Our good friends Merriam and Webster define alchemy as the 'power or process of transforming something common into something special.' And while that gold thing never really worked out for those medieval cats, Glenn Seaborg, 1951 Laureate in Chemistry, succeeded in turning lead (atomic number 82) into gold using physics to force a minute quantity of lead to release three protons and thus produce gold (atomic number 79).

Don't get too excited -- the cost of producing ample energy to accomplish this task far exceeds the value of the gold. Instead we recommend you tune into TrueFire Laureate of Guitar, Robbie Calvo and learn how to become a Modal Alchemist. He'll teach you how to transform any simple major scale into riches beyond your wildest dreams.

Video Introduction

Click below for a sample video from the course

About the Guitar Lesson Plan

Interactive Video Guitar Instruction

The Modal Alchemist completes Robbie's trilogy of courses focused on the modal approach for identifying tonal centers, building chord progressions, and crafting compelling solos over virtually any progression.

In Modal Expose, Robbie showed you the seven modes that live within the seven notes of a major scale. He then revealed how major, minor, dominant and diminished arpeggios and chords are built from those seven notes and modes within that key. Using Robbie's simple "modal" formula you learned how to quickly grasp the underlying harmony of any chord progression.

To ice the cake, Robbie showed you how to apply your newfound understanding of modal harmony to improvise melodic lines seamlessly across any set of chord changes, in any progression, in any key. All without tedious theory, boring exercises or greek rhetoric. Your head exploded with epiphanies and your playing has never been the same since. But you wanted more...

In 50 Modal Licks You MUST Know, Robbie filled your modal bag with 50 tasty, extremely versatile Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian lines and moves that you could also call on over countless progressions in any key. This new modal vocabulary further expanded the palette of colors you paint with when improvising in any style. But you wanted more...

If you've worked through both of those courses, or are already familiar with modal harmony, then you are good to go with the Modal Alchemist. Fair warning ... the teachings conveyed in the Modal Alchemist will likely lead to a total conversion thus alienating your friends and bandmates who still swear by the pentatonic and blues scale.

In the first section of the Modal Alchemist, you'll learn how to craft fresh-sounding progressions and rhythm parts for each of the seven modes, and then how to improvise over those progressions, soloing over the changes and melodically emphasizing the tonal characteristics of the source mode. You can use these teachings to compose with, arrange with, accompany with, or improvise with over any changes, in any key, in any style. This bears repeating... any changes, in any key, in any style.

The second and third sections of the Modal Alchemist will blow the roof off your head. Robbie shows you how to employ diatonic chord substitutions and how to superimpose the modes to exponentially expand the colors, textures and moods that you'll be able to craft with your compositions and improvisations.

As with all of Robbie's courses, you will play your way through the curriculum -- no tedious theory, no exercises, no greek -- everything is tabbed and notated (PowerTab and Guitar Pro included), and you get killer rhythm tracks to practice with on your own.

Riches beyond their wildest dreams await The Modal Alchemist.

About Your Instructor

Robbie Calvo

Nashville-based session player, songwriter, musical director and master educator Robbie Calvo has earned countless accolades and awards for his contributions and performances in Guitarist of the Year finals, songwriting competitions, PBS TV themes and ABC TV productions.

Calvo's pedigree as a musician is well established, however his passion for education and work as an educator has earned him international acclaim making him "one of the most sought-after instructors walking the planet today."

Thousands of amateur and pro students, from over 80 countries, have benefited from Calvo's workshops and published study programs. Calvo's interactive, hand-on learning systems impart knowledge and skills that can be applied to any style of music.

Calvo's most recent published works include his patented Sweet Notes approach to improvisation, RhythmCraft and companion SoloCraft systems for rhythm and soloing applications and Modal Expose for soloing over changes. All have earned spots on TrueFire's best-seller list.