Modes Explained Effective and Crystal Clear (Guitar Tutorial with Examples)

First of all , I want to say there are a lot of videos about the modes .

Some are good and some leave you with more questions than answers .

I feel that this video stands out for its clarity through the graphical enhancements .

This video was pointed at everyday use of modes while still going into depth .

So what should you know before you watch this video ?

Well , you have to know what sharps and flats are .

You have to have a bit of knowledge of the major keys .

You have to have a bit of knowledge of the major skill patterns and you should know the names of the notes of the six string .

OK .

What's the mode ?

A mode is a skill just like any other skill ?

It has seven notes like many other skills , for example , to play major skill .

So what makes a mode a mode ?

Well , the difference between a playing major skill and a mode is that the mode is derived from a normal major skill but has a certain twist an anomaly which gives it a special character and sound .

You could see modes as interesting variations of the good old major scale there are seven modes of the major skill .

So seven variations of the major skill each sounding different and creating a different mood .

How those variations come to life .

We'll see later in this video .

Although we say mode , we should say mode of something like the mode of a major skill .

And that's because every mode finds its origin in a particular skill .

For instance , the major skill or harmonic minor skill in this video , all the modes are derived from the plane major skill that we all know so well .

So now we'll find out how those modes are connected to the straightforward major skill .

So the question is , how do we derive modes from that major skill ?

Having that answered , we can start to understand what modes really are .

That answer lies in the next part of the video .

If we play a major skill , we start on the root note and end on the root note in C major , we would start on the notes , uh the root note C and end on the root note C only then we hear the true character of this playing major skill .

And that's because the character of the scale lies in the placement of the half steps .

Now pay attention in a major skill .

The half steps are placed between the third and the fourth note and the seven and the eight note , which is the root , it's like a kind of formula or definition of the major skill .

As you can see , there are seven notes in this skill .

The point is that we can start the skill on every note of that major skill by doing that , the placement of the half steps will shift to other positions in the skill .

And therefore it will give us a different character and sound .

So we could play the C major skill , for example , from the note D to D resulting in a kind of D minor skill but not quite the same .

The normal D minor skill has a B flat on the six notes and this skill has a normal B .

So the note B is a twist , the anomaly and that will sound different .

It will create a new mode .

You can't create with a plain major or minor scale .

So we could start a scale on every note of the major scale .

Now let's try to start on the third note .

E this skill looks suspiciously like an E minor skill but les the F sharp on the second note , which is part of the normal E minor skill .

So that flattened second note on this newly born skill will get our attention .

It sounds a bit Spanish right again , we could never create this with a normal major or minor skill .

Now , let's do one more and start to see major skill on the four notes .

The note F if you look at this scale , it looks rather like an F major ski , but wait , there's something missing the B flat on the four note , which is a standard note and the FM major scale .

So that raised B flat .

So the node B will create a different sound and character .

To me , it sounded a little bit dreamy yet uplifting what we did just now we can do for every note in the major skill each time creating another skill with his own characteristic , his own mood .

So another mode to designate these modes , we can name them even the mode .

On the first note of a major skill , which is of course , the major skill itself has a modal name and that is the ionian mode .

So here are all the modes or scales .

It's an exchangeable concept and their roots having seen major skill as our mother skill .

Now , the first mode starting on the first note is called the ionian mode , which is in fact the plane , a major skill .

The second mode starting on the second node of a major skill is called the Dorian mode .

The third mode , we call the fridge mode , we call the fourth modes starting on the fourth note , the Lydian mode .

The mode that starts on the fifth note is called the Mixolydian mode .

The mode on the sixth note is called the AOL mode .

And you know this mode is a natural minor skill .

The last one which starts on the seventh note goes by the name Lukan mode , the biggest and legitimate question is of course , why should I learn it and how do I use it ?

Well , first of all , it will definitely provide you with a way to learn the notes on the neck of the guitar , no doubt about that .

And second , it will provide you with an arsenal of new tools for making music , create different sounds and more interesting improvisations .

The sound of Moz is used widely by all kind of musicians in rock music , film scores , jazz , blues , ethnic music , and sometimes even in pop music , guitar players like John Petrucci Katri Govan , Steve , Joseph Rian , Frank Gamble , Alan Holford , Mela Paul Gilbert , John Mayer and so on and so on .

They all use modes frequently , even every A CDC riff with the courts .

A GND is actually played in a mode .

Funny , right ?

We've seen that the mode is a skill that starts on one of the notes of a major skill .

There are seven notes in a major skill .

So there are seven modes before we dive further into the modes .

Let me give you some short examples .

We know the skill that starts on the fourth node of a major skill is called the Lion mode .

That's why we call the Lydian mode , the fourth mode .

So when we want to play , say G Lion , we should play ad major ski starting on the note , G Why ?

Because the G is the fourth note in the D major ski .

This makes Glyn the fourth note of the D major scale .

If we want to play C Lyon , we will look for a major skill where C is the fourth note .

So we'll end up with the G major skill in which C is the fourth note .

So C Lyon is the fourth mode of the G major skill .

And we will play G major starting on the C in order to get the C Lyon sound , the Dorian mode is the second mode and starts on the second note of the major skill .

So playing Dorian would result in playing ad major skill starting on the route .

E .

That's because E is the second node of the D major skill .

So E , Dorian is the second mode of D major .

Now test yourself with this trivial instrument if you want to play Emily , the fifth mode of a major skill , which major skill should I use ?

One C major ?

Two , a major , three G major .

Well , the answer is a major because the Myxoid node starts on the fifth note of a major scale .

And that happens in the scale of a major if we want to play a Dorian , from which major skill is that mode derived ?

Is it E major ?

Is it a major or is it G major ?

Well , the answer is G major because a Dorian mode is the second mode starting on the second note of a major skill .

A Dorian is the second mode of G major , we still didn't play a single mode yet .

So it's about time you hear and play the things you've learned so far for that .

We have to compare the modes in sound .

If we want a good Anno comparison , we should start on the same route with every mode we play .

So we're going to analyze and play the modes all starting on the note .

A why the route A and not C for instance , well , for practical reasons , if we use C , we'll end up with keys having five flats and it would make things unnecessarily complicated .

So that's why we'll use the note A for the route which leaves us with more uh guitar music related major keys .

Now , first , let's make a list of all these modes and while we'll edit , visualize the tonal distances between the notes , hey , hey , Dorian , A a Lyon , a mix .

Hey , alien .

And the third note of any skill called the third determines if a skill is minor or major , minor thirds .

In this case , the note C create a minor sound and major thirds .

In this case , C# create a major sound .

So in this table , we discover three major modes , Ionian Lion and Lyon , and four minor modes , Dorian fr A and the placement of the half steps makes a scale sound like it's like it sounds and is different with each mode .

You'll notice that those half steps shift in a regular way , creating a new sound and character with each consecutive mode .

So by emphasizing those half steps , while improvising in a mode , we'll grasp the essence of that particular mode .

Say we want to play a in this mode , we'll emphasize the interval A P flat and ef to get a genuine frig sound .

Now , I will play all the modes as skills and try to stress the half steps , the chords over which I will play the modal skills will bear an extra note , which is characteristic for that mode .

And I will make another dedicated video for using chords in modal skills .

There's a backing track available on this channel which will lead you to every mode .

It takes some time to practice this .

And I can imagine that it's rather overwhelming though there is another way to get a true modal sound .

The thing is that every mode has at least one note which is characteristic for that mode in comparison to the normal minor or scale , a kind of trigger note because such a node would trigger a particular modal sound .

So let me explain this to you .

The first mode is in fact a major skill .

Our ears are used to that sound because we've heard it so so so many times starting from our kindergarten time .

And there's not really one particular note that surprises our ears .

The second mode , a Dorian is a minor skill though the sixth note of that Dorian mode is raced compared to the normal minor skill so that the raised sixth note in the Dorian mode will stand out and surprises our ears and mind .

So we can say that the Dorian mode is a minor skill with a raised sixth note .

And this way of looking at a mode makes it a little bit easier to comprehend and to work with .

And we can do that for all the modes because every mode has that particular note which evokes the modal sound .

The Dorian mode , a minor skill with a raised sixth note , it has one extra sharp or one less flat compared to the normal minor skill .

It's a minor skill , but with a flattened second note , it has one less sharp or one extra flat compared to the normal minor skill .

The Lydian mode is a major scale with a raced fourth note .

It has one extra sharp or one less flat compared to the major scale .

Civilian .

A major skill with a flattened seventh notes .

It has one less sharp or one extra flat compared to the major skill .

Aum is in fact a plain , minor skill which we used so often the luck in mode .

But the last one is a minor skill with a flattened second and flattened five which gives it a diminished sound .

It has two extra flats or two less sharps .

So to study the modes and get a grip on them , I think it's best to choose one route and play all the modes of that particular route .

Keeping in mind three things .

First , what is the characteristic note for that particular mode ?

What's the trigger note two , which are the half steps that I need to emphasize ?

And three of which plane major skill is this mode derived .

In order to make things as easy as possible , we could mark the notes in the proper skill pattern .

As I said before , there's a backing track on my channel for practicing all the modes in one backing track link is in the description .

Now let's look at the scale of all the modes with the route E starting with E Dorian .

Ian starts on the second note of D major .

Characteristic note is the race sixth .

The note C# the half steps are between the second and the third note and the sixth and the seventh .

This results in the following visually enhanced scale diagram .

Now we can play the Dorian mode with all his characteristics .

Mm This mode finds its origin in the C major skill .

If you want to play ey , in a sensible way , we should be aware of the flattened second note , which is so characteristic for the Spanish sounding mode .

The half steps are between the 1st and 2nd node and the 5th and 6th node .

This all results in this diagram .

We can now play this mode in a way you can actually hear the characteristics of the fridge mode .

Lyon is a beautiful major sounding mode .

Slightly overused in film scores and TV teams .

And it finds its origin in the B major skill because E is the fourth note in that B major skill , the characteristic node in E lion is the raised four node , a sharp .

In this case , the half steps lie between the 4th and 5th note and between the 7th and 8th note , this results in a visual enhanced diagram .

And Lyon sounds like this .

The fifth mode of the major skill is Emily and it's derived from the a major skill because you find the note E on the fifth note of the a major skill , the trigger node for the mix Lian mode is the flat seventh node and E mix lion .

That would be the node D the half steps can be found between the 3rd and 4th nodes and between the 6th and 7th nodes .

All this results in an enhanced diagram and it sounds like this .

Mm This skill is in fact the natural minor skill .

If there was a tricker note , then it would be the notes G and C .

You could emphasize the half steps between the 2nd and 3rd note and the 5th and 6th Eoan finds his origin in the G major skill .

And this results in this enhanced diagram and this is the alien sounds the last mode .

The seven mode is a bit weird sounding mode because of the diminished fifth degree .

Among other things , the E Locrian mode is the seven mode of the F major scale and has two notes that are characteristic for this mode , the flattened second and the flattened fifth .

These are the trigger notes .

You find the half steps between the 1st and 2nd node just like in the fridge mode and between the 4th and 5th node .

And this results in the following diagram .

E Lorean mode sounds like this .

So I hope this clarifies a lot using modes and everyday playing .

And of course , you'll need to do this a lot to become 100% familiar with this .

If you have questions , please don't hesitate to ask them .

See you next week .