Dude, this video blew my mind. Never have I found a more comprehensible and very well explained video detailing the relationships of modes. I have spent years scouring the internet for something like this. Please keep making more of these videos. Subscribed. Thanks! Bravo!
dude, same.. i was just thinking the same exact thing... people started talking about "modes" & i'm like "woah, what!?" thinking there's all these things i don't know... to eventually be like "oh, it's just the same notes as the beaten to death C Maj. but focusing more on the ii DM chord lol...." (i just wish people put that much thought into combining "unrelated" harmonic minor scales chromatics, & diminished chords lol....)
of all the stuff I've read or watched on Modes this is starting to make the most sense. I'm just going to have to review it a few times but this just clicks-thank you so much.
I don't understand why the many other mode videos I've seen didn't just explain it like you did. There are some really fantastic guitar and music theory teachers on RUclips but none of them said anything about box patterns or explain the correlation of maj and min chords and maj and min modes. I'm very relieved to final understand this thanks a ton
I really wander how this guy has not gotten even a million subscribers! Many RUclipsrs having millions subscribers came and still from here . Believe me. Good bless you more men!!!
thanks alot man i had a bit of a breakthrough while looking at a scale diagrams of a backing tracks and came here to confirm i actually was onto something. FINALLY modes make sense!
In other words the Name of the Mode does not necessarily only mean you are playing that mode, but its related position to the Root as well. I could play Aeolian position of the Dorian Mode..WOW if this is it HaleluJah I finally get it. Thank you very much fretjam..Boom!!
been watching your videos and I have to tell you thank you so much. I've been trying to understand theory and everyone wants to be intellectual snobs and send things way over your head. maybe this shouldn't happen, but I have absolutely no knowledge of this at all and your videos have actually been useful.
(cont...) and playing C major would take on the color of Dorian. The main thing to remember is, it's not the pattern on the fretboard that defines which mode you're playing, it's the tonality of the backing music. E.g. playing C major/Ionian over an E bass note will imply phrygian, because E is the third note of C major and therefore the root of its 3rd mode. C major tonality gets shifted to its 3rd mode and it takes on the color of that mode.
You're welcome. I appreciate some people might need sound, however, this lesson was solely about the visual relationship between mode patterns, not their individual sounds (which should be learned prior to watching this vid). Cheers.
Hey, it's actually the backing chord that will put the C major scale into a modal context. So if D minor is the backing chord, C major will take on the colour of its second mode, D Dorian. If there's no backing chord or even bass note to establish the root or key, then yes, it's more about note selection defining the modal centre. You would want to target notes such as the root, minor 3rd and 6th (Dorian's main colour tone) frequently to imply Dorian as the tonal centre. Hope that makes sense!
Ciao sei un grande professore di spiegare la musica pure che non capisco l inglese tutto visibile e arrivo a capire tutto grazie...........di farmi divertire alla mia pensione.................
Correct. This is just an alternative to the "position method" for learning the major scale. So there are 7 positions for the major scale based on its 7 degrees, each one can be seen as a root or "starting" pattern for each of its modes, 1 - 7.
Put simply, all you need to do is learn/understand the interval patterns of each mode. The Dorian interval pattern is W-H-W-W-W-H-W. What the video is calling Phrygian, Lydian etc are actually inversions of the Dorian scale (the same notes but starting on a different note as you move up the neck in the scale pattern for Dorian). This works in much the same way that you would use inversions for chords. If you wanted to actually play in the Phrygian mode, for example, you would play a different interval pattern H-W-W-W-H-W-W (notice that this is just shifted up one interval from the Dorian pattern) and just play that same pattern again all over the neck. Same with the other 5 modes.
See part 2 for modal chord progressions. Some modes share certain chord relationships. For example, if the progression used the chords D minor, A minor, C major, both D Dorian and D Aeolian would theoretically work because these chords are part of both the D Dorian and D Aeolian chord scales. However, Phrygian would not work because A minor and C major are not part of the D Phrygian chord scale.
As a "pure run" it will have more of that mode's sound than C major. There are of course certain notes you can emphasise to reaffirm the mode (such as those I mentioned before). You can phrase the mode in ways that bring out its colour, using its key tones as target notes. E.g. Let's say you played the C major scale over D minor. Even if you started on the C root, that would be the b7 of Dorian and there's no reason it should imply C major. It's all about the context in which it's played.
Yes, you could just play C major over any combination of those chords, even if C major itself is not part of the progression. In fact, some musicians prefer to see it like that - assigning everything to a parent major key (as long as all the chords are part of that scale). Modes are just a shift in the tonal centre of that same scale. So the progression might centre around Dm, but still use chords within the C major scale. That's when Dorian, the 2nd mode of C major comes in, for example (cont)
The reason the modes confuse is because so much is said about where they come from, with intervals and which note number on a scale they derive from. I finally saw them as just some scale scale variations you can use over some chords(here d scale variations to use over d minor) the stuff about where they come from had me confused for months when I was learning.
Mike this is awesome ! I think i may be able to say Eureka now .. :-) There's still allot I have to learn but this lesson is very well thought out and really makes sense. Thank you for posting this
I am agree that the other (extended) patterns sound like D Dorian only if you accent the "d" note in the runs you play as a startingpoint note and ending rest point note?
Glad I understood b4 I watched. This would be very confusing. There is 1 pattern with different roots for the different modes. Not modal patterns/positions. Just know the major and the intervals within it, job done.
mind blown completely hahah wow, its like magic how music theory works . really magical. so I guess if i can work out all of dorian by all the relative mode shapes that just needs to be transposed up or down from any key or any mode?? its the same shapes..?
can u switch between the optional modes over a same chord progression, because in the beginning you can either use d dorian , d aeolian or d phrygian as your root note.
(Cont...) Using Aeolian as an example, if you played C major over Am, the root of C would in fact be heard as the minor 3rd (b3) of Am. Again, since the b3 is a defining tone of Aeolian, there's no reason C should imply C major. Once you've set that modal centre, all the other notes get put into that context. I would challenge anyone to play C major over Am and make it sound like C major! Similarly, I would extend that same challenge to playing C major over Dm and it sound like C major.
For my understanding, I noticed that choosing Dorian, Phr, Aeol. minor chords, I think that you mean D minor, A minor, E minor. If I play by Am, of course I am going to use Dm and Em. so what is so much with modes? Furthermore; if you play the scales of course it will always be C to D = whole, D to E = whole, E to F = half no matter if Dorian, Pyr, Ael, etc. Now my confussion is: why Phr = 1 - b2 - 3 - #4 b6, b7? If I follow your instruccions I am not able to see flats or sharps. I shall greatly appreciate if you can help me with this confu?sion. Thank you. Cesar
Dude, don't give up. Keep watching other videos from the chanel and keep coming back later to some vids you already watched. I'll see that you will start to connect some dots with time. That's what's happening with me. This channel is really good and will help you a lot, I'm sure ;)
Goddamn it Morty. The modes are derived from the major scale. They are just inversions of the major scale. They are always found in this order in every major scale: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian,Mixolydian,Aeolian,Locrian (then Ionian again an octave higher, and so forth)...until you run out of fretboard Morty! Aeolian is The Minor Scale. Notice that it's the 6th mode in our mode order. The Aeolian mode is always the 6th mode of your Major Scale. If you start with the C Major Scale(C D E F G A B) then you will see that it's sixth note is A. So your Minor Scale here would be A Aeolian (A,B,C,D,E,F,G). There Morty. Now were are dealing with a simpler series of notes to wrap our heads around. A,B,C,D,E,F,G Pretty simple, eh Morty? Now you will understand what I mean when I say that modes are just inversions of the Major Scale. A,B,C,D,E,F,G B,C,D,E,F,G,A C,D,E,F,G,A,B < - - There it is Morty! That's our C Major Scale! D,E,F,G,A,B,C E,F,G,A,B,C,D F,G,A,B,C,D,E G,A,B,C,D,E,F Now remember Morty that I said that the modes were always in the same order? So that would give us C Ionian: C,D,E,F,G,A,B D Dorian: D,E,F,G,A,B,C E Phrygian: E,F,G,A,B,C,D F Lydian: F,G,A,B,C,D,E G Mixolydian: G,A,B,C,D,E,F A Aeolian: A,B,C,D,E,F,G B Locrian: B,C,D,E,F,G,A All of those are just the C Major Scale. They all contain the same exact notes as the C Major Scale. It's the same notes Morty! It's the same notes! It's the backing track that is going to determine what mode you are in. That's the only way you can hear it Morty. You have to find backing tracks for each mode Morty! You have to jam along with the backing track. Or else, you're not going to hear it Morty! You're not going to hear the special sound of each mode unless you pair the C Major Scale with a backing track for A Aeolian, or B Locrian, or C Ionian, or D Dorian, or E Phrygian, or F Lydian, or G Mixolydian. That's it Morty! That's ABCDEFG. Get some backing tracks Morty!
(Notice) I learned to play modes only by ear . After watching this video and reading what you explained I picked the guitar and used a continuous Amin Chord as a backing track and I found what you guys are explaining confusing cause if I want to play a dorian on that A min chord backing track then I need to play a Bmaj/g minor scale notes and if I want to play a phrygian I need to play G'# maj /E'#minor scale and to play lydian I need to play a Gmaj /E minor scale . for mixolydian I need to play Fmaj/ d minor scale and so on, which means I won't get any modes if I keep playing the same A minor scale starting from different notes like how you explained and in order to get any mode there must be an alteration done and you have to play a whole different scale to that backing track it can't remain the same. Is there something I'm not getting here!? can you please explain
If you are playing Am Dorian, G is the first degree of the scale followed by A,B,C,D,E, F#. G would be the Maj Scale pattern, WWHWWWH. A Dorian would be a minor pattern, WHWWWHW. B phyrigian would be a minor pattern, HWWWHWW. The beauty of it is all the modes are the same Gmaj scale with different starting points! I also like to remember the chords of the Gmaj scale, G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F#dim to make up a backing track.
So, did I understand correctly: to improvise in D Dorian (the backing track being in that key), I can use any of those mode-positions and it still sounds good?
So if I'm playing in F Lydian, then since that is the 4th degree of the parent scale that means that playing G mixolydian or A Aolian would be the same as playing F Lydian? ( I think I butchered their spellings)
Added confusion at 2:09 when D-Aeolian is mentioned for about 10 seconds, because of the note it has that is different from the notes used in the rest of the video (key of C). When notes and scales from different keys are mixed into explanations, that's what gets confusing when talking about the modes in my opinion.
I always found it easier to just extend the pentatonic scales with added notes from the modes, makes it far easier to map. even thought I have the diatonic scale know to a T thinking in pentatonic first is a way better approach.
So if I'm playing D Dorian in a chord progression, do I change to G Dorian/ A Dorian say when a I, IV, V progression is played? Or do I still play D Dorian or would it make more sense to play G Lydian and A Mixolydian because they relate to the IV and V chords?
When the progression only uses chords that are part of a mode or natural key, you don't need to change the root for each chord. I IV V is best thought of as major/Ionian. So if it was Cmaj, Fmaj, Gmaj you'd just play C major over all three chords. No need to change to each chord's corresponding mode because C major covers those notes anyway. You would only use D Dorian if you wanted to give Dm that Dorian color or the progression resolved around the ii chord. See the latest video I uploaded to help with this.
But if we were playing in D Dorian, that would make the D the Tonic, yeah? Does that move the intervals along? Would the IV now be a G and the V an A? Do they have this relationship?
DanteDarcangelo Yes D would be the tonic (unless you're just playing D Dorian over an isolated Dm chord away from the tonic). I prefer to keep the chord numbering in modal music relative to its position in the major key signature so its easier to visualise the interval structure. So with Dorian, ii becomes our center, and the interval positioning between all the other chords in the diatonic scale remains as it is in the tonic major key. I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii C D E F G A B ii - V in D Dorian would be Dm / Gmaj for example. ii - IV - V would be Dm / Fmaj / Gmaj What makes ii function as the tonic or center is that we resolve to that chord instead of I (which would be Cmaj in the above example).
You have a way to make all mysterious concepts make total sense! If I understand something here, you can just use any shape and notes of the original parent major scale but target a particular resolution or home and with a particular backing chord, it sounds like that mode you are "using"?
Lydian's first position pattern can be seen as closely overlapping with Phrygian's because the two lie a mere semitone/half step apart in sequence. If you think of Phrygian starting on the 3rd degree (hence 3rd mode) of the major scale, and Lydian starting on the 4th degree (hence 4th mode) of the major scale, these two degrees are only a half step apart.
Hey there, I'm a little confused as to how it would sound like D Dorian, when really, all of those scales are C scale... Is it primary because you're starting on the D notes on the 6th String? I've tried jamming / soloing over those tracks, but it's just a C major scale I'm playing. Should I be emphasizing the D notes or something? Cheers!
So would be best to learn the major scale all over the fretboard rather than separate box patterns for the different modes? Seems easier to generate the modes based directly on the major scale rather then a lot of separate patterns.
Thomas Robb It depends on how you internalize it, how your brain's wired. I prefer to see separate patterns as I move across the fretboard as it helps me compartmentalize the fretboard. Of course, once you can fluidly connect these smaller patterns, you can create your own "run patterns" by navigating a specific path through them. Seeing these patterns in the context of their modal roots may also help you to quickly find a starting point for a given mode. For example, if I'd just learned the major scale as one large pattern, I might struggle to quickly locate Lydian's root within that pattern. But if you can associate each mode with a small, memorable pattern of its own, you have that reference/starting point.
fretjam.com It seem most people eventually get to their own way of understanding this that is a combination of all of the above. Thank you for your response and for your channel. I have learned a lot from it!
Does it mean all we have to do is spot the root note of the parent scale and then visualise all the modes over the fretboard and play all the notes of the parent scale in every mode?
but how do you play another sound over the d minor chord? (not dorian) what do i need to do to play Am sounding scale over Dm progression or is the D minor dominant?
+Matko Pogačić I am not an expert, but using an appropriate chord quality (minor, major, dim, aug) that is linked to that sound you want to create, then you create it. :3 eg. if you play B dim (5th chord of E phrygian) and E minor (first chord of E phrygian) over a C, you make the Phrygian sound. i don't know the answer to your question though. :3
I've read the conversation with zingzingzingbahh and correct me if I'm wrong...but basicly modes are scales within a scale,each mode with it's own root note,name etc... C major has C,Dm,Em,F,G,Am and Bdim...so according to a chord progression you can determine which mode would fit the best? or if you simply learn notes/positions of all the modes in a C major you can do whatever you like? It seems too easy but still complicated :)
Thanks for your quick reply! I still feel as like I'm missing something though.. So say the backing chord is any chord from the C major scale - C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim - then all I have to do is play any notes from the C major scale, and it will have that corresponding modal sound to it.. i.e. a Am backing track with make the C major scale sound more Aolean.. but isn't there more to it than that? thanks again!
Btw u said that, if it was a D major chord, then we'd have to use a major mode with the root note 'D' ... but in the scale of C, with root note 'D', the only mode we get is dorian, which is minor, i'm not clear, please explain
+Shahrin Nakkhatra If we're playing over D major we're no longer using the C major scale, so D Dorian won't apply. We have to first pick the mode we want to play (or that is most suited to the backing chords) and then we can work out its related scale and pattern. Try my newer lesson "Turn 3 Scales Into 21" for another way to see it.
Another question...here we're playing modes in the key of C...but when i'm playing over a backing track of Am then shall i use the same modes of C major scale since Am is the relative minor?
I mean, for a Am backing track chord progression, we can also get that from the scale of G major where with root A we'll get dorian mode, for which we also get Am chord...so while playing over a backing track of Am which scale should we use? Or just have to check the chord progression first?
why not just think of the entire pattern as the major scale and derive each mode according to the associated root? that way you automatically stress the root in each position ( and you learn the notes of the fretboard in so doing).
You could have explained it so much easier by saying that D dorian mode is the same as the C major scale, as "Dorian" means the "Second". Second note in whatever scale you are going to play. In this way, playing D in Dorian Mode is the same as targeting the second note in C major scale.
I am only kidding. I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes the theory. I think that it is well laid out. I hope to someday be able to use this to my advantage. Thanks
The diagrams, camera angles, concise explanations with no extra fluff......perfection
Dude, this video blew my mind. Never have I found a more comprehensible and very well explained video detailing the relationships of modes. I have spent years scouring the internet for something like this. Please keep making more of these videos. Subscribed. Thanks! Bravo!
My exact thoughts. Wish we had more teachers with such talent.
I make your words mine. I'm glad that I found this channel :D
dude, same.. i was just thinking the same exact thing... people started talking about "modes" & i'm like "woah, what!?" thinking there's all these things i don't know... to eventually be like "oh, it's just the same notes as the beaten to death C Maj. but focusing more on the ii DM chord lol...." (i just wish people put that much thought into combining "unrelated" harmonic minor scales chromatics, & diminished chords lol....)
of all the stuff I've read or watched on Modes this is starting to make the most sense. I'm just going to have to review it a few times but this just clicks-thank you so much.
Wow! I haven't seen anyone on RUclips explain this as well as you do! Keep the theory videos coming please! :-)
Best video series on understanding modes I've ever seen. I finally get it. Thank you!
I don't understand why the many other mode videos I've seen didn't just explain it like you did. There are some really fantastic guitar and music theory teachers on RUclips but none of them said anything about box patterns or explain the correlation of maj and min chords and maj and min modes. I'm very relieved to final understand this thanks a ton
very insightful, i actually figured this out on my self and it's good to actually have a clearer understanding of it
I've watched about a dozen videos, and this is the one that has helped me the most. Thank you!
I really wander how this guy has not gotten even a million subscribers! Many RUclipsrs having millions subscribers came and still from here . Believe me. Good bless you more men!!!
Who are you? and why am I understanding your concepts easily? you are opening something in my mind. Far out.
The best channel for mhsic theories god bless and salute to u man. Thanks for sharing this for free.
mind = blown. this is so helpful! thank you!
thanks alot man i had a bit of a breakthrough while looking at a scale diagrams of a backing tracks and came here to confirm i actually was onto something. FINALLY modes make sense!
In other words the Name of the Mode does not necessarily only mean you are playing that mode, but its related position to the Root as well. I could play Aeolian position of the Dorian Mode..WOW if this is it HaleluJah I finally get it. Thank you very much fretjam..Boom!!
+JahIssa Waganda Yes each mode can be seen as having a related pattern/position to another mode.
This lesson has helped me understand modes like never before.
been watching your videos and I have to tell you thank you so much. I've been trying to understand theory and everyone wants to be intellectual snobs and send things way over your head. maybe this shouldn't happen, but I have absolutely no knowledge of this at all and your videos have actually been useful.
These three lessons on Modes are excellent. Thanks !
(cont...) and playing C major would take on the color of Dorian.
The main thing to remember is, it's not the pattern on the fretboard that defines which mode you're playing, it's the tonality of the backing music.
E.g. playing C major/Ionian over an E bass note will imply phrygian, because E is the third note of C major and therefore the root of its 3rd mode. C major tonality gets shifted to its 3rd mode and it takes on the color of that mode.
You're welcome. I appreciate some people might need sound, however, this lesson was solely about the visual relationship between mode patterns, not their individual sounds (which should be learned prior to watching this vid). Cheers.
This really made everything fall in place for me. Awesome video - it only took me a few years, haha
ah cool, think I'm getting it now!
thanks so much for your fast and concise replies.
Loving the lessons
WHAT A FANTASTIC TEACHER!!!! NO FACE NO GUITAR YET MADE SIMPLES!!! :-)
You are doing great work sir.🙏🏼🙏🏼
Hey, it's actually the backing chord that will put the C major scale into a modal context. So if D minor is the backing chord, C major will take on the colour of its second mode, D Dorian.
If there's no backing chord or even bass note to establish the root or key, then yes, it's more about note selection defining the modal centre. You would want to target notes such as the root, minor 3rd and 6th (Dorian's main colour tone) frequently to imply Dorian as the tonal centre.
Hope that makes sense!
Excellent lesson! Thank you.
Amazing explanation. The best channel by far. Incredible visuals! 🙏 🎵 😎
Ciao sei un grande professore di spiegare la musica pure che non capisco l inglese tutto visibile e arrivo a capire tutto grazie...........di farmi divertire alla mia pensione.................
Now I know the E Phrygian and F Lydian has the same scale patterns the only difference is its Root. Wow! Thanks for an Awesome Video. ;)
Correct. This is just an alternative to the "position method" for learning the major scale. So there are 7 positions for the major scale based on its 7 degrees, each one can be seen as a root or "starting" pattern for each of its modes, 1 - 7.
Put simply, all you need to do is learn/understand the interval patterns of each mode. The Dorian interval pattern is W-H-W-W-W-H-W. What the video is calling Phrygian, Lydian etc are actually inversions of the Dorian scale (the same notes but starting on a different note as you move up the neck in the scale pattern for Dorian). This works in much the same way that you would use inversions for chords. If you wanted to actually play in the Phrygian mode, for example, you would play a different interval pattern H-W-W-W-H-W-W (notice that this is just shifted up one interval from the Dorian pattern) and just play that same pattern again all over the neck. Same with the other 5 modes.
+GayCaballero Excellent explanation!
3:46 AND IT WAS AT THIS MOMENT THAT MY LIFE CHANGED!
See part 2 for modal chord progressions. Some modes share certain chord relationships. For example, if the progression used the chords D minor, A minor, C major, both D Dorian and D Aeolian would theoretically work because these chords are part of both the D Dorian and D Aeolian chord scales. However, Phrygian would not work because A minor and C major are not part of the D Phrygian chord scale.
Eureka! Thank you, Mike!
As a "pure run" it will have more of that mode's sound than C major. There are of course certain notes you can emphasise to reaffirm the mode (such as those I mentioned before). You can phrase the mode in ways that bring out its colour, using its key tones as target notes.
E.g. Let's say you played the C major scale over D minor. Even if you started on the C root, that would be the b7 of Dorian and there's no reason it should imply C major. It's all about the context in which it's played.
Awsome lesson, thank you so much.
I wish I had this in 1970s when first learning guitar.
great explanation. thank you!
Yes, you could just play C major over any combination of those chords, even if C major itself is not part of the progression. In fact, some musicians prefer to see it like that - assigning everything to a parent major key (as long as all the chords are part of that scale).
Modes are just a shift in the tonal centre of that same scale. So the progression might centre around Dm, but still use chords within the C major scale. That's when Dorian, the 2nd mode of C major comes in, for example (cont)
Excellent! I really enjoy your theory lessons
Your videos are exceptional, will you be making more? Thank you!
Your lessons are awesome!!!
The reason the modes confuse is because so much is said about where they come from, with intervals and which note number on a scale they derive from. I finally saw them as just some scale scale variations you can use over some chords(here d scale variations to use over d minor) the stuff about where they come from had me confused for months when I was learning.
Mike this is awesome ! I think i may be able to say Eureka now .. :-) There's still allot I have to learn but this lesson is very well thought out and really makes sense. Thank you for posting this
Are u still alive man?! Ur guitar playing any good??!!
I am agree that the other (extended) patterns sound like D Dorian only if you accent the "d" note in the runs you play as a startingpoint note and ending rest point note?
Glad I understood b4 I watched. This would be very confusing. There is 1 pattern with different roots for the different modes. Not modal patterns/positions. Just know the major and the intervals within it, job done.
BRAVO!
You said find the root of the chord... But what about the key the backing track is in? Does it also work with the key. Seems a bit complex to me here
mind blown completely hahah wow, its like magic how music theory works . really magical. so I guess if i can work out all of dorian by all the relative mode shapes that just needs to be transposed up or down from any key or any mode?? its the same shapes..?
can u switch between the optional modes over a same chord progression, because in the beginning you can either use d dorian , d aeolian or d phrygian as your root note.
(Cont...) Using Aeolian as an example, if you played C major over Am, the root of C would in fact be heard as the minor 3rd (b3) of Am. Again, since the b3 is a defining tone of Aeolian, there's no reason C should imply C major.
Once you've set that modal centre, all the other notes get put into that context.
I would challenge anyone to play C major over Am and make it sound like C major!
Similarly, I would extend that same challenge to playing C major over Dm and it sound like C major.
Great examples!
to understand it ,
If you were playing same patterns over Em then the tonality would be E Phrygian ?
For my understanding, I noticed that choosing Dorian, Phr, Aeol. minor chords, I think that you mean D minor, A minor, E minor. If I play by Am, of course I am going to use Dm and Em. so what is so much with modes? Furthermore; if you play the scales of course it will always be C to D = whole, D to E = whole, E to F = half no matter if Dorian, Pyr, Ael, etc.
Now my confussion is: why Phr = 1 - b2 - 3 - #4 b6, b7? If I follow your instruccions I am not able to see flats or sharps. I shall greatly appreciate if you can help me with this confu?sion. Thank you.
Cesar
Apparently I will die never really understanding modes.
Dude, don't give up. Keep watching other videos from the chanel and keep coming back later to some vids you already watched. I'll see that you will start to connect some dots with time. That's what's happening with me. This channel is really good and will help you a lot, I'm sure ;)
Goddamn it Morty.
The modes are derived from the major scale. They are just inversions of the major scale.
They are always found in this order in every major scale:
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian,Mixolydian,Aeolian,Locrian (then Ionian again an octave higher, and so forth)...until you run out of fretboard Morty!
Aeolian is The Minor Scale. Notice that it's the 6th mode in our mode order.
The Aeolian mode is always the 6th mode of your Major Scale.
If you start with the C Major Scale(C D E F G A B) then you will see that it's sixth note is A. So your Minor Scale here would be A Aeolian (A,B,C,D,E,F,G).
There Morty. Now were are dealing with a simpler series of notes to wrap our heads around. A,B,C,D,E,F,G
Pretty simple, eh Morty?
Now you will understand what I mean when I say that modes are just inversions of the Major Scale.
A,B,C,D,E,F,G
B,C,D,E,F,G,A
C,D,E,F,G,A,B < - - There it is Morty! That's our C Major Scale!
D,E,F,G,A,B,C
E,F,G,A,B,C,D
F,G,A,B,C,D,E
G,A,B,C,D,E,F
Now remember Morty that I said that the modes were always in the same order?
So that would give us
C Ionian: C,D,E,F,G,A,B
D Dorian: D,E,F,G,A,B,C
E Phrygian: E,F,G,A,B,C,D
F Lydian: F,G,A,B,C,D,E
G Mixolydian: G,A,B,C,D,E,F
A Aeolian: A,B,C,D,E,F,G
B Locrian: B,C,D,E,F,G,A
All of those are just the C Major Scale. They all contain the same exact notes as the C Major Scale. It's the same notes Morty! It's the same notes!
It's the backing track that is going to determine what mode you are in.
That's the only way you can hear it Morty. You have to find backing tracks for each mode Morty! You have to jam along with the backing track. Or else, you're not going to hear it Morty! You're not going to hear the special sound of each mode unless you pair the C Major Scale with a backing track for A Aeolian, or B Locrian, or C Ionian, or D Dorian, or E Phrygian, or F Lydian, or G Mixolydian. That's it Morty! That's ABCDEFG.
Get some backing tracks Morty!
(Notice) I learned to play modes only by ear .
After watching this video and reading what you explained I picked the guitar and used a continuous Amin Chord as a backing track and I found what you guys are explaining confusing cause if I want to play a dorian on that A min chord backing track then I need to play a Bmaj/g minor scale notes and if I want to play a phrygian I need to play G'# maj /E'#minor scale and to play lydian I need to play a Gmaj /E minor scale . for mixolydian I need to play Fmaj/ d minor scale and so on, which means I won't get any modes if I keep playing the same A minor scale starting from different notes like how you explained and in order to get any mode there must be an alteration done and you have to play a whole different scale to that backing track it can't remain the same. Is there something I'm not getting here!? can you please explain
If you are playing Am Dorian, G is the first degree of the scale followed by A,B,C,D,E, F#. G would be the Maj Scale pattern, WWHWWWH. A Dorian would be a minor pattern, WHWWWHW. B phyrigian would be a minor pattern, HWWWHWW. The beauty of it is all the modes are the same Gmaj scale with different starting points! I also like to remember the chords of the Gmaj scale, G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F#dim to make up a backing track.
EXCELLENT!
So, did I understand correctly: to improvise in D Dorian (the backing track being in that key), I can use any of those mode-positions and it still sounds good?
Correct. Each mode can be seen as relative to 6 other mode positions. They all use the same notes.
@@fretjamguitar Its just playing the notes of c major, no?
So if I'm playing in F Lydian, then since that is the 4th degree of the parent scale that means that playing G mixolydian or A Aolian would be the same as playing F Lydian? ( I think I butchered their spellings)
Added confusion at 2:09 when D-Aeolian is mentioned for about 10 seconds, because of the note it has that is different from the notes used in the rest of the video (key of C). When notes and scales from different keys are mixed into explanations, that's what gets confusing when talking about the modes in my opinion.
Thank you it help me a lot, but i still can figure out what chords of every 7 mode? I use minor or major chords?.. I hope you have tutorial for that
I always found it easier to just extend the pentatonic scales with added notes from the modes, makes it far easier to map. even thought I have the diatonic scale know to a T thinking in pentatonic first is a way better approach.
what does the loc box look like (7 degree)
Just WOW
Great lessons! Mind blowing... so accurate and clear, wow! One thing I ask... I can’t find the second mode lesson. Which one is it?
So if I'm playing D Dorian in a chord progression, do I change to G Dorian/ A Dorian say when a I, IV, V progression is played? Or do I still play D Dorian or would it make more sense to play G Lydian and A Mixolydian because they relate to the IV and V chords?
When the progression only uses chords that are part of a mode or natural key, you don't need to change the root for each chord.
I IV V is best thought of as major/Ionian. So if it was Cmaj, Fmaj, Gmaj you'd just play C major over all three chords. No need to change to each chord's corresponding mode because C major covers those notes anyway.
You would only use D Dorian if you wanted to give Dm that Dorian color or the progression resolved around the ii chord. See the latest video I uploaded to help with this.
But if we were playing in D Dorian, that would make the D the Tonic, yeah? Does that move the intervals along? Would the IV now be a G and the V an A? Do they have this relationship?
DanteDarcangelo Yes D would be the tonic (unless you're just playing D Dorian over an isolated Dm chord away from the tonic).
I prefer to keep the chord numbering in modal music relative to its position in the major key signature so its easier to visualise the interval structure. So with Dorian, ii becomes our center, and the interval positioning between all the other chords in the diatonic scale remains as it is in the tonic major key.
I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii
C D E F G A B
ii - V in D Dorian would be Dm / Gmaj for example.
ii - IV - V would be Dm / Fmaj / Gmaj
What makes ii function as the tonic or center is that we resolve to that chord instead of I (which would be Cmaj in the above example).
You have a way to make all mysterious concepts make total sense! If I understand something here, you can just use any shape and notes of the original parent major scale but target a particular resolution or home and with a particular backing chord, it sounds like that mode you are "using"?
Yes, in a nutshell. It's about where the tonal center lies within the major scale that determines its modal flavour.
Thank you for what you do and teach!
I don't understand the bit at 4:20 about Phrygian going to Lydian it looks like the same notes as the Phrygian scale?
Lydian's first position pattern can be seen as closely overlapping with Phrygian's because the two lie a mere semitone/half step apart in sequence. If you think of Phrygian starting on the 3rd degree (hence 3rd mode) of the major scale, and Lydian starting on the 4th degree (hence 4th mode) of the major scale, these two degrees are only a half step apart.
fretjam okay I think I understand a little better now. thank you for responding
Hey there,
I'm a little confused as to how it would sound like D Dorian, when really, all of those scales are C scale... Is it primary because you're starting on the D notes on the 6th String? I've tried jamming / soloing over those tracks, but it's just a C major scale I'm playing. Should I be emphasizing the D notes or something?
Cheers!
So would be best to learn the major scale all over the fretboard rather than separate box patterns for the different modes? Seems easier to generate the modes based directly on the major scale rather then a lot of separate patterns.
Thomas Robb It depends on how you internalize it, how your brain's wired. I prefer to see separate patterns as I move across the fretboard as it helps me compartmentalize the fretboard. Of course, once you can fluidly connect these smaller patterns, you can create your own "run patterns" by navigating a specific path through them.
Seeing these patterns in the context of their modal roots may also help you to quickly find a starting point for a given mode. For example, if I'd just learned the major scale as one large pattern, I might struggle to quickly locate Lydian's root within that pattern. But if you can associate each mode with a small, memorable pattern of its own, you have that reference/starting point.
fretjam.com It seem most people eventually get to their own way of understanding this that is a combination of all of the above. Thank you for your response and for your channel. I have learned a lot from it!
Does it mean all we have to do is spot the root note of the parent scale and then visualise all the modes over the fretboard and play all the notes of the parent scale in every mode?
In short, yes. But take a look at ruclips.net/video/y-7SwIPiyQE/видео.html for clarification.
Thanks so much for gutter lessons, i real enjoy it congratution
but how do you play another sound over the d minor chord? (not dorian) what do i need to do to play Am sounding scale over Dm progression or is the D minor dominant?
do i need to make a key change in the progression for the atmospheric change?
+Matko Pogačić I am not an expert, but using an appropriate chord quality (minor, major, dim, aug) that is linked to that sound you want to create, then you create it. :3
eg. if you play B dim (5th chord of E phrygian) and E minor (first chord of E phrygian) over a C, you make the Phrygian sound.
i don't know the answer to your question though. :3
+MrHwil i my self dont know what i asked hahahahha so mutch fun xp so il take that awnser xd
I made an error, the fifth of the Phrygian is diminshed. :3
I've read the conversation with zingzingzingbahh and correct me if I'm wrong...but basicly modes are scales within a scale,each mode with it's own root note,name etc...
C major has C,Dm,Em,F,G,Am and Bdim...so according to a chord progression you can determine which mode would fit the best? or if you simply learn notes/positions of all the modes in a C major you can do whatever you like?
It seems too easy but still complicated :)
So if i play c major over d minor it's will make d dorian ??? Can someone help me ??
Correct. The mode the parent pattern (major) takes on is determined by where the tonic ("home" chord or note) lies.
Thanks for your quick reply! I still feel as like I'm missing something though.. So say the backing chord is any chord from the C major scale - C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim - then all I have to do is play any notes from the C major scale, and it will have that corresponding modal sound to it.. i.e. a Am backing track with make the C major scale sound more Aolean.. but isn't there more to it than that?
thanks again!
mind=blown
Btw u said that, if it was a D major chord, then we'd have to use a major mode with the root note 'D' ... but in the scale of C, with root note 'D', the only mode we get is dorian, which is minor, i'm not clear, please explain
+Shahrin Nakkhatra If we're playing over D major we're no longer using the C major scale, so D Dorian won't apply. We have to first pick the mode we want to play (or that is most suited to the backing chords) and then we can work out its related scale and pattern. Try my newer lesson "Turn 3 Scales Into 21" for another way to see it.
Another question...here we're playing modes in the key of C...but when i'm playing over a backing track of Am then shall i use the same modes of C major scale since Am is the relative minor?
I mean, for a Am backing track chord progression, we can also get that from the scale of G major where with root A we'll get dorian mode, for which we also get Am chord...so while playing over a backing track of Am which scale should we use? Or just have to check the chord progression first?
love the vids
7:30, Shouldn't it be D dorian and not D minor?
Why all examples not sound? It may be usefull. For me.) And big Thank you!
Still confused
In other words, solo in Cmaj
Randy Samba exactly
Ah, any chance of doing a Part 4? I was so close to getting it.
Correct. Same 7 notes, different starting position.
umm, so why not just say you're playing C, instead of D Dorian this or that?
Eureka !!
why not just think of the entire pattern as the major scale and derive each mode according to the associated root? that way you automatically stress the root in each position ( and you learn the notes of the fretboard in so doing).
nice....
You could have explained it so much easier by saying that D dorian mode is the same as the C major scale, as "Dorian" means the "Second". Second note in whatever scale you are going to play. In this way, playing D in Dorian Mode is the same as targeting the second note in C major scale.
+photo photoshvili That was covered in earlier parts.
If they all sound like d Dorian over d minor why play them? Play d Dorian in a different voicing. Why not.
This is raebea from dorje
I just tossed my cookies!
+James Noll Can't say that's the reaction I aimed for. My apologies.
I am only kidding. I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes the theory. I think that it is well laid out. I hope to someday be able to use this to my advantage. Thanks
American, European, African, Asian over fretjam channel = "fretjam"ian
ez
uhh......ok then