major scale modes

[jmacomber16]

Hey everyone, I have had some serious trouble with understanding the mode concept. I get how there are multiple modes, (lets work with C to keep things simple) The modes are based off of a note in the major scale, so if you wanna play a solo while jamming, and your all playing in C, and you wanna use the dorian mode, you start and end on the D note correct? I know the 5 positions of the major scale, and I have always been told that you could just move around any of these positions around, change up the root note and have whatever mode you want (For example, you would play with the 5 major scale positions of the D major scale over a song in the key of C to get Dorian) But the d major scale contains notes that are not in the C dorian scale (DEFGABCD) I basically have a lot of contradicting information floating around my head and am very very confused. Am I going to have to learn 5 postions for each of the 7 modes? That is pretty intense, any one who can explain this please help thanks

[simplexify]

I'm not at this level yet, but I hope THIS helps: "The way I teach the modes you have to know your major scales. We will get at all seven modes through the major scales. I teach six major scales and that will get you the whole neck - then we just play variations of those scales and you will be playing in the modes. Please see my other lessons for learning all your major scales and linking them together. You don't have to learn a whole new set of six scales for Dorian, then six more scale shapes for Phrygian, then six more different scales for Lydian - I feel that is redundant and totally unnecessary. With the system I teach, once you learn the six major scales, you know all the modes of the major scale - because you will be using those same six major scales to play all the modes. So many teachers and methods make learning the modes so much more difficult and confusing than it has to be. That is why there is such a negative stigma about the modes. Well, I am here to tell you that will a little explanation and then application - you can do it - and you can do it fairly quickly. It will take some time to master and get used to, but every can guitar player can play in the modes if he sets the goal to tackle them." David Taub

[C.WaR]

^^ where's that vid?? lol

*grabs guitar*

[TomServo1]

The mode doesn't change what scale you're playing in. It just changes what note in the scale you start on. If you're playing the C scale, and want to play it in Dorian mode, you play DEFGABCD. If you were playing D major, the scale would be DEF#GABC#D. You could also think of D Dorian as the D major scale with a flat fourth and seventh.
Hope this helps a little...

[FirstSnowJ]

Playing a different mode does not change what scale you play, it only changes what note you are emphasizing. For example, if your in C-major, and you want to play the Dorian mode in the key of C-major, you would play the C-major scale, and you would usually start and end on the D note. Not always though, but more often than not, to make a mode sound unique, you have to emphasize the note. So, if your playing D-dorian, you would emphasize the D.

Edit: Do not worry so much about learning a new scale shape for each mode. What you should be doing, is learning the notes in each scale, not the shapes. This way you can automatically play each mode in each scale without hesitation, and you can emphasize any note you want.

Hope that helps!
John Artman

[Cobalt1254]

Try this modal concept and see if it helps you. Let work in the key of G major. The common chords in the G major scale are as follows:

G
Amin
Bmin
C
D
Emin
Let's skip the 7th chord. Most people wont use it.

I use a looper where I will record myself at first playing nothing but G major. Play a Gmaj scale over that and you have Ionian mode. Now record your self playing a Amin chord or a progression using the above chords where Amin acts as the tonal center or root and still play the Gmaj scale and you will hear how the sound changes even though it's the same Gmaj scale. It will now have a Dorian sound. Im not sold that you have to start and end on A. You can if you want to but the notes are all the same. Now record a Bm chord or even a Bm to Am progression and play a G maj scale and now you have the phyrgian mode. See the picture? Just make sure that Bm or B tonal center is where home is. Yet you are still in the key of G but with a 3-2 chord progression. The possibilites are endless. Mix any of the above chords but pick one that will act as the tonal center and see how the Gmaj scale will sound over it. When you first start out though it may be easier to just loop one chord at a time and you will amazed at how the sound of that Gmaj scale will sound over each chord. Its like mixing colors. Lets say green is Gmaj. Mix it with yellow and you get a color but mix green with blue and you get something else. Hope this helps.

Cobalt

[awash2002]

The D major scale I know that is the Key I'm learning in first then I'm going to go to Am next that will be Monday

[Fr33So!o21]

Hey ok Modes are a great thing to learn you should learn every mode in every key. Ok A mode is a difernt way to play the major scale in you given key. So you in C and you want to play c major starting on d the second. So you'll play a Dmajor scale but flat the 3rd and the 7th so then you'll get the excat same notes as C major but it has a slightly darker apperence. Lets do E the third You'll play the phrigian mode here. It is an Emajor scale but you'll flat the 2, 3, 6, 7. So then you'll get the same notes as C major you see the theme. Well in c the rest are: F lydian Fmajor making the 4th sharp, G mixolydian G major with the 7th flatted, A aeolian A major flatting the 3, 6, 7. B locrian B major flatting the 2,3,5,6,7, and C ionain or C major. Ok So what do you use these for you're probaly asking. Well in the world of jazz (i study jazz guitar) you would not want to base your solos off of these in fact any time you would only use the modes for passing tones to help fill in the arpegios you should use while soloing. These modes come in real handy when reading music for guitar. Every serious guitar should learn how to read music it is 50 billion times better than tab. So how do you use these for reading music???? Well you can play happy birthday in a key lets say g major. Well if you try the ionian mode you'll be moving around the fret board to much and it will not be convenit to play,but if you use F dorian all the notes will be within the normal scale and there won't be any huge jumps up the fretboard. That is how you should use the modes. It is awsome that you decided to learn them this will be one step further in your carrer. Learn them in all keys and know them so well that you could wip them out faster than malstreem

[TomServo1]

Here's a video from Joe Satriani about modes. Hope it helps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTQolymKmDA