Modes Of The Major Scale Explained..?

[Caramello Koala]

i know a lot of guitarists have trouble coming to understand the modes of the major scale, i know it took me quite a while to come to grips with it so i thought i'd share some of my knowledge on the topic.
after some pink floyd talk in another thread i was drawn to my guitar and decided to have a little jam to 'set the controls for the heart of the sun' which is in E phrygian (the riff being EEE F E DDD E). when i had finished doodling around i remembered how much of a bitch modes were to me when i had started learning guitar theory, and after some thought i figured what the hell and made this thread.

after i attempt to explain the mystery that is modes i'll leave the thread in the hands of musicians and music lovers alike to contribute their two cents on the matter,
feel free to use this thread to ask questions about modes or music theory in general. here goes nothing:

There are 7 modes to the major scale, in order they are

1.Ionian (the major scale)
2.Dorian (minor sounding mode, characteristic note is the maj 6th)
3.Phrygian (minor sounding mode, characteristic note is the flat 2nd)
4.Lydian (major sounding mode, characteristic note is the augmented 4th)
5.Mixylodian (major sounding mode, characteristic note is the flat 7th)
6.Aeolian (natural minor scale - flat 3rd, flat 6th, flat 7th)
7.Locrian (very unstable sounding mode, it's characteristic notes are the flat 2nd and flat 5th)

a cheesy mnemonic to help you remember the order is:
I Don't Particularly Like Modes A Lot

let's take a look at the C major scale (ionian), the notes in this scale are CDEFGABC, if we play the C major scale and instead of focusing the tonality on C (the root note) we focus on the second note of the scale (D) then we have a completely different sounding scale - the D dorian scale - which looks like this: DEFGABCD, we are still playing the same notes of the C major scale but we are getting a completely different sound by concentrating on the D as the root note instead of the C. this is how modes are constructed, if we concentrate on the 3rd note of the C major scale (E) then we have an E phrygian scale - EFGABCDE - and so on... in this sense it's best to think of the modes as an anagram of the major scale (change the letters around and the word has a completely different meaning, in this case change the root note around and the sound/mood changes radically)

i know this sounds confusing, i just read through it and it looks like a bit of a mess, so i made some diagrams to make the learning process a whole lot easier:

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9452/modesofcmaj.jpg (http://imageshack.us) Modes Of The C Major Scale

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9818/modesofgmaj.jpg (http://imageshack.us) Modes Of The G Major Scale


happy playing!
:rock_Band:

[Jukebox_Hero]

Good post.

Modes were easy to grasp for me when someone suggested I think of them as a staircase.

C D E F G A B C (ionian)
D E F G A B C D (dorian)
E F G A B C D E (phrygian)
F G A B C D E F (lydian)
G A B C D E F G (mixolydian)
A B C D E F G A (aeolian)
B C D E F G A B (locrian)

What's hard about that? Just memorize the order of the modes, and you shouldn't have any trouble constructing say.. E aeolian.

E Aeolian? Well, E is the sixth degree of the G major scale (G A B C D E F# G), so we start on the sixth note ('cause aeolian is the sixth mode of the major scale) of the G major scale and retain it's notes, so G A B C D E F# G becomes E B C D E F# G E. Here it is written in relation to each other:

G A B C D E F# G
E B C D E F# G E (aeolian)

So we'd call that E aeolian in the key of G.

A dorian? A is the second degree (or note) of the G major scale (G A B C D E F# G), so we start on the second note ('cause dorian is the second mode of the major scale) and retain the G major scales notes and get:

G A B C D E F# G
A B C D E F# G A (dorian)

We'd call that A dorian in the key of G.

A aeolian? A's the 6th degree of the C major scale (C D E F G A B C), so we'd start on A and retain the C major scale notes and get:

C D E F G A B C
A B C D E F G A (aeolian)

We'd call that A aeolian on the key of C.

If there's enough interest I'll make a big ol' music theory sticky.

[The Jitterskull]

As long as you know the major you can transpose your 7 or more interval numbers, and when you know your set you can adjust accordingly.

Ex:

We want a D# Locrian.
D# interval is as follows:

1.. 2. 3 4.. 5.. 6 7 (I lined them up)
D# F G G# A# C D

And a Locrian means "flat the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th interval"

So we just drop the note in those, getting us
D E F# G# A B C#

Thats just how I do it.

[Marijuanasaurus]

+rep for anybody who knows the modes of the melodic minor scale.

[Iolite]

melodic minor in F:
Dorian:
E3E4E6A3A5D2D4D5
Phrygian:
E4E6E8A5A7A8D5D6
Lydian:
E6E8E10A7A8A10D6D8
Mixolydian:
E8E10A7A8A10A11D8D10
Aeolian:
E10E12E13A10A11A13D10D12
Locrian:
E12E13E15A11A13A15D12D14


For anyone that wants to learn modes, as welll as a shitload of scales with all the fingerings actually pictured:
Get the Bass Grimoire by Carl Fischer.
There's probably a Guitar Grimoire too.
Modes are simple.

[Caramello Koala]

+rep for anybody who knows the modes of the melodic minor scale.

the big difference between the major scale and the melodic minor is its flat 3rd as opposed to the major scales regular third. therefore the seven modes of the melodic minor scale share only one note difference to the modes of the major scale.

the seven modes of the melodic minor scale are as follows:

1.The Melodic Minor (similar to ionian mode, but with a flattened 3rd)
2.Dorian b2: (similar to dorian mode, but with a flattened 2nd)
3.Lydian Augmented: (similar to lydian mode, but with a raised 5th)
4.Lydian Dominant: (Lydian b7) (similar to lydian mode, but with a flattened 7th)
5.Mixolydian b6: (similar to mixolydian mode, but with a flattened 6th)
6.Locrian #2 (Aeolian b5):(similar to the locrian mode, but with a raised 2nd)
7.Altered (Super Locrian):(similar to the locrian mode, but with a flattened 4th)

you construct these modes in the exact same way as you construct the modes of the major scale, you simply change the root note and you have different sounding mode. i made a diagram to illustrate this:

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/4575/modesofcmelodicminorsca.jpg (http://imageshack.us) Modes Of The C Melodic Minor Scale

[Caramello Koala]

I have started writing more guides on guitar lessons/music theory and have uploaded them to my site: http://endofthegame.net/music/. I will update it at least once a week, so be sure to subscribe and check it out as often as you can. If there is a guide that I would like some discussion on I will post it in this thread as well. The above guide on modes has also been updated, check it out here (http://endofthegame.net/2011/07/28/modesmajorscale/#more-242). Happy playing!

[Bobweirsucks]

knowing the modes is just half the battle. It's all fine and dandy to know a bunch of scales but they are useless if you don't know how they relate to a given chord.

For example: almost everyone knows the you can play the dorian mode of a minor7 chord. But does that mean when you play in a minor key you should use dorian? NO NO NO So many guitar player fuck this up. The dorian mode is the second (as we have learned) therefore it is best used over a ii chord. and ii chords really only exist in major keys ie. ii-V-I. the reason it's not a good idea to use a dorian mode in a minor key is because minor keys are based off the Harmonic Minor scale (which sounds so much cooler than any major mode). In addition, the last thing you want to play over a V chord in a minor key is a mixolydian scale. Harmonically the 5th mode of the harmonic minor scale (freygish or phrygian dominant) or maybe even a diminished scale.

so here we go, the modes of Major and Natural minor scales with the appropriate chords:

Major:
Ionian=Maj7 (or Maj69 if you're feeling hip)
Dorion=min7
Phrygian=min7 (would not play this over a ii chord)
Lydian=Maj7#11 (can also be played over Maj7 to avoid a clash between the 4th and 3rd)
Mixolydian=V7 (dominant)
Aeolian=min69 (or min7 but would not play it over a functioning ii chord)
Locrian=min7b5 (ii chord of a minor key)

Minor:
Melodic Minor=Min69 (cuz its minor dawg)
2nd mode=min7 (not really used that much)
Lydian#5=Maj7#5
Lydian b7= (starting note F) F13#11
5th mode=V7 (also not used that much)
Locrian #2=min9b5 (sorry, cant do the half diminished symbol)
Altered(or super locrian or diminished-whole tone)= Any altered dominants really V7#9b13 or V7b9 or V7b5

[Nick]

Excellent thread!
I remember when I first approached modal theory; shit is baffling when you're just beginning, but once you grasp the concept it just seems so simple. What i'm working on these days is putting them all together on the fretboard and fluidly transitioning through.

Learning modes is a great way to start music study, everything just makes sense after. :P