical” guitar. As it turns out, the guitar in what is today called as standard tuning is purposefully set up for the outlet and practice of Diatonic music theory, making this science and language behind the art of music quite simple to understand and easy to speak, play, sing, and weep, if you will, through that particular instrument. 

Unlike the piano or other linear instruments, the guitar represents the musical alphabet in a very easy to visualize, REPEATABLE FINGER PATTERN that allows the player to learn and play all keys without alteration of this UNIVERSAL PATTERN. Once you see it, you cannot unsee it. And once you start to apply it, you will be astonished at how much your understanding and playing will improve even over night. Ultimately, within a short time, you will see how incredibly simple music theory on guitar actually is.

But that's not what I was taught... How about you?

As for myself, I played for 33 years before I saw this PATTERN on my own, noticing that whatever badly-taught lesson I would attempt to undertake online, this PATTERN was always there, in the background, and strangely enough never actually being  pointed out or talked about by the instructor. After so many times of this happening, of seeing this PATTERN without reference to its now obvious presence, I came to the conclusion that there were only two options: either these self-proclaimed student-teachers didn’t know about or see the PATTERN, or worse, they were purposefully not teaching it to sell their hourly lessons, offering instead an endless grift of rote memorization of what were essentially the same damn scale, over and over, ad nauseam! I chose to believe that they were merely victims of a bad education system, that they were never taught the ancient wisdom and thus could not teach it themselves. Doubt is apparently a benefit, after all...

But I started to realize that guitar instruction had become more like a game of Telephone, where each and every student was at the end of the line of a long string of bad information, where each so-called teacher taught just a little differently from the last, passing on only what they could from the confines of their own limited hangout, until at this point the guitar instruction market has been obviously saturated with players that have never properly been taught music theory, let alone how to think from within a liberal arts education model. This brings to mind the maxim, as a principle of law stating universally that if your foundation is flawed, weak, or incorrect, then any structure you attempt to build upon that foundation will fail, including the learning and teaching of any subject.

Unfortunately, modern corruption in education and the advent of "don't do it yourself" technology have all but destroyed this ancient wisdom and the ability to speak it as a perfect language. The liberal arts are all but dead in public schooling. Logic and reason have been receded in lieu of social memes and logical fallacy, and indeed we are no longer taught how to think scientifically but rather what we should think popularly, socially. The simple application of logical equation and PATTERN RECOGNITION that is music theory (and is even the basis of the IQ test) has been replaced by non-connected, non-scientific randomness based on rote memorization without spirituality or understanding. 

In short, the Greeks have metaphorically repeatedly turned over in their graves for the last century in protest of modernized public education and the abandonment of their cherished philosophies and sciences. Yet, make no mistake, the seven liberal arts are still very much taught privately within elitist societies and prestigious institutions that are out of reach for most of us by social and political design.

It is my intention here to put this purposeful, often willful ignorance to an end, at least when it comes to this ancient, perfect system of musical understanding. The hard truth (and ego-killer) is that possessing this knowledge, this language of music, is useless if one doesn't have anyone to communicate with. This course was birthed after over 18 months of contemplation and design, for that purpose. And it is priced not for mere profit and gain, but to change the world of those that seek this ancient wisdom!

In The Mode is designed to do just that. It will give nothing more and nothing less than a fundamental understanding and clear PATTERN RECOGNITION of music theory as it appears upon the guitar fretboard, while at the same time correcting some of the modern "slang" that is used in its stead. This single PATTERN repeats itself in all things, from scales to chords, for all KEYS are made up of and played within this same MOVEABLE PATTERN, a simple mathematical formula for success. 

Remember, music theory is not the theory of guitar, but the science of music itself. Happily, the guitar was specifically designed to PRACTICE music theory in the easiest possible of ways, believe it or not. To be clear, I am not going to teach you how to play the guitar, I’m going to teach you the guitar itself. The guitar is merely the artisan's tool of translation and recreation. But music is the foundation, and from this strong foundation, as it is said, practice makes perfect.

To be great at guitar is only to be great at making music, not guitar. 

But you should not be pay anyone for lessons while you are practicing if you already know what you should be practicing… that is, when you know there is only one fundamental Diatonic PATTERN, which breeds all Diatonic scales and chords.

Any teacher out there that would exclaim that music theory is not needed or should be ignored is waving an immediate red flag, cluing you into a proud and willful ignorance, and so should be avoided like the plague and branded a fool. Yet, any university that tries to sell you on a lifelong debt contract to pay for instruction in music theory as a 4-8 year curriculum requiring many other non-musical, non-liberal arts subjects is strictly profiting from your dreams and desires, and more specifically, your pre-qualified, co-signed, interest-bearing debt.

I know on a deep and personal level, because for 33 years I played the guitar without knowing the guitar or music theory, without knowing why it was tuned and set up the way it is, and why STANDARD TUNING is standard in the first place. And yes, I’m very much calling myself a fool! Hindsight is a wonderful but lonely place to exist, avoiding the shadows and swimming in the irony of one's former fallacious views, led by a conscious awareness of the mistakes idiocracy connected to one's own fumbling path.

If it is not yet clear why learning the fundamental structure of music theory as the language and science of music is so important, then consider this…

A doctor is required to study medical theory, after which he is graduated, degreed, licensed, and thus finally allowed to PRACTICE medicine. A lawyer is required to study legal theory, after which he must pass a BAR exam in order to PRACTICE legal law. In fact, all throughout the sciences and humanities we find this same exact system in place, the study of the science and language first, and only then being commissioned the privilege of practicing that art upon the public. 

Not surprisingly, this is the way the heart of professional musicianship works as well. But, because of the modern degradation of learning, and the same degradation that reflects itself in modern, popular "music," or what is still called as music, the once expected and cherished professionalism of and by a musician is no longer popularly or socially respected, another sign of the dumbing down of societies around the world through a lack of liberal arts education, where the Trivium and the Quadrivium are but a quaint custom of the past. Music appreciation, as with any structure, relies on a foundational knowledge of the structure of music. The less an audience knows, the more it will appreciate the lowest common denominator of so-called music that is forced into its ears by the corporate powers that be. The purposeful dumbing down of a society is directly correlated to the stripping of a liberal arts education. And what better place to start than with such a social construct as music?

These are harsh truths that I will not apologize for speaking here. Instead, I decided to try and do something about it. And I hope this course brings you as much joy and profound gladness as it has brought to me to contemplate and create.

Without a doubt, the turning point in my playing was the day that I found this PATTERN, a whole 33 years after I started trying to play the guitar without first knowing the guitar. There was no internet when I started, and like now, this knowledge was not being outwardly or intentionally taught. And yet, with the advent of online, apparently “free” lessons, this PATTERN could be found hidden in each amateur lesson I watched. And when I finally saw it, I could not believe my eyes, nor that I had not seen it before. But from that day on, the difference was simply that I knew the guitar, and my skills improved by leaps and bounds as I now played what I knew in the light, instead of hiding what I didn’t know through speed drills or false confidence in the dark. My path became straight and focused on what the PATTERN had shown me. And, as I pulled up a few guitar scales online, I realized and verified in one single day that I suddenly knew 252 scales without even thinking about it. All I needed was the proper meaning of the language of music theory and presto, like magic, that seemingly mystifying musical matrix code was uploaded into my brain and I could suddenly play over any and every Diatonic song. And with a little practice, I found myself confident and unstoppable.

In case you were wondering or missed this part, over 99% of all songs you hear on the radio, in all genres, as well as all published music in any key, is written in Diatonic music theory. So what I am telling you is that by taking this course, I am going to teach you the fundamental science, the basic language, and the repeating PATTERN of almost all of the music you’ve ever encountered over your lifetime.

If that sounds like something that you want to learn, and how could it not, then I invite you to take this course and to join my community.

As I am no salesman, and certainly no influencer or social media guru, I can make you this promise… The only thing I am selling on this website is the following:

In The Mode: An Ancient Mystery Revealed - $25 - This 6-7 hour course includes any and all future lessons or additions to the current course. I will not be doing any more lessons in this format or selling anything else here, except the following:

In The Mode: The Picture Book - $?? - I will offer this completely optional book for those that still appreciate a more real and organic physical/analogue copy of things. In that book will be many of the graphs , diagrams, and cheat-sheets used in this presentation, with very brief commentary about them.

Weekly Group Instruction - $1 (weekly) - By joining the In The Mode community, I will be holding weekly calls where each of you become the teacher, where we learn together more advanced concepts as they apply to what we have learned. I will attempt to get guest speakers as well by those teachers I have vetted. Videos will be posted and accessible in a library as well (pay-$1-per-view).

T-shirts, Swag, etc. - $?? - I may in the future offer something like this for people that love this kind of stuff.

That’s it! I promise this will be the extent of any commerce related to this lesson. I do have to eat, after all! But I vow here to never raise these prices, so as to encourage you to pass this on to others, to family and friends, and whatever social media construct you use. Remember, this knowledge is useless when you realize very few others out there speaks it, and that many would choose willful ignorance over reason and foundational understanding. Darkness over the light of knowledge! What was I thinking…?

I will put on this weekly show as long as keeping this website up is a viable endeavor. For that, I need your help in spreading the word about this course. I am even offering a 20% commission if you introduce a paying customer to this course. Sell five and the course is free for you!

And now, here’s a partial list of what you will gain by watching my course In The Mood:

• Fundamental Diatonic Music Theory - A simplistic, PATTERN RECOGNITION approach to learning the foundational science and language of music as intentionally set up in "standard tuning" on the guitar.

• 252 Scales (Diatonic Modes) - As impossible as this sounds, there is only one scale, from which all other scales (as modes) come from. You will learn this in the first hour, and will be able to start practicing it immediately. You will know the modes, even if you can’t play them yet. Unfortunately, no one can tell you what they are, their PATTERN has to be seen. One scale to rule them all…

• Diatonic Chords (Triads) - So-called major, minor, and diminished chords all fall into this PATTERN, as chords are merely part of that one, universal, moveable scale. There is only one Diatonic chord simply because there is only one Diatonic scale!

• THE PATTERN - What is the PATTERN? It’s the building blocks of music, and is what all Diatonic music is connected with. Knowing the PATTERN is knowing all of the above! Using the PATTERN is the foundation and purpose of music theory.

• The Blues Scale - This will be our one example of a popular non-Diatonic scale, which is simply the Diatonic pentatonic scale with an added, non-diatonic “blue” note. This is merely a note that does not fall within the same repeatable scale PATTERN. Plus, a little tip to discover how and why the blues classics are/were constructed over many decades. It's one thing to play it blindly, and a whole other thing to understand what you are playing.

• The Circle of Fifths/Fourths - Perhaps the most important aspect of understanding why the guitar is set up and tuned the way it is, and considered as ”standard tuning,” learn what this circle is and how to easily apply it to any situation.

• The Ultimate Cheat-Sheet - Here we turn this circle (globe) into a flat map, a linear graph, from which all things Diatonic become clear and decoded. This amazing graph is our main tool in this presentation, and will act as an important and very useable cheat-sheet for you in the future. From this sheet we go on to learn how easy it is to quickly do:

• Transposition - Transpose any key into another without any thought or calculation. No need to think when it's all written out for you and so accessible.
  


• Songwriting - From this linear graph we have a quick cheat showing us the main chords and notes used in writing a standard Diatonic song. Most songs out there are written Diatonically, as shown in this linear Circle of Fifths graph. Again, no thought or calculation necessary, as it’s right there in front of you and easy to read and understand. Instantly write a song and be assured the chords will sound great together!


• Spot Instantly Relative Notes, Chords, and Scale Degrees - Instantly know by memory and by using this cheat-sheet where the root, 2nd, 3rd, 4rth, 5th, 6th, and 7th note of every scale is on the fret board. You don’t need recall of the name, just its numerical position, the location of which will soon become second nature. Always know where to play the next note while improvising, and more importantly, why!

That said, it is equally as important for you to know what is not in this course. Here are a few of my not so favorite things:

• How To Sit And Hold The Guitar - A classic billable hour trick! Here’s a hint: Every genre and player is different, and so is every player’s posture. Learn the classical position and apply it to your own disposition. Trust me, you will fall out of any graceful posturing anyone teaches you gradually, if not immediately. However, the classical position is certainly the most efficient and ergonomic, so start there. It’s all about the wrist. Search for a free lesson on this and don’t pay anyone for it. They are a dime a dozen.

• The Basic Stuff - Remember, I am teaching you the guitar and how it's set up to play, not how to play it. That's your bag. The problem with education is that they never teach you how to think, only what to think, what to practice, repeating over and over what in the end you really don't know. Repetitive ignorance does not a musician make. I will not be pausing to define or explain every word I use. It is assumed that you know what A thru G# is. It is assumed you know what a flat and a sharp is. If any of these basic musical terms are unfamiliar, you are expected to be a big boy or girl and go research the answer for yourself. The reason for this is not laziness or douchebaggery on my part, but rather a focus on your need and willingness to learn. This is a liberal art, not a a course in art appreciation or home economics. Me reading a rote definition for you is not the same as you pressing pause and going on a mission of self-discovery and meaning. If any terms used herein are not known to you, you are recommended to learn them before moving on. Clarity should be your clue and your key to move on to the next chapter or subject. Trust me, this self-researching is an important key to the classic learning process. It is the goal of a liberal arts education to be independent and self-responsible.

• The Stuff You Can Learn Anywhere - There are thousands of free lessons out there, all covering the same basic stuff. Ah, the billable hours... Enough said.

• Non-Diatonic Stuff - IMPORTANT! As the Diatonic system is over 99% of music, In The Mode is designed to teach just that. We will not be exploring non-diatonic scales or chords, for this afterthought will do you no good if you don’t first know the foundation. In other words, you cannot learn what is non-Diatonic if you don’t first learn what is Diatonic. Sorry if I'm offending you with my indefatigable, indestructible logic… But no foundation, no structure. Exception: We will learn the "blues scale," which uses a non-Diatonic "blue note." But this is only for comparison (and because it is so kick-ass)!

• Bullshit - None of that in here, man. Easy to find though... just get a teacher that says music theory and the modes are dumb and unimportant. And good luck to you!

When you have gotten through this course, you will either want to watch it again or you will want to verify that what you just learned is accurate. Did you really just learn the Diatonic theory system that most all music is written in, and can you really go improvise a solo to almost any Diatonically constructed backing track or song you can find? Is this really possible?

I assure you, if you have the will, I have shown you the way. And let me apologize in advance when you find yourself kicking yourself for not learning this sooner.

Are you ready to take your playing to the next level?

Are you ready to be In The Mode?

See you on the other side!

Thanks and be well…

-Clint