MODES Are Confusing... If You Don't UNDERSTAND Them!
Modes; what are they good for?
Most people find them incredibly confusing. Just think of questions like:
Every scale is actually seven different scales?
And each note in the key has it’s own scale, but they’re all the same notes?
But they all sound different?
And they all have wacky names? (*)
It’s actually way simpler than that. Using the different notes in a major scale to create the seven modes is simply the way the modes were ‘discovered’.
Or in other words: You do not need to think of the major scale as seven different scales.
This is and extremely confusing way to think about them.
And it’s also useless because in that case they would just be seven different ways of playing the exact same thing. (I'll explain that in the video)
It's much easier to hear that he modes mean something when you think about them from the same note.
Instead of C major, play C Lydian. If you do that, you can hear a difference!
Instead of A minor, play A Dorian. If you do that, you can hear a difference!
So, all we need to understand is what the different modes look like on the guitar, and when you can switch between a regular minor or major scale and one of the modes with ease.
That’s it.
If you want to understand how to do exactly this, watch the video linked below.
(*) Well, this is actually a good point. We could have picked easier names...
Want to know even more about modes? Want to learn every single thing there is to know about scales and modes on the guitar? Check out my Master of the Modes guitar course and start learning today!
Video Transcription
Hello Internet, so nice to see you. Guitar players we know are completely confused about modes. They tell you that modes are hard. They tell you that modes are complicated. They tell you that modes should be learned later, not soon. It's actually much, much easier than that.
Modes are much easier and much more useful than what most people think, okay? Now a student asked me how modes work and on what core progression you can play them and in what situation you can play them. So here's my answer. First of all you do not have seven modes on C major. I know why you're saying that, so I'm gonna say what I think you are thinking and you can confirm that and they're gonna demolish that.
And I'm relating the modes to the C major scale, so if I'm if the you know C major
On C major I can play, C major, D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, etc.
That's what I'm wondering. It's what it seems to be, but I get the idea it may be a lot more complicated than that.
Simpler. Really? Yes, because when you're playing over, okay, we have to distinguish between the mode and the pattern. Okay.
The mode is a sound. Right. The pattern is what you do on the fretboard. Okay. Now, if I play C major, I can play the C Ionian or C major scale. I can also play in the D Dorian, but it's going to sound exactly the same because it's the same notes. It's the same scale. Exactly. You, as a listener, you don't know if I'm playing in this pattern or this pattern, because the notes are exactly the same.
Right. So the sound is still the same. And this sound is the sound of C major because the chord is C major. Right. Okay. Or the progression is in C major. Right. Right now you're hearing these as the main note. All of the notes referred to these notes. So whatever pattern you're playing, you are still playing in C major. Okay.
Okay. So like if you're playing C major, D minor, E minor, F major, you're playing the chords in C. Yes. Okay. And so you're saying the modes.
Same thing it's the same for scale okay that you were doing on the chord if you want so you can play C major D minor E minor F major G major A minor B diminished and they are still in the key of C as long as you come back to C okay and you can play C Ionian D Dorian E Phrygian etc and this is still a C major scale actually for the scale it's even more because it's literally the same sound with the chord you can hear a change.
But for this scale you really can't because it's the same notes so far so good yes fantastic so that's the thing so now how do we use the modes to play the modes as opposed to just the major scale okay so at this point you want to think of the modes but with the root of C so C Lydian C Ionian okay C Mixolydian C Dorian C Aeolian C Phrygian C Locrian or C and harmonic minor and or C melodic minor and all the modes of those.
Anyway but we can start with one or two okay yeah some of those modes but all of those modes contain the note C because we started from there some of those modes we contain the other notes of the C major chord which are E and G okay if the mode contains all the note of the C major chord you can play that mode over the C major chord okay.
So, is there an easy way to calculate what that is?
Well, yes. Okay. If we limit ourselves for a moment, only to the modes of the major scale, okay, you have three major modes that will fit a major chord, three minor modes that will fit a minor chord, and one diminished mode that will fit a diminished chord. The three major chord are Lydian, Ionian, and Mixolydian.
So on C major, you can play C Lydian, C Ionian, or C Mixolydian. Okay. So essentially- This is helping, yes. Yes. So on C major, you can play C major, or C Lydian, okay, or C Mixolydian. But they all contain C, E, and G. The three minor modes are Dorian, Aeolian, and Phrygian. So our C minor chord, let's say, you could play C Dorian, C Aeolian, and C Phrygian.
And this is true for all the other notes too, okay. So I have a G sharp major, and you're thinking, I have to calculate all the sharps now. G sharp major, I can play G Lydian, G Ionian, G Mixolydian, the three major modes. That's it. All right. And on the guitar, it's fantastically easy, because you just put the bass note on G sharp, and play the G Lydian, if you want to play the G Lydian, okay.
Got it. Okay. Makes sense? So it's easier than on a piano, where you have to actually know what are the sharps and flats. We don't have to know what are the sharps and flats, we just put down the pattern.
But it means that C major chord is in a number of other scales other than C major. Because it is. Right. And so the way to calculate that is by the number, which notes are major in the C major scale.
Okay, so one
1.45 or CFG. Exactly. Okay. And then if C, well okay, then is C major, it's not in the minor scales. It's not in the D minor scale.
The chord of C major is also in the D minor scale, but if I'm playing the C major over a C major, I get C major. Okay. I know. If it's C major over C major, the C major scale or the C major chord, I have the C major sound. Got it.
If I'm playing D minor, I'm starting from D minor, I'm insisting on this D minor, and I play the C major scale, I'm actually playing the Dorian. Right. Okay. Because it's that equivalent. But in this case, I just prefer to think, I am in D minor, I have three minor modes, Dorian, Aeolian, and Phrygian. Right. I play one of those three, and then of course I know how they sound, so I just pick the one that sounds the way I want.
All right, I'm going to sound stupid when I'm going to ask the question.
But so, the C major chord is also in the G and in the F major. Exactly. Right? Yes. Okay. And it's not in any other major chord and major scale.
Yes, that's correct. The C major chord, it's only in three major scales, because it could be the first chord, the fourth chord, or the fifth chord. If it's the first chord, it's a union. I got it.
You got it. It's the same thing from the other sense.
Now I understand very good. You've you've answered my question for the first time. I finally understand it.
Fantastic. Okay. So happy to hear that. Okay. I'm going to go home and think about it. Okay. Fantastic. Thank you. Any, any follow up question on this?
No, I'm going to go back and get it in my notes. Fantastic. Thank you very much.