In this final series in our “fingerboard familiarity” endeavors, we’ll be exploring the modes of the major scale. It is my intent to give you a somewhat condensed, highly practical look at the application and relevance of the modes for most groove contexts.

Overview

Your initial thought might be, “WHY MODES?? I want to learn how to groove!” Well, having a good understanding of the modes is INVALUABLE for groove playing, as it will allow you to evaluate a chord chart, then immediately and intuitively know what notes could be appropriately played against that M7 chord, m9 chord, etc., to make a consistent harmonic statement. That selection of notes would differ, depending upon the function of that chord relative to the key of the song (or that particular portion of the song).

For instance, if a tune is in the key of G, and you find a GM7 chord on the chart, you could play the G major scale there, and it would perfectly reinforce the harmony of the key. Now...if within that same chart, you came across a CM7 chord....the appropriate scale would not be that same major scale, simply transposed up to C. It would be slightly different, and a good, solid grasp of the modes will allow you to immediately know the appropriate scale for that chord.

So let’s dive in! I think you’ll find that they’re logical and not as enigmatic as you might have thought.We’ll spend our next few lessons tackling the modes themselves, then we’ll deal with how they apply to the music we’re playing. There are 7 modes we’ll be studying, based upon the major scale, and each has a Greek name.

1st: Ionian mode
2nd: Dorian mode
3rd: Phrygian mode
4th: Lydian mode
5th: Mixolydian mode
6th: Aeolian mode
7th: Locrian mode

HOW ARE THEY DERIVED?

What are the scale degrees in these modes? Well, the C major scale (which we’ve already covered ad nauseum, and which you undoubtedly already have well under your fingers!) is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (octave), right? The major scale is the FIRST (or Ionian) mode. So you already know your modes a bit, right? You just may or may not have been aware of it!
If you derive a scale using the same notes from that C major scale, but play them from the “2" (or the second scale degree, which would be D) up an octave (i.e. from the 2nd up to the 9th), you would end up playing:D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D. Right? If you played that scale thinking of the D as the “I” (or the root), you’d find that the resulting scale is:1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7, octave.

Video Exercise 1

 

Do you see that?

That would be your SECOND (or Dorian) mode; it’s the scale that’s derived from playing the notes of the major scale, but using (or thinking of) the 2nd scale degree (or the “2”) as the root of that new scale.

And the other modes utilize the same methodology.

Your 3rd (or Phrygian) mode is the scale that’s derived from playing the notes of the major scale, thinking of the 3rd scale degree (or the “3”)...as the root of that particular scale.

And it just keeps going. That same selection of notes, using the fourth as the root, would be your fourth (or Lydian) mode. The fifth would be the Mixolydian mode, the sixth would be the Aeolian mode, and the notes of the major scale played from the 7 to the 7 an octave above, and using that 7 as your root...would be your seventh, or Locrian mode.

In my experience, the most effective way to get this to the point that it’s assimilated and can actually be applied to the music you’re playing (as opposed to remaining as merely another chunk of academic knowledge) is by memorizing these scales, not based upon your normal fingering of the major scale from which the modes were derived...but rather, by learning them as scales in their own right, and in a logical fretboard position based upon that.

Let’s go ahead and pick up the scales we covered in earlier lessons and tie them in to our mode studies.

Ionian mode (major scale)

EXERCISE 1

This should look pretty familiar. Here is our C major scale. The Ionian mode IS the major scale. Memorize the Ionian mode as the 1st mode.

Mixolydian mode

EXERCISE 2

 
 

Here’s another familiar scale (from Lesson 5), the C Mixolydian mode, which (as promised!) we’re now tying it in to our discussion and application of the modes. As we discussed above, it is derived from the major scale (if you played up an F major scale starting on the 5th scale degree, you’d find that the notes would be identical to the ones we’re playing here), but you’ll notice that this pattern is laid out in a manner that is logical without regard to the major scale...it doesn’t “pay homage” to the major scale, per se, but makes sense as a scale in its own right.

Based upon this fingering, it’s pretty clear to see that it is identical to the major scale, but with a flat 7th. Memorize the Mixolydian mode as the 5th mode.

Aeolian mode (natural minor scale)

EXERCISE 3

 
 

Finally, here’s the C natural minor scale (see Lesson 4), which is also synonymous with the C Aeolian mode.

Based upon this fingering pattern, one can see that it is identical to a major scale, but with a flat 3rd, flat 6th and flat 7th. Memorize the Aeolian mode as the 6th mode.

EXERCISE 4

Lastly, let’s start compiling a mode reference sheet we’ll put to much use a few lessons down the road.

 
 

In a column along the left margin of a blank sheet of paper, evenly space numbers 1 through 7 (representing the 1st through 7th modes of the major scale). Next to the corresponding number for each of the modes we’ve covered so far (the 1st, 5th and 6th), write the appropriate mode name, common name (e.g., major scale, natural minor scale) if applicable, and the scale degrees of that mode.

The only remaining component for this resource is the corresponding chord quality. Let’s look at the 1st mode: if we start on the root of the Ionian mode and play every other scale degree (i.e., 1, 3, 5, 7), the resulting arpeggio (or chord, if strummed!) is major 7 (or M7 - review Lessons 10 and 11 if any of this isn’t making sense to you).

Do the same for the Aeolian and Mixolydian modes (which should result in 1, b3, 5, b7 and 1, 3, 5, b7, or minor 7 and dominant 7, respectively), and write the corresponding chord quality next to the appropriate mode in a column along the right margin of your sheet, as shown on Figure 4.

We’ll fill in more of this mode reference sheet over the next few lessons.