Introduction to the modes of the major scale
To get your lead playing to the next level you will want to learn the modes of the major scale.
Don’t let modal playing intimidate you. Over the next several lessons I am going to break down
modal play and you will be surprised how easy it can be when taught in this manner.
Just think of the modes as being variations of the major scale. All you will be doing is
starting on and emphasizing a note in the major scale other than the root note.
KEY POINT: Just think of the modes as variations of the major scale.
There are seven modes of the major scale and they always appear in this order:
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian.
There is a general consensus in the guitar community that the modes are this real abstract and
mysterious entity that you need a black belt in music theory to understand - that they are out of
reach of most guitar players. That is totally not true and you can be playing in the modes very
quickly if you put all that negativity about the modes aside.
In fact, you already may be playing in the modes and not even realize that you are doing it.
You will amaze yourself at how fast you will be able to play in the modes with just a little
understanding of how they work and how to apply them. Then you can practice applying them
with included jam tracks.
Many instructors overcomplicate the teaching of the modes and make it so much harder than it
needs to be. I will make it easy. My modal methodology requires that you know your major
scales. We will get to all seven modes through the major scale. To play the modes of the major
scale all you need to do is play variations of major scales.
KEY PRACTICE: Learn the major scales diagrammed out in the previous
lesson. Know them cold and in all keys.Spend some time and learn six major scales and how to link them together. The killer thing
with my methodology is that you don’t have to learn a whole new set of scales for each mode.
You don’t have to learn a whole new set of scales for Dorian, then six more new scale shapes
for Phrygian, then six more new and different scales for Lydian, etc. Learning six new scale
shapes for each mode is redundant and totally unnecessary.
With my system, once you learn the six major scales, you know all the modes of the major
scale because you will be using those same six major scale shapes to play all the modes. You
will just be starting on any one of the six shapes on a note other than its root.
Before we can examine each mode of the major scale, we need to overview the modes in
general so you can have a clear understanding of their structure and sequence. This is crucial
to understanding them and applying them in your playing.