Natural Minor – Aeolian Mode Backing Tracks

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Here are the backing tracks you can use to improvise with the Aeolian mode or the natural minor scale. As the notes of the minor pentatonic scale are all notes in the Aeolian mode, you can also practice your minor pentatonic improvisation over these tracks as well.

These tracks have been provided by Jamplay from a previous version of their backing track library before they merged with TrueFire. Jamplay has now merged with TrueFire, another leader in online video guitar lessons and the backing track library there has also changed and evolved with this. It now includes things such as multitrack audio backings as well as a wide range of backing tracks to solo over.

Playlist

Here’s the playlist with all the tracks and you can access the individual tracks and see their transcription below.

Individual Tracks:

• Aeolian Tribal Feel in Am
• E Minor Sadness
• Stay Away from the Voodoo in Em
• 70’s Type D Minor

Aeolian Tribal Feel in Am

A good track to explore your A Aeolian improv with. I really like these sorts of synth washes on natural minor based progressions.

Transcription:

E Minor Sadness

A track by the metal player and Jamplay instructor Kris Norris. Love the Vocals in this one. Definite gothic sort of feel.

Transcription:

Stay Away from the Voodoo in Em

An interesting Aeolian backing here by Jamplay instructor David Wallimann.

Transcription:

70’s Type D Minor

Another good Aeolian track by Kris Norris, designed for the D Aeolian mode.

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Additional Exercises

As well as jamming over the tracks above, I’d encourage you to use the tracks to help your understanding of how to form chords from scales. If your only starting to get used to the concept of harmonising scales, I’d look through the transcriptions of the above tracks and map out the chord progressions to see how the chords in these progressions are all formed from the notes of the relevant Aeolian mode. Seeing that all the chords in a progression are formed from a given scale is a good indicator that you can use that scale over the whole chord progression in your soloing and improvisation.

Additionally, as you become comfortable using the scale, try to focus your soloing on the chord tones of the current chord in the progression. As the progressions are largely formed from the scale, these tones should be part of the natural minor scale you are using. By doing this, your solo can start to outline the chord changes and gives a greater sense of the harmony in the track.

More Tracks

These tracks have been provided by Jamplay from a previous version of their backing track library before they merged with TrueFire.

Jamplay has now merged with TrueFire, another leader in online video guitar lessons and the backing track library there has also changed and evolved with this. It now includes things such as multitrack audio backings where you can mute the different parts, as well as a wide range of your more traditional backing tracks to solo over. There are also InTheJam packages where you can jam with famous artists like Eric Johnson.

Visit the Jamplay/TureFire library

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