Learning the modes

You can survive with just a major scale, but I do believe there are plenty of advantages of learning modes, especially in improvising, like being able to refer to a note in comparison to its root (major/minor third, and so on) which is easier (at least for me) if you know the modes. Another good thing about modes is that it’s close to impossible to memorise which mode in a key is which key’s major scale, for all 12 keys and 7 modes! It can also lead to you playing a major scale over a chord that needs a mode like Locrian to sound well, which in consequence may lead to your music sounding like a major scale from another key over a different mode/key.

A good way to imagine modes is to think of them as 3 major modes and 4 minor modes . The 3 major modes all have a regular 3rd, that the 4th note above the root. Those modes are Ionian (natural major), mixolydian ( major with a flat seventh) and Lydian (major with a sharp 4th). The 4 minor modes are Aeolian (natural minor), Dorian (minor with a sharp 6th or #6), Phrygian (minor with a flat second, or b2) and Locrian (minor with a flat 6th AND a flat 5th). While these may seem confusing at first after you learn a few of them, they will come much easier. Also, I notice I’m not using phrygian or locrian a lot, so it’s not like you’re gonna use every mode every day in many situations. Cheers.

Hello All,

Rohan (arc_of_descent) had asked a question about understanding and applying modes, so I ended up PM’ing him a long-winded explanation with examples and such. However, it might’ve been easier if I had just re-directed him to a segment of a Guthrie (via Guitar World’s Professor Shred Series) teaching a topic he called: “Musicality as a Priority” in which he goes on about the “un-musical” approach many budding guitarists suffer from when learning and applying new information on guitar. In his example he cites the common mistake of guitarists letting their ear follow their fingers (because there are so many “easy-to-play-fast” scale-patterns that are easily modulated!)

Anyways, in this lesson, I]from (1:42-3:57)[/I Guthrie explains his approach to the Dorian Mode, and I swear to you all that even though my Private Message to Rohan reveals an extremely similar explanation, I NEVER saw this video-clip before, and the ironic thing is that I’ve been teaching/explaining/applying the modes in an identical manner for atleast fifteen (15) years now!!! This is perhaps the ONLY thing I have in common with Guthrie (…well that and the fact that we both like Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Derek Trucks!) Now if I could just play HALF-AS-GOOD as Guthrie I might be happy… – LOL!

So here’s Guthrie’s lesson/explanation, and this is EXACTLY (almost word-for-word) the way I’ve taught it for a LONG time (scary!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkaqfgSqtHg&feature=relmfu

I hope this helps someone (and I hope you see this post Rohan!)

Best of luck! 🙂

~Bill~ 😀

I know the first position, which is beneficial in finding what number a note is, or for finding chords. However, what use is there in learning the other 4? Can’t I just use position one a few frets up?

The major scale isn’t used to solo with, or used to make melodies (well, not many anyway). Would I not be better off learning the minor pentatonic?