Modes Of The Major Scale

In this lesson we will look at the seven modes of the major scale. A thorough understanding of these modes is essential for many musical styles and will greatly improve both your technique and versatility as a soloist. Using these modes will give you a much richer musical palette to work with and can be used to great effect when composing music.

An important step in understanding modes is to realize what chord the mode applies to. It is the underlying chord that creates the sound of the mode itself. Therefore you must make sure you fully understand what chords each mode is related to.

Okay let’s get started. The first thing you need to know are the chords of the major scale. Each mode is related to a chord. The chords of the major scale in the key of C are

Practice playing these chords as they will help you hear how these modes are supposed to sound

Below we can see the first position of the C major scale. Play through it slowly to get used to the sound.

Once you have a strong understand of the Major Scale you can begin to explore the modes contained within it. Perhaps one of the most confusing things about learning the modes is understanding that each one is a totally unique scale with its own sound and purpose. The best way to get to know these sounds is to play the scales over a simple static vamp

It is important to learn the scales across the entire neck of the guitar and in every key. This can be achieved by breaking down the scales into several smaller positions across the neck and then gradually piecing them together bit by bit. Practice each one individually and then start creating movement between the patterns. Gradually as you repeat these shapes often enough you should begin to see how the positions lock together allowing you to move freely across the neck of the guitar. Don’t be afraid to break the patterns down into even smaller sections and practice connecting these as many finger patterns will repeat across the neck of the guitar. Make sure you improvise and play around with these patterns and you will soon see that they are nowhere near as daunting as you may have first thought. The key is having all the shapes deeply ingrained into your memory. Once you being to see the logic of Modes they are not all that complex.

Try to play these scales using different interval sequences to make them more interesting. The example below shows the G major scale played in thirds.

Guitar players are very lucky in that they only need to learn one set of shapes for the seven modes meaning that once you understand the Major scale you already have the rest of the modes sitting under you fingers. You just need to understand how they are used.

Practice all these scales slowly, in different rhythmic groupings and in all keys across the neck. With enough practice these sounds will quickly become second nature. Start slowly and absorb the information bit by bit, breaking things down into easier parts if necessary. There is an awful lot of information here but patience and persistence is a virtue with these kinds of things.

Okay here we will look at each mode in more detail. Remember to try practicing these scales in other keys. Transposing is easy on guitar as all the shapes are the same in every key.

Ionian mode

The major scale is also referred to as the Ionian mode. The Ionian mode is the first mode of the major scale. It is made up of the following intervals

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

In the Key of C this would translate as

C, D, E, F, G, A, B

The scale has a major third and a natural fourth. If we played the C major scale on piano it would be all the white keys.

G major scale (position 1)

The fourth note of this scale can sound dissonant over a major chord and consequently we often refer to the fourth note as an avoid note. One way around this is to use the Lydian mode over the Maj7 chord.

Dorian mode

The Dorian mode is the second mode of the major scale and perhaps one of the most used modes. It is a natural minor scale with a raised sixth note. Although it contains the notes as the C major scale it is clearly has a very different sound when played over a Dm7 chord. It has a minor third, minor seventh and a natural sixth.

The Dorian mode is made up of the following intervals

1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7

In the key of C this would translate as

D, E, F, G, A, B, C

G dorian scale (position 1)

Carlos Santana uses this scale all the time. You can also hear most jazz guitarists using it to play over min7 chords.

Phrygian mode

This is one of my favorite scales. It has a very dark and Spanish feel. It’s rich sound can be brought out when it is played over a sus4(b9) chord. This dark sounding mode is built from the third note of the major scale and is often used in flamenco music.

The Phrygian mode is made up of the following intervals

1, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7

G phrygian scale (position 1)

In the key of C this would translate as

C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb

Flamenco guitarists like Paco De Lucia use this mode extensively. Think of spanish guitar and you should be able to imagine this sound.

Lydian mode

The Lydian mode is a much more interesting scale to play over major chords than the Ionian mode but may not always be appropriate. The sharp fourth is much more pleasant than the harsh natural fourth of the Ionian mode and subsequently there are no real avoid notes in this scale. Play this mode over a Cmaj7#11 vamp to get a feel for the sound

G Lydian scale (position 1)

The Lydian mode is typically played over the following chords

Maj7#11, Maj7, Maj9, Maj9#11

Mixolydian mode

The mixolydian mode is the fifth mode of the major scale and the only dominant mode that we have seen so far. It is the same as a major scale but with a flattened seventh note giving it is unique sound. It is used to play over dominant chords.

The mixolydian mode is made up of the following intervals

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7

G Mixolydian scale (position 1)

In the Key of C this would translate as

C, D, E, F, G, A. Bb

Listen to Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse to hear this scale in action.

Aeolian mode

The Aeolian mode is commonly referred to as the natural minor scale. It is the sixth mode of the major scale and is the most commonly used minor sound.

It is made up of the following intervals

1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7

In the Key of C this would translate as

C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab. Bb

G Aeolian scale (position 1)

Locrian mode

The Locrian mode is an unusual and sinister sounding scale. It is not used that often except for when dealing with m7b5 chords and it has a distinctly diminished sound to it. The dark sound of this scale lends itself well to metal and heavy music.

G Locrian scale (position 1)

It is made up of the following intervals

1, b2, b3, 4, b5, b6, b7

In the Key of C this would translate as

C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett uses this scales dark sound to create some really heavy riffs.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson on the modes of the major scale.