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Modes Made Easy 5+2
Modes Made Easy 5+2
A Modal scale is a seven note scale which has its own distinct pattern and sound.
It is easiest to understand the Modes by comparing them to the scales we already know.
Each Mode has its own "characteristic pitch" - a signature ingredient that defines its flavour/sound.
The best way to understand and use the Modes is to treat the root of the scale as the tonic and utilise the "characteristic pitch" to impart the the "flavour" of each mode. One of the biggest mistakes I see guitarists make is when they think "Oh, D Dorian is just the same as C major". They may share the same notes, but each has a different tonic.
Pentatonic scales contain five notes, while Modal scales contain seven. An easy way to think of Modal scales is as a Pentatonic scale with two notes added!
Just like chords in a key, some Modes are Major (Ionian, Mixolydian, Lydian), while some are Minor (Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian).
When we harmonise a Major scale, we end up with a pattern of Major, Minor, and Diminished chords. The Modes reinforce this concept!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I ii iii IV V vi vii
Major Minor Minor Major Major Minor Diminished
Ionian Dorian Phrygian Lydian Mixolydian Aeolian Locrian
Major Minor nat 6 Minor b2 Major #4 Major b7 Minor Minor b2 & b5
I Don't Play Like Mister Alex Lifeson
The Minor Modes
The Minor Modes
Let's begin learning the minor modes by relating to something we already know; the Root 6 Minor Barre Chord, and its related Minor Pentatonic Box.
By adding two notes to this shape, we can create one of the minor modes; Aeolian. Dorian, and Phrygian.
The Aeolian Mode is also known as the Relative Natural Minor, or the Pure Minor. Compared to a Major Scale, it contains a b3, b6, b7. It is quite "sad" sounding and is one of the "darker" modes. When I hear Aeolian, I think of guitarists Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads, and Adrian Smith and Dave Murray from Iron Maiden.
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - Aeolian Lick.mp3Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - Am.mp3The Dorian Mode is probably the next most widely used Minor Mode. It is the same as Aeolian, except it has a natural 6th degree, which gives it a brighter sound. Players such as Carlos Santana and David Gilmour favour this mode!
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - Dorian Lick.mp3Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - A Dorian.mp3The Phrygian Mode is less common, but has an exotic, and sometimes mysterious sound. It is more common to hear it used in heavier styles of music. The b2 is the notes that distinguishes it from the Aeolian Mode, as all of the other notes are the same. The b2 creates a darker sound, and can sound quite sinister. You can hear this mode used in the songs by Megadeth, Metallica, and Al Di Meola.
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - Phrygian Lick.mp3Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - A Phrygian.mp3The Major Modes
The Major Modes
We can use the same approach when learning the Major modes by relating to the Root 6 Major Barre Chord, and its related Major Pentatonic Box.
By adding two notes to this shape, we can create one of the major modes; Ionian. Mixolydian, and Lydian.
The Ionian Modes is the Major Scale - it is the same as a Major Pentatonic scale with the 4 and the 7 added. It is probably the most common scale in Western music, although the Mixolydian Mode is probably the most popular major mode in Rock music. It has a bright, uplifting sound. George Harrison, Keith Scott (guitarist for Bryan Adams), Neal Schon of Journey, Brian May of Queen, Dickie Betts of the Allman Brothers, and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi are all players that excel at using the Ionian Mode in a Rock context!
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - Ionian Lick.mp3Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - A.mp3As stated previously, the Mixolydian Mode is the pre-eminent Major mode in Rock music, likely due to the influence of Blues music. The Mixolydian Mode is the same as the Ionian, but with a b7, which creates a Dominant tonality; ideal for Bluesy sounding melodies. It has a bright, yet "rootsy" quality. It is a sound that is ubiquitous in Classic Rock, but players that come to mind as masters of Mixolydian include Jeff Beck and Larry Carlton.
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - Mixolydian Lick.mp3Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - A7.mp3Lydian is the brightest sounding mode - it has a super uplifting sound. It is the same as a Major scale, but has a #4, which sounds quite intriguing and mysterious. I think of this mode as the movie soundtrack mode - it is used all the time in Superhero and Sci-Fi movies. Players that exploit this mode extensively include Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - Lydian Lick.mp3Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - A Lydian.mp3The Theory of Relativity
The Theory of Relativity
The previous examples used both the related Minor Barre Chord / Minor Pentatonic Scale and the Major Barre Chord / Major Pentatonic Scale simply to help with visualisation. However, the Relative Major/Minor that we have seen before also applies to the Modal scales.
Just as A minor Pentatonic and C major Pentatonic share the same notes, so do A Aeolian and C Ionian, which means you play the each scale in the same position, you just need to target different notes to address the change.
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in A - Relative Minor to Major.mp3The Relative Major or a Minor chord is three frets higher, and vice verse, the Relative Minor of a Major chord is three frets lower. If we look at the following diagrams, we can see that A Dorian shares the same notes as C Lydian - they are Relative!
In the exact same manner, A Phrygian and C Mixolydian are Relative and share the same notes also.
The Order of the Modes
The Order of the Modes
The modes can all be derived from a "parent" major scale - the modes are actually relative inversions of a Major scale - the same notes, but starting from a different point;
Ionian C D E F G A B C (The Major Scale) Major
Dorian D E F G A B C D Minor
Phrygian E F G A B C D E Minor
Lydian F G A B C D E F Major
Mixolydian G A B C D E F G (The Dominant Scale) Major
Aeolian A B C D E F G A (The Relative Minor) Minor
Locrian B C D E F G A B (Very Uncommon) Diminished
Some players think to themselves "If I am in E Phrygian, I can just play in C major." While this is true, if you are thinking C major, you are likely to play C major sounding licks which target the C note, which doesn't always sound great over an Em chord. I find it is best to think of each mode as it's own specific flavour, and if you want to capture as much of that flavour as possible, it does help not to think relatively. It is better to think of E Phrygian as a minor mode with a b2 - then it is easier to capture the minor quality of the mode and to target the characteristic pitch, the b2 - the special ingredient!
However, it can be useful to know the order of the modes to understand how they relate to each other, and to see the harmonic options that are available to you.
The following mnemonics can be helpful remembering the order of the modes;
I Don't Play Like Mr. Alex Lifeson I Don't Play Like Mr. Albert Lee
I Don't Play Like Mr. Alvin Lee I Don't Play Like Maestro Alexi Laiho
I Don't Punch Like Muhammed Ali I Don't Play Loud Music After Lunch
I Don't Play Like My Aunty Linda I Don't Phrase Like MALmsteen
Obviously, Mr. and Maestro are interchangeable, as are Play and Phrase.
The Order of the Modes: Darkest to Brightest
The Order of the Modes: Darkest to Brightest
Sometimes you want to create a song that creates a certain feeling. In this instance, it can be very useful to know the order of the modes, from darkest to brightest.
The Locrian Mode is the darkest and most sinister sounding mode. Dorian is the most positive of the minor modes. The three modes furtherest right are all major, with Lydian being the most uplifting!
Click on the above link to see a list of songs that utilise Modal Scales.
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