--Dear Edly:
I'm a rock and blues guitar player who has recently begun trying to study jazz guitar. I've begun working with modes as well. How do you play Fmaj7#11? I think the Fmaj7#11 calls for the lydian mode at the 5th fret and none of it sounds right. I'm not sure how to finger the chord which I think is FACEB. I'm also not sure if the F lydian is in the right position for the first note. Please excuse my ignorance. How do I play the chord and where do I play the lydian scale (is it at the 5th fret for F, being F majors 4th position ?

--Edly answers: FACEB is correct, but remember that inversion is okay, and often necessary on guitar.

Let's see: how to communicate fingerings via e-mail. Hmmm. Let's do NOTES, string by string, starting with the 6th. You find the frets! X means mute, or skip the string. Here are some possibilities: X F B C E A
X F C E A B (a bit of a stretch for the first finger, if you've never done this kind of warped bar)
X C F B E A
X X A C E B (assuming the presence of a bass player, or merely not worrying about the missing root)
F C F A B E (low and rich. Also good for folkier sound)

Further, you could add the 9th (G) to the mix, and it would thicken the chord without significantly changing the flavor.

X F A E G B (four string bar)

That should get you going.

In terms of your scale question, yes Lydian is the most obvious scale choice. Where you play it is up to you, as long as it comes out F G A B C D E F.

--Edly
--http://www.edly.com/

See interview with Edly from March 2000, at:
http://www.guitarsam.com/interviews/edly.htm

Article reproduced from GUITARSAM eZINE Vol. 19 May 1, 2000
Published by Play It Again Sam
The friendliest guitar shop on the Internet!
http://www.guitarsam.com/