Ionian Advanced Theory: In the key of F major starting on the first degree or F Ionian scale our chord progression

on viewing it as relating to F major would be I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, and vii. So a F Ionian chordal progression (remember were in the key of F) would feature the following chords: F, Gm, Am, Bb, C7 or C, Dm, Edim (or Em), F So if youre in a song where F is the I chord, and you see/hear these other chords in this relationship to each other: I Major, ii minor, iii minor, IV Major, V7 Dom 7 (or Major), vi minor, vii diminished (or substituted minor) think F Ionian! The most reliable indicators of Ionian mode are the Major I, IV & V chords, particularly if the V is a Dominant 7 or V7 chord, and/or ALL, or at least the vast majority of the chords, are diatonic chords built on the major scale of the I chord.

Dorian By playing against our sample progressions, certain ideas immediately pop out if you hear a i to IV change, the Dorian mode, or the second mode, fits you can take a natural minor scale based on the i and simply raise the sixth degree of the scale (i.e., play a major 6th instead of the typical minor 6th or b6 normally found in the natural minor scale). The reason this works is that youre adjusting the scale to accommodate the major third necessary to create the IV chord. (You might also think of this movement as a common ii V progression for the key on which the Dorian mode is constructed, i.e., youd play the Dorian mode from the root of the ii chord). Dorian mode also works well over songs that have a i to bVII change because the minor i chord is treated as the ii chord of the modal key and the bVII chord is treated as the I chord of the modal key. The appearance of a minor v chord, particularly against a Major IV chord, can also be characteristic of this mode. And the minor vi half step up to Major bVII distinguishes it from Aeolian. Dorian mode is frequently used in folk, rock, blues & jazz music. Advanced Theory: In the key of F major starting on the second degree or G Dorian scale our chord progression viewing it as relating to F major would be ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii, and I (and in chord progressions and songs constructed in all modes except Ionian or Locrian, the diatonic diminished chord is almost always skipped or another chord is substituted in its place in the progression*). So a G Dorian chordal progression (remember were in the key of F) would feature the following chords: Gm, Am, Bb, C, Dm (or D)**, (Em), F So if youre in a song where Gm is the i chord, and you see/hear these other chords in this relationship to each other: i minor, ii minor, bIII Major, IV Major, v minor (or sometimes V or V7 Major)**, vi minor* (or viDim)*, bVII Major think G Dorian! The most reliable indicators of Dorian mode are the Major IV and Major bVII chords in a minor i song or progression. (*Note since a diminished chord is built on a minor 3rd (or b3) and a b5, often you will often find a chord substituted at the spot in the diatonic modal progression where the diminished chord would otherwise appear this could be a minor (since the diminished features a minor 3rd), or sometimes Major, built on the diminished root, or sometimes even a Major built 1/2 step below the diminished root as frequently occurs where a bVII Major chord is substituted for the vii(Dim) chord in an Ionian Mode progression. **It is common even in songs built on minor keys or modes for a Major V or V7 to be substituted, although a minor v is reliable indicator that the song or progression is in a minor mode. Please also note that the chords that Ive included in parenthesis simply refer to common substitutions that occur in progressions otherwise written in this mode, but that these substituted chords dont purely fit the diatonic chords or notes of the major scale on which the mode is constructed. They are included because its helpful to recognize these common substitutions and not let their presence fool you into thinking that the song is not otherwise constructed in this mode. Of course, its important to keep in mind that any time a chord is substituted for any one of the pure diatonic chords of the Major key on which the mode being employed is actually constructed, you can and might actually need to adjust your primary chosen modal scale, or even find and use a different modal scale, to pick up and include those chord tones/notes of the substituted chord which are not in the diatonic major scale on which the primary diatonic modal progression is constructed. If you find this idea confusing, theres a specific example further clarifying this adjustment process & how to apply it at the very end of this article).

Phrygian The Phrygian Mode, or the third mode, is uniquely characterized by its Spanish sound and flavor, and is thus sometimes also called the Spanish Gypsy scale. It is used most often against a halfstep chord change from the minor i chord to the bII chord, or a substituted Major I chord to a bII chord. It resides in and exists because of the half-step between the 3rd & 4th degrees of the major scale. An example would be playing an E Phrygian scale constructed starting on the third scale degree of the C Major scale (or, you could also look at it as an A natural minor scale) over an E to F chord change, which is a very familiar use and a sound were all very familiar with. (So a shorthand way to find & play Phrygian mode for any note or chord that youre on is to simply find the 4th of the note or chord youre on & play a natural minor scale, but emphasize the Phrygian note for example, for E Phrygian, play A natural minor but emphasizing the mode root E for D Phrygian, play G natural minor but emphasizing the mode root D, and so on. Just be careful when substituting the 4ths related natural minor scale in this way to emphasize the proper root note necessary to make the mode Phrygian). In the key were using in this study F Major, Phrygian mode could be identified and used over an Am to Bb (or A to Bb) chord change, to-wit: an A Phrygian mode scale. Advanced Theory: In the key of F major starting on the third degree or A Phrygian scale our chord progression viewing it as relating to F major would be iii (or sometimes III), IV, V, vi, vii, I, ii (and in chord progressions and songs constructed in all modes except Ionian or Locrian, the diatonic diminished chord is almost always skipped or another chord is substituted in its place in the progression). So an A Phrygian chordal progression (remember were in the key of F) would feature the following chords: Am (or A), Bb, C, Dm, (Em or E), F, Gm (or G) So if youre in a song where Am is the i chord, and you see/hear these other chords in this relationship to each other: i minor (or sometimes I Major), 1/2 step up to bII Major, bIII Major, iv minor, v minor (or vDim, or sometimes a V or V7 Major is substituted), bVI Major, bvii minor (or bVII Major, which is a common substitution) think A Phrygian! Also, in Phrygian mode, you could even see substitute Major chords for every chord in the progression, even the 4 chord IV, although even where such Major substitution is done in Phrygian, the iv chord is usually always kept minor. Remember, the most reliable indicator of the Phrygian mode will be the presence of a 1/2 step move from the i, or I, up to a bII.

Lydian The Lydian Mode, or fourth mode, is uniquely characterized by its #4 (or augmented 4th). The Lydian mode is often used where the I chord moves to II chord and both are major. Particularly where the progression moves from the I chord to the II chord and repeats or cycles. (In fact, the presence of a II Major chord and/or movement from the I Major to II Major in the progression will often be the most identifying characteristic of the Lydian mode and distinguishes it from the Ionian mode or Major scale). The Lydian mode is also helpful where there is a 1/2 step change from a major I down to a minor vii chord (i.e. minor chord built on 7th degree of the underlying tonal/modal major scale). In this way, since we are talking about a half-step (one fret) chord change, it is similar to the Phrygian mode and other than the root being a half-step different, the fingerings are fairly identical. If we are in Bb Lydian, these chords would be Bb (I), C (II) and Am (vii). Additionally, a I II V (in Bb Lydian, that would be Bb, C, F) progression might also nicely support use of the Lydian mode well. Lydian mode progressions will tend to sound unresolved because of the #4 in the scale, and thus it is helpful to anchor the sound of the mode by using the root note of the mode as a drone/pedal tone or bass note for the other chords in your progression. For example, if were in Bb Lydian (constructed from F major) and the progression is moving from Bb to C and repeating or cycling, play the C chord as a Bb/C chord by adding a Bb as a bass note to the C chord to help anchor it to the root note of the mode. Because of the tendency for your ear to want to resolve to another chord when playing in Lydian, it is usually played against a drone/pedal tone and/or only for sections of a song.

For examples of the unique sound of the Lydian mode in the rock context listen to Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, which features a C Major scale against the F to G cycling progression producing F

Lydian mode. Or you can also listen to, Hey Jealousy by the Gin Blossoms, Flying in a Blue Dream by Joe Satriani, Hog Heaven by Frank Zappa, Jane Says by Janes Addiction, Just Remember I Love You by Firefall, the intro & verses of Here Comes My Girl by Tom Petty, or the intro & verses of Freewill by Rush. Some very recognizable Lydian melodies are the very first few notes of the theme songs from The Simpsons or The Jetsons cartoon shows, or the song Maria from West Side Story. Even Oceans by Pearl Jam may be yet another cool example featuring Lydian mode. Advanced Theory: In the key of F major starting on the fourth degree or Bb Lydian scale our chord progression viewing it as relating to F major would be IV, V, vi, vii, I, ii, iii (and in chord progressions and songs constructed in all modes except Ionian or Locrian, the diatonic diminished chord is almost always skipped or another chord is substituted in its place in the progression). So a Bb Lydian chordal progression (remember were in the key of F) would feature the following chords: Bb, C, Dm, (Eb or Em), F, Gm, Am So if youre in a song where Bb is the I chord, and you see/hear these other chords in this relationship to each other: I Major (or Augmented), II Major, iii minor, minor #iv (or #ivDim, both built on the root 1/2 step below the root of the V chord, or a substituted Major IV 1/2 step above the iii which is more commonly used in this mode), V Major, vi minor, vii minor think Bb Lydian! The most reliable indicators of Lydian mode will be Major I and a Major II chord, and almost always, the presence of a minor vii chord 1/2 step below the Major I chord. (Note there is also a fairly common & oft-used variation of the Lydian mode which involves not only #4 but also substituting a b7 for the 7 of the scale. Which is used as necessary to accommodate chords requiring this b7 note change, like, for example, where a Major bVII chord is substituted for the minor vii chord.. This common variation is called the Lydian b7 scale: http:// gosk.com/scales/lydianb7-scale-for-guitar.php ) Mixolydian The Mixolydian Mode, or the fifth mode, will work over any Dominant 7th chord, since youre merely flattening the 7th degree of the major scale associated with that chord to accommodate the b7 necessary to the Dom7 chord. Further, mixolydian is often used where the progression moves from a major chord to the major chord a whole step (two frets below it) for example, where the progression moves from I to bVII to I to bVII and cycles back & forth you get the idea. Its also used in folk or country progressions (or rock or blues) where the progression immediately moves from the I chord to the V chord particularly where there is also a IV chord in the progression this is due to the mode being built on the major key of the V chord and there being a whole-step move down to the IV chord, characteristic of the I to bVII movement of this mode. For a good example of the unique sound of the mixolydian mode, listen to The Grateful Deads Fire on the Mountain which moves from B to A to B to A -or- I bVII I bVII and is played in E Mixolydian which you might also view as a V to IV progression in E Major. Other Mixolydian examples include a traditional folk tune Old Joe Clark, No Rain by Blind Melon, Im So Glad by Cream, the jazz standard On Broadway by George Benson, the main riff from Third Stone From The Sun by Jimi Hendrix, 1999 by Prince, Cinnamon Girl by Neil Young, Cult of Personality by Living Colour, Franklins Tower by the Grateful Dead, Jessica by the Allman Brothers Band, Lowrider by War, Free by Phish, Get Down Tonight by KC & the Sunshine Band, Louie, Louie by the Kingsman, Possum Kingdom by the Toadies, What I Got and Wrong Way by Sublime, What I Like About You by the Romantics, Dear Prudence by the Beatles, the intro & verse sections of Norwegian Wood by the Beatles, or even the verse section of Tequila by The Champs. Advanced Theory: In the key of F major starting on the fifth degree or C Mixolydian scale our chord progression viewing it as relating to F major would be V, vi, vii, I, ii, iii, IV (and in chord progressions and songs constructed in all modes except Ionian or Locrian, the diatonic diminished chord is almost always skipped or another chord is substituted in its place in the progression). So a C Mixolydian chordal progression (remember were in the key of F) would feature the following chords: C, Dm, (Em or E), F, Gm (or G substitution more likely), Am,Bb, So if youre in a song where C is the I chord, and you see/hear these other chords in this relationship to each other: I Major, ii minor, iii minor (or iiiDim, or even a III Major), IV Major, v minor or V Major (a Major V is almost always substituted in Mixolydian mode!), vi minor, bVII Major think C Mixolydian! The most reliable indicator of Mixolydian mode will be the presence of the Major bVII chord a wholestep below the Major I chord, coupled with the presence of a Major IV chord. Aeolian The Aeolian Mode, or sixth mode, is the exact same thing as the natural minor scale! For any major scale, find its sixth degree, and build a natural minor scale over it (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7) & you get the Aeolian mode. Any song which features a i iv v, like a minor blues or rock progression

using the i iv v, can be played in the Aeolian mode. You might also see a V7, or a bIII, bVI, or bVII chord in songs in this mode. Certainly, any song which moves from the minor i to minor iv is most likely in Aeolian mode & will sound good against the natural minor scale. For a good example of songs featuring the Aeolian Mode, listen to the guitar solo in Led Zeppelins Stairway to Heaven or Achilles Last Stand, or any variety of minor blues or rock songs using all minor chords for the i iv & v note sometimes a Major V or V7 is substituted for songs in this mode, but the minor i to minor iv change will give it away. You can also listen to these classic songs: All Along the Watchtower by Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix, Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac or Santana, Maria, Maria by Santana, Building A Mystery by Sara McLachlan, Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac, You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi, Mr. Jones by the Counting Crows, Two Step by the Dave Matthews Band, Thank You by Dido, the main riff to Nothing Else Matters by Metallica, Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne, Paranoid by Black Sabbath, Buddy Holly and Hash Pipe by Weezer, Last Resort by Papa Roach, First Tube by Phish, ATWA by System of a Down, Schism by Tool, Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics or Marilyn Manson, and Nirvanas Smells Like Teen Spirit, which uses power chords derived from the Aeolian mode. Advanced Theory: In the key of F major starting on the sixth degree or D Aeolian scale our chord progression would be vi, vii, I, ii, iii, IV, V (and in chord progressions and songs constructed in all modes except Ionian or Locrian, the diatonic diminished chord is almost always skipped or another chord is substituted in its place in the progression, although in blues songs in this mode you will sometimes see a ii chord). So D Aeolian chordal progression (remember were in the key of F) would feature the following chords: Dm, (Em or E), F, Gm, Am (or A), Bb, C, So if youre in a song where Dm is the i chord, and you see/hear these other chords in this relationship to each other: i minor, ii minor (or iiDim, or even a II Major), bIII Major, iv minor, v minor (sometimes the V Major or V7 Dominant is substituted), bVI Major, bVII Major think D Aeolian! The most reliable indicators of Aeolian mode will be the presence of both a Major bVI and Major bVII below the minor i chord, & a particularly tell-tale identifying giveaway will be the presence of a minor iv chord. Locrian Finally, the Locrian Mode, or seventh mode, will be immediately identified by the presence of a diminished chord at the root or heart of the progression. This mode is based on the root of the diminished chord. Consequently, it has a very exotic sound. Some might describe it as a Japanese or even Hindu type flavor. This mode is not generally used for song construction, but there are rare examples. You will most likely encounter it for a short passage or progression, or more often when it is used to emphasize a diminished chord. Frankly, there just arent many songs in Western music written entirely in the Locrian mode, but if youre a masochist, you could listen to the march from Three Fantastic Dances by Dmitri Shostakovich, which is one of the rare examples of a whole piece written in mainly Locrian mode. You will hear this mode used over diminished chords & diminished jazz progressions. Advanced Theory: In the key of F major starting on the seventh degree or E Locrian scale our chord progression would be vii, I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi. So E Locrian chordal progression (remember were in the key of F) would feature the following chords: E(dim), F, Gm, Am, Bb, C, Dm, So if youre in a song where E(dim) is the i chord, and you see/hear these other chords in this relationship to each other: i(dim), 1/2 step up to bII Major, biii minor, iv minor, bV Major, bVI Major, bvii minor think E Locrian! The most reliable indicator of Locrian mode will be a diminished i chord and/or the very noticeable diminished sound of the song or progression. (Advanced Diminished Theory Note there is one more 7th degree root mode mode which is commonly used in jazz the Super-Locrian Mode. A Locrian scale has everything flattened but the root 1 & the 4th. The formula is 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7. However, the Super Locrian mode scale, goes one more, and also flattens the 4th: 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7. The Super Locrian is also called the jazz scale, or altered scale, or diminished whole tone scale. Super Locrian is the offical name of the 7th mode of the melodic minor scale. It is called the altered scale because it contains the most important jazz alterations (b5, #5, b9, #9) used with altered dominant chords. Since it has all those alterations, it is frequently used over altered dominants, hence its shortened name the Altered scale. A quick look at the way it lines up will give you an idea of why it is also referred to as the diminished whole tone scale. As my friend bassist Kelly Tomlinson, who majored in music theory, describes: In standard fourpart harmony, the vii7 chord is half diminished if it stays in the key, and it usually does, unless its being used as a pivot chord to change keys. Then its a fully diminished chord that utilizes the flat submediant (i.e. a b4). That diminished chord utilizing a flat submediant (b4) built on the major 7th degree of the original key/scale can then become the leading tone into a substitute V7 of the new

key built on the major 2nd degree of the original key/scale i.e., the 5th degree of the new key/ scale and resolve nicely to change keys in the middle of the song down a minor third, or up a minor third if the process is reversed moving from the V7 chord of the original key/scale to a diminished chord built on the 2nd degree of the original key/scale to the I or i of the new key/scale. This process of using the diminished chord to change keys up or down a minor third works over both Major or minor keys. Consequently, when soloing over diminished chords of all varieties, rather than concentrate on the Locrian modal scale, which has a tritone as its own tonic and dominant rendering it atonal, its just best to know where to end up next! All the theory in the world wont save that trainwreck!) Final Thought: Practical Tips on When & How to Combine Modes In deciding which mode to use, you should always start with the scale or mode which best fits and includes all of, or at least the most, notes from the chords in the song or progression and which best suits the mood of the song or the mood youre trying to create. You might first start by remembering that one of the three Major modes Ionian, Lydian & Mixolydian will likely work better as a choice to play over an entire Major key progression or song, whereas one of the three minor modes Aeolian, Dorian & Phrygian will likely work better as a choice to play over an entire minor key progression or song. The reality, however, is that unless youre dealing with a fairly simple chord progression or one which exclusively uses diatonic chords all built only from the notes of one underlying key, then you are going to have to make adjustments as necessary to pick up chord tones which are outside the notes/tones of the modal scale you initially choose. You might simply adjust your modal scale to pick up any outside notes over the outside chord when it appears in your progression or by choosing to play a different mode, or arpeggio, which better fits the outside chord when it comes up. And remember you can always bend up to chord tones, or use chromatic notes to walk or slide up or down into any chord or scale tones, to make things even more interesting. There are many times, like in using both minor and major pentatonic scales together over a blues progression, where you may want to combine modal scales.* This article is designed merely to give you a good idea how & where to start. (* Advanced Theory Note on Combining Modes Lets take a typical Dorian progression with a minor i chord and a Major IV chord, like Gm to C. While using a G Dorian modal scale will work over both modes, sometimes its even more pleasing to use the G Aeolian mode over the Gm half of the progression emphasizing the b6 of the G natural minor scale, but switching to G Dorian mode (i.e. raising the 6th) over the C (IV) chord to emphasize the Major 3rd of the C chord. If the progression moves to a Dm for the v chord, G Dorian will continue to work, but so would G Aeolian, since both of those modes also contain all of the notes of Dm (D F A) in their scale. Another way to look at it is that diatonic chords of G Dorian and G Aeolian modes contain a minor v chord (Dm). If instead, the V chord is D Major, neither the diatonic G Dorian or G Aeolian modes fit since D contains an F# in its construction [D F# A]. Well, we could just use an D Ionian modal scale D Major scale over the D chord, but that takes our minor sounding progression and temporarily makes it sound Major and, in this case, not in a good way! So instead we might try to find a minor sounding mode that also works. A Aeolian contains an F or b6, not an F# 6, so that wont work particularly well. However, an A Dorian scale would raise that 6th from minor b6 to Major 6 and catch the F#, but it also contains a b7 (G), which is the root note of both our G Aeolian and G Dorian modal scales that we have found to be very pleasing and better fit the mood of our progression. [And here's another helpful hint: as in our example, it's actually a very common technique to simply move the very same type same modal scale being used over the 4 chord up a whole-step when playing over the 5 chord - particularly where both chords are Major; as in our example, moving G Dorian over the IV chord up to play A Dorian over the V chord]. Another example of a very common combination of modes is to mix and match licks from C Mixolydian (built from our F Major scale) with C Dorian (built from a Bb Major scale) over a I bVII IV progression in C, i.e., C Bb F. The reason this works is that both of these modal scales, despite being constructed from different parent Major scales, contain all of the triad notes for all three of those chords. Combining Mixolydian and Dorian modes constructed from the same root note in this way works well over any I bVII IV, or I IV bVII, progression. Finally, since you can use mixolydian mode over any Dom7 chord, it works particularly well to spice up a standard 1 4 5 blues progression which uses all Dom 7 chords e.g., F7 (I), Bb7 (IV), and C7 (V). We would play F mixolydian over the F7 chord (the fifth mode constructed in Bb Major), Bb mixolydian over the Bb7 chord (the fifth mode constructed in Eb Major), and C mixolydian over the C7 chord (the fifth mode constructed in F Major). So we play the mixolydian mode starting on the root note of the chord over each of our Dominant 7 chords to emphasize the b7 note in the chord. Try it on your blues, youll like it! Remember, the point here is that in choosing which modes to use when combining modes, its

usually best try to pick ones that either both contain all the notes from all the chords in the progression, or where thats not possible, and it becomes necessary to choose a different mode to accommodate an outside chord tone/note, try to select a mode to play over the outside chord which at least creates the same mood over the progression being played, e.g., that keeps the same overall all minor, or all Major, modality of the song or progression, unless youre purposefully trying to add a tasteful and pleasant sounding touch of Major over an otherwise minor song or progression, or vice-versa, purposefully incorporating a blues note or an outside note to add pleasing color or to create chromatic or other tension to resolve back into a chord tone or to create/follow the unique melody of the song, or purposefully changing the overall minor v. Major modality entirely to support a new key change or new progression intentionally written to create a completely different mood as sometimes done in a bridge or chorus, or underneath a solo to make it more interesting.) I hope this explanation was fairly easy to understand & helpful. Maybe it will inspire you to start spicing up your improvisation and soloing by starting to include modal concepts into your playing or help you more quickly identify which modes might work over the chord progressions being thrown at you on stage. Anyway, have fun, practice hard, & perform like a pro!

Mode Basic Triad 7th 9th 11th 13th (i.e. the available extensions) Ionian Major triad Maj7 Maj9 Maj11 Maj13 Dorian minor triad m7 m9 m11 m13 Phrygian minor triad m7 m7b9 m11b9 m11b9b13 Lydian Major triad Maj7 Maj9 Maj7#11 Maj13#11 Mixolydian Major triad 7 9 11 13 Aeolian minor triad m7 m9 m11 m11b13 Locrian diminished triad m7b5 m7b5b9 min11b5b9 min11b5b9b13

Notice from this chart that when you are playing over a Major, Maj7, Maj9 chord you have two primary modal choices that fit Ionian and Lydian. If the fourth (or 11th) of the chord is raised, Lydian may work better, but in most cases, your primary choice should be the Ionian mode, which is the parent major scale. On the minor side, for a minor m7 m9 m11 chords you also have two primary modes to choose from Dorian or Aeolian. So if the chord is Major and particularly if its extension contains a major 7 note (as opposed to a b7 note), you should consider playing either the Ionian or Lydian mode over it. If the chord is minor (& the chord or progression does not contain a b9), you should consider playing either the Dorian or Aeolian mode over it. Mixolydian mode is an often used variation of a major sounding mode used primarily to emphasize Dominant 7 ( b7) chords. It emphasizes the whole step (two frets) below the root of the chord in the Major scale on which it is constructed, and it differs from the I and IV chords, since there is only a 1/2 step (one fret) below their roots to the next Major scale note. Think about it, there is a major 7 note 1/2 step (one fret) below the I of the I chord, and there is a major 3 note 1/2 step (one fret) below the 4th degree of the scale which forms the root of the IV chord; but, the 5th note degree (V) of the standard major scale is always a whole step (two frets) above the 4th note/degree of the scale, so it makes sense to incorporate that significant one fret v. two fret difference when constructing our modal scale on the root of the V chord from the 5 of the major scale a whole step (two frets) down to the 4, or in mixolydian mode, we would say from the 1/root to the b7. Phrygian is a minor sounding mode used to emphasize a flat 9 (or flat 2) note in a minor chord, or a 1/2 step move from the i or I chord to a II chord. Locrian is the diminished mode used to emphasize a diminished chord, i.e. where the fifth is flatted (b5). You see this most often in jazz. The modes are often used in this chord specific way to outline an outside chord that does not fit the diatonic chords of the key of the song or the key on which the mode primarily being used over the song or progression is based. In this event, we would pick a mode based on the root of the outside chord. For example, since were in F Major, if an A Major chord is inserted (instead of the diatonic A minor), it has a Major 3rd, instead of the expected minor 3rd, so we might use a major mode rooted on the A to outline the unique flavor of that outside chord perhaps A Ionian (i.e. A major) or A Lydian (constructed in E major), or even A Mixolydian (constructed in D Major) if the

progression lends itself to the sound of a Dominant), since all three of those major modes contain a C# (the major 3rd of our A chord). Choosing one of the three major modes of the root to play over any Major chord would nicely emphasize the Major 3rd of that chord. Similarly, where the outside chord is a minor chord, we might want to consider the natural minor mode constructed from the relative Major of the root of the minor chord; for example, if the outside chord was a Dm, we might look at D Aeolian mode constructed in the key F Major. Or perhaps D Dorian mode, since D is the 2nd degree of the C major scale and Dorian is also a minor sounding mode. Or even D Phrygian, the other minor sounding mode (constructed in Bb Major), if we were looking for a more exotic flavor emphasizing the flat 9 (Eb note) which occurs in that particular mode. Notice that all three of these minor mode scales D Aeolian, D Dorian, and D Phrygian all have the minor 3rd or b3 of our Dm chord (F) in them, even though they are all constructed from and relate to completely different major scales. When the modes are used in this chord specific way, we generally should strive to pick a mode which picks up any chord tones outside the main key of the song, but yet maintains the overall mood of the song or progression, unless we are purposefully trying to create tension to be resolved later in the progression. Remember, some modes are major and some modes are minor. The Dorian, Phrygian & Aeolian modes are minor sounding modes. The Ionian, Lydian, Mixolydian modes are Major sounding modes. (The Locrian mode obviously sounds diminished!). So if youre trying to decide which mode fits the chord, or even the entire song or progression, youre playing over, if its a minor chord, or even an entire song in a minor key, then its mostly likely going to be one of the three minor modes Dorian, Phrygian or Aeolian. If its a Major chord, or a Major key song, then most likely its going to be one of the three Major modes Ionian, Lydian, or Mixolydian. That certainly helps narrow down your choices on which mode to use! And chances are once you get it down to just the three minor modes or the three major modes, as a practical matter only one or two of the remaining three choices is going to best work over the song progression anyway! (Note there are some excellent charts demonstrating this major & minor mode grouping concept at this website ) Finally, the unique sound of each mode is created by the interaction of its parent major scale (i.e. the major scale from which it is constructed) against the chord or chords that it is being played over! It does not matter where you start or stop the scale. In other words, you do not need to start & stop on the root note of the mode. You can even skip notes or play licks using only some of the notes of the modal scale. All that matters is the application of the modal scale over its parent diatonic chord or a progression or song which sounds as if it revolves around that diatonic chord. For example, if we play G Dorian mode of the F Major scale over a Gm chord, you can start on any note of the scale over that Gm chord and resolve to any note of the scale & still get Dorian. However, if you play G Dorian mode of the F Major scale over an F chord, and you play from G to G trying to make it Dorian, it will instead produce an Ionian sound and be in Ionian mode. Simply playing from the second degree of F Major (G) to its octave will not produce Dorian mode unless youre doing so over a Gm chord or a progression which emphasizes the sound of and/or resolves to the Gm Chord; if you play it over an F chord, you get Ionian. Its not where you start or stop that produces a mode, but the interaction of scale against chord! Or, if youre just playing with a bass player, against the root note of the chord. In the next article of this series, well talk about the much more confusing and complicated scenario of when to use a mode over a longer progression or sequence of chords, or even over an entire song.

Basic music theory says the diatonic chord progression built from notes of its parent major scale is I ii iii IV V (or V7) vi & the vii chord is diminished or, 1 Major, 2 minor, 3 minor, 4 Major, 5 Major, 6 minor, 7 diminished all built in order on the notes of the major scale. So play those chords in key of F major F, Gm, Am, Bb, C, Dm, Edim. These are the diatonic chords in the key of F major. The root, 3, and 5, of each diatonic chord will consist ONLY of notes from its major scale. Now, just play the top 3 (big strings) of each chord i.e. turn them all into power chords F5, G5, A5, Bb5, C5, D5, and then an E dim chord only using top 3 big strings (0120XX or since this time our chord is rooted on the 12th fret of the big E string 12 13 14 12 X X). Ok, with me so far? Good. Now we start with the fact that the major scale is played over the I chord, in this case F. That is F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, (F)

The major scale is the first mode the Ionian Mode! Your first mode! (Since I dont have the ability in this program to include diagrams of the fretboard or tab to give you scale patterns, heres a link really helpful site that will do just that in this case, for the Ionian mode I love the fact that they include a sweep pattern version for each modal scale!) The second mode or Dorian Mode only uses notes from the F major scale our main key for purposes of this article so the second note of the F major scale is G. If we create a scale starting with G (but only using notes from the major scale of F) and ending on G, we get the G Dorian scale, or second mode of the F major scale. Heres a good simple way to look at it, and will make it easier to construct any modal scale on the fly by simply remembering what key the song is in (or the major scale on which the mode youre working in is constructed) & the diatonic chords based in that key (in this case, F major): As to the Gm (or G5) chord, play the F (or F5) below it & the Am (or A5) chord above it starting with the G root on the third fret of the Sixth string (or Big E string) play up to the octave of it the G (5th Fret) on the fourth string (i.e., the D string) in other words, lets build a seven-note scale from the sixth string root to the fourth string root (i.e. * an 8 note scale if you include the root again at the top of your scale) but use only the notes available in the Gm chord or the adjacent diatonic chord below it (F) or the two chords above it (Am & Bb) Voila! Youve just built a scale from G to G, sounding in and utilizing the G Dorian Mode (the Second Mode of F Major)! Now, lets repeat this process for each diatonic chord up the scale using only one or two fret moves (half or whole steps). And you should include the notes that are available and easiest to access from the diatonic chord youre working with and the two diatonic chords located immediately above and below it that chord, creating the easiest path from the sixth string root note to the fourth string root. And, to make it even easier since were on the three lowest strings, you only need to use power chords (root, fifth, root). (*Note When you get to the final vii(dim) chord, the formula is R b5 R, so youll have to make that one minor adjustment hint: its the 6th string root diminished chord form we discussed earlier in this article! Once you master this concept, you can then try to work out the same idea for the adjacent smaller sets of three strings each in order, this time using the full chord shapes for each diatonic chord not just power chords like in this example which is just designed to get you started.) What youll notice is that youll necessarily have to adjust the major scale normally associated with each root note youre working with to accommodate the notes in the diatonic chords above & below the one youre focusing on which alters their normal major scale to fit into the F major scale & corresponding diatonic chords from the F major scale. The combination of playing such a modal scale over a progression which is centered around the diatonic chord on which it is built is what gives each mode its unique sound & flavor! The result of working through this process are the creation of modes!

A CLOSER EXAMINATION OF CONSTRUCTION OF MODAL SCALES

While each mode is built on the notes of the exact same major scale and its diatonic chords, in this case F Major, because each mode has a different scale degree as its starting and ending point, often called their tonal center, they each have their own unique flavor and sound. (Remember, we already covered the Ionian Mode of the F Major scale above). 2nd scale degree root Dorian (G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F, G) (notice this scale differs from G major by substituting a b3 & b7) DORIAN SCALE PATTERNS TO PRACTICE 3rd scale degree root Phrygian (A, Bb, C, D, E, F, G, A) (notice this scale differs from A major by substituting a b2, b3, b6 & b7) PHRYGIAN SCALE PATTERNS TO PRACTICE 4th scale degree root Lydian (Bb, C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb) (notice this scale differs from Bb major by substituting a #4) LYDIAN SCALE PATTERNS TO PRACTICE 5th scale degree root Mixolydian (C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C) (notice this scale differs from C major by substituting a b7) MIXOLYDIAN SCALE PATTERNS TO PRACTICE 6th scale degree root Aeolian (D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C, D) (notice this scale differs from D major by substituting a b3, b6 & b7) AEOLIAN SCALE PATTERNS TO PRACTICE 7th scale degree root Locrian (E, F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E)

(notice this scale differs from E major by substituting a b2, b3, b5, b6 & b7) LOCRIAN SCALE PATTERNS TO PRACTICE (Note Each mode is named based on the first note of the mode scale, so even though all these modes in this example are in the Key of F Major, the modes would be named F Ionian (or the F Major scale), G Dorian, A Phrygian, Bb Lydian, C Mixolydian, D Aeolian, and E Locrian. . This method of naming the modes is really important to remember!) Modes are simply an alteration of the major scale of the root note to accommodate diatonic chords from the key of the song that youre playing over (or choosing to work with for a particular segment of the song). More simply, all the modal scales must include all the notes of the major scale on which the mode is constructed and only those notes! In this case or key that were using for study purposes in this article, the major scale on which our modes are based & must always accommodate is F.