Guitar Lesson 05 Guitar Tuition 'Understanding Modes' Pt 1

[nicedog1]

Good video. If you flatten the 3rd and the 7th what is that scale, minor seventh or dorian?

[shredrix]

sooo confused on modes ahaha if you're playing in c Major ...couldnt you just count your modes as follows ; C=ionian, D=dorian, E= Phrygian, F= Lydian, G = mixolydian, A = aeloian and B = locrian ?..... and to play in Lydian , you would just start on a F and end on a F pretty much ??....hope that makes some sense, confused :S

[JusticieroDeLaMuerte]

Man, you're making it more complex than it is. It's really simple. Just take a major scale and play it from each to its octave. Then you'll have the seven modes. That's it. You also can do that with a minor harmonic and minor melodic scale or whatever scale, and you'll find their modes. That's it.

[guitaristman23]

i maybe slighty confused but are you essentialy just change the root note and that makes a different mode?

[waddsy]

my past guitar teacher fucking sucks. he called them in position scales and they were all the modes mixolydian etc and showed me patterns. and now they dont make any sense... I have NO IDEA what this guy is talking about and he jumps straight into it without explanation.... fuck I'm never going to learn this shit

[MJconvictioncase]

If Dora Plays Loud My Arms Leak.

[Minor8Flat4]

You need to look at the chord progression not just learn positions up and down the neck that is not modes ! Analyse what i posted in my last comments. Emaj -- F maj -- Gmaj

record these then play a melody using only the C major scale. Then you will be playing in Phrygian ! you need to work out why ! As ive said , you want the 3rd mode then count down a Major 3rd from your designated root , in this case E and you get C , C major , voila. Try it for Lydian now !

[Minor8Flat4]

You dont understand modes.

If you play chords Emajor , Fmajor and Gmajor then play a melody in Cmajor what mode am i playing in. Ill give a quick hint. An easy way to work out modes is to find your root note and if you want phrygian then count back from the root a major third. Therefore from the progression above we see a major 3rd DOWN from E is C , playing C major over these chords puts you in phyrgian mode. Likewise to get Lydian count down a perfect 4th from your root note. etc simples !

[dvdgzzrll]

is that a fender roc pro 1000 in the background?  i have that same exact amp! :)

[melchizedekenolittle]

there should be no ranking 4 tuoghness.....

[EAxisVideos]

Your video is very helpful to learning this scaling shit.

[40laceration]

i dont understand how major scales could be movable if you take the C Major scale for example... starting on the 8th fret on the low E and move it down 5 frets to a G.....the notes are going to different......your going to be playing a G Major scale with that F# instead of a C Major scale...correct?

[willy642]

You can move it, don't use the same "shape", use the same intervals. major scale is Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half

[chrismahaffey6666]

took mea few years to learn modes to.

the od way i learnd was lising to Vai and satch. all i knew was minor, and i found out that if i play every thing two notes up and still use E or what even key im playing in as the rute note and play every thing a hole step up it sounded realy cool, and then i found out it was mixolydian. then i found out if you keep your rute note the same and play two hole steps up its Lydian. and so on a so forth

[ajb2k9]

what do u mean by playing a whole step up for mixolydian but still using the same root note? that confuses me lol

[chrismahaffey6666]

like minor and magor. every thing in magor is a step and a half down from minor but still using the same root note.

just like the but up a step.

a good way the learn is use ever more starting on the same note and ending on the same note

[lexcorona85]

And now I can play them anywhere. This took me years to understand because I wasn't comprehending how important music theory is. Now with a guitar and hours to kill, I can, on my own, show myself the famous Greek modes. I got them in a couple of hours after years of playing.Then learning them with nice chords on top got me geared for serious playing. I will post videos as soon as I can seriously say I can, but I'm having too much fun learning shit I should of learned from the beginning.

[lexcorona85]

When I started to learn the major scale and discovered that it has no sharps or flats in C, then learned the minor scale and learned that it has no sharps or flats in A. Interesting. Then I discovered that the last three notes of the C major scale are the beginning of the A minor scale. Interesting. Then I played the major scale starting on G, and avoided sharps and flats, except it wasn't the major anymore, it became the Mixolydian! Repeat with B, D, E, F and I now know all modes. Explore!!!!!

[BumpyPickles]

This honestly does not help me understand modes at all.

[Birkosteve]

The easist way to understand modes is to start on a different scale degree. e.g, G mixolydian is GABCDEFG, (C scale starting & ending on the 5th degree)

I DON'T PLAY LIKE MY AUNT LOUISE is a way to remember the order of modes.

Ionian dorian phrygian lydian mixolydian aolian locrian. Hope I've simplyfied it for you!

[elmuan]

Mixophrigian ... Iolidyan ... Arrrrrg! I'm more confused now ... my brain is going to explode ... Arrrrrrgh!

[exvotivezach]

It might help to say they are actualy all variations of ONE scale (because the minor scale is exactly the same as a major scale starting on the 6th degree). And perhaps explaning the difference between for example:

C phrygian

Phrygian in the key of C

All in all good lesson.

[huz9]

thanks.. great lesson

[modeplayer67]

Well done. It's rare to fine someone who approaches these things the right way in terms of only needing to alter a single note of the major or minor scale.

The only thing I would add, is that it does not matter what note you start or end a scale on. That does not determine what the mode you're playing is. The ONLY thing that determines what mode you are playing is how those notes harmonize with the CHORD they are being played against.

[8Zeitgeist]

@modeplayer67 thank you, i was about to ask :)

[panamanian911]

yes...

what he said is actually not true... if he wants to label it by fingerings, the best way would be to say that you have to learn the major scale all through the fret board.. and then to be aware that each mode of a single tone is a major scale played in a different place .. like you said.. d major is e dorian..

[PatrickSebastian]

Wait wait, I collect my jaw from the floor. Please, I mean PLEASE, learn stuff first before you try to teach them. You might confuse some one who really want's to learn. If they "learn" stuff like this, it is very hard to get them understand the correct way. It's kinda same way of all your videos (all that I've watched as I didn't believe my ears and eyes...)

[PatrickSebastian]

Like you start, there is only like 2 modes. NO, there are 7 modes...

[YusefGuitarum]

There is not enough information here to give anyone an "understanding" of the modes. Sorry. Well presented though.

[oregonskateok]

Seriously, it doesn't take any brains to figure out how to construct each mode. However knowing how to apply these modes is a bit harder, still easy though. Also E ionian has a D# not an E flat :P

[panamanian911]

e flat and d# are the same note... so what are you saying?

[oregonskateok]

Not exactly. E major will not have an E and Eb in it. The Seventh degree would be D#. E F# G# A B C# D# E. The key sig for E major is four sharps, which are FCGD.

[oregonskateok]

No they arent. Whoever thumbs upped you is an idiot. The video poster should learn basic theory before trying to teach modes. There is no Eb in E major, There are 4 sharps in that key. Guitar players ignorance to theory annoys me sometimes.

[panamanian911]

e flat and d sharp are the same note, that's what I said and it is true. now i know that the e major scale has 4 sharps, but still, e flat and d sharp are the same note. He said e flat because it was easier for him to say that..

and i do know theory.. even before i started guitar... all i said was that e flat and d sharp are the same note, same pitch.. lol

[iamyouifyouareme]

Pretty helpful. Thanks.

[Taproz]

maybe if you mindless idiots knew what he was talking about you wouldn't find it so boring.

[EL34]

that would defeat the purpose of having it called a "LESSON."

[turmoil666]

Get a haircut and some personality. I almost stabbed myself in the neck watching this snorefest.

[KyuRoo]

Sorry but I found myself bored as bat shit and my eyes wandered off to pretty girls.... That's the point!!!!

[Padmansana]

Great help

thanks

[AbcSchoolOfPolish]

Thanks for the video. Very useful.

[JazZappaLemon]

It's always the same pattern. when you go from Ionian to Dorian, the pattern moves down 2 frets (ex 5 to 3), in any key.

Ionian -2 Dorian -2 Phrygian -1 Lydian -2 Mixolydian -2 Aeolian -2 Locrian.

In a progression in the key of C, can I use all the C modes in a solo? (each mode has its 'colour'...). if not, wich is the rule to aply the mode to a progression?

just started yesterday..

[frederickrings]

Very helpful thanks...also like to hear some nice English by a native speaker above all the bad English on youtube

[darklord6645]

wanna thankyou your the only one i have beenable to understand i neva understud modes b4 thanks

[FinalCountdown2008]

Very informative lesson. Easy to understand.

[lovelydeath21b]

lol yu can pley that anywhea on the gitaaaaa lol,funny accent, good lesson though lol

[Sogecyborg]

great introduction

thanks

[dkchickenlittle]

thank you so much for posting. This is so helpful. I finally understand the meaning of modes.

[stefanlappie]

he moves his head funny when playing a scale:P

great lesson

[br333br333]

Hahahahahahahahhahahaha!!! I agree 'Thelegendarydrummer' lmfao,

Really good lesson though :P! Ron weasley teaches very very well

[thelegendarydrummer]

i though Ron Weasley was teaching me guitar 4 a sec.

[kenbenj01]

hi JonITD, i just have a few question to ask..if i want to make my own solo..and i will be using a c major scale..using E phrygian mode...what chord i have 2 use for that kind of mode.. is it only Eminor chord, or can i use other chord to fit in phrygian mode..

[lightninguitarsolo]

from what i understand of it... you want to use something in the key of c major

and you wanted to use the phrygian mode

you would play c phrygian... not e, because you want it to resolve to a C

and then you would play chords in the C phrygian and major scale

so that it would work

or you could just play power chords and be like every other rock musician that was too busy gettin laid to learn music theory

but im not 100% sure so if im wrong, by all means tell me im wrong

[suspect306]

u got the right idea accept that the phrygian is a minor mode, so it can only be used over min/min7 chords, or the note c alone, so for a c major chord u play (on top of the c maj chord) c lydian, c mixolydian, or c ionian (the major scale) because those are the major modes, phrygian, aeolian and dorian are minor modes, and locrian can be used over a dim or min7b5 chord, and then there modes taht arent diatonic to any major key, like phrygian dominant, etc

[suspect306]

this was a reply to lightninguitarsolo

[lightninguitarsolo]

thanks... i got that a little bit, but all this stuff i've pretty much figgured out on my own

[jbaldoni76]

just showing the fingerings and telling the notes in each paticular mode is not a very helpful way of applying the modes, in a situation such as a jam. and knowing the chord forms of each position(C.A.G.E.D) helps a great deal as well

[fishzebra]

good clear explanation

[zoso107]

very helpful lesson

[dexarouskies]

what kind of guitar is that?

[322072322072]

LTD ESP M-255

I Have One.

[dexarouskies]

Great lesson by the way.

[6strings2hands]

Theres almost no point in trying to understand the modes unless you get to grips with the underlying harmony too. Example - Dorian = minor 7, mixolydian = dom 7, lydian = maj7#11. Otherwise you'll be playing just another "shape" of the major scale with the same notes. Knowing which chords to play over to exploit the modal sound is very important. Satriani composes in this manner to great effect!

[kirbyy]

very true. it's still nice to know even to an intermediate player though, the differences are noticable regardless of extended chord knowledge

[6strings2hands]

Of course you're right that the differences are noticable. The problem is that there are loads of mode lessons available and all they seem to offer are "Play this shape for Dorian" etc without delving into the real theory of harmony or reasons for learning them. Playing mode shapes without a basic understanding of the notes is not likely to have very musical results.

[checkmatebtch]

Though your reasoning is very clear, we must keep in mind that amateur players such as myself have to start somewhere. The way I see scales is like a seven course meal. You can start with any course you like and the order in which you eat the different foods will change your perception of the dinner. You don't want to start heavy but sometimes the meat is better than the salad first. In the end you will still eat the same food no matter where you start.

[soundwrks]

really helpful - cheers!

[jdean9]

ur vids are good but you should filter out that humming tone in the background, sounds like a G# in the background all the time

[05rsx]

ah everyones a teacher now a days... btw Lydian ..its #4 not b5..cause the 5th is still in the scale fyi

[jdean9]

true. in that context it's usual to call that note a #4 and not a b5. it's important to know that both terms refer to the same note though, because i think what often happens to ppl is that u at some point learn to identify the sound of different notes against the root. a lot of ppl start off pentatonic and learn to know that 'blue' note as "b5"

[spagbog1q2w]

thanks for taking the time to help people understand that. it's helped me understand modes clearly now. much appreciated.

[Groynkikt]

OH YA!!! MY AMP GOES TO 11!

[Taproz]

hahaha, nice..

our drummer was killed in a bizarre gardening accident lol

[purplepart2]

my amp has got 100,000 watts!

[sportsportsport]

good video dude. Couldnt help but notice but that amp looks like a Fender Roc Pro 1000 300watt. Is it ? i have one and its a killer amp, i love it. plz reply lol

[JonITD]

i think its 100 watts, but yea its a great amp, got a kinda glassy sound to it, Its great when you pyg it into a marshall with combined celestion and fender speaker tones.

[sportsportsport]

mine has a 300 watt sticker on the back of mine.

[JonITD]

yeah it is 300 watts, just checked the back of mine! Its a great amp, ill never sell it. Although the fx loop is rather noisey, but you cant have everything..

[sportsportsport]

lol im having the same annoying thing, the input jack buzzes...but its not actually a technial fault its just a flaw of the oc pro 1000. I got mine from USA for £300 ish about 3 years ago, its insane, the tube drive is so sexual !....my marshall MG30DFX is shit compared..but it is a MG series lol.

[joefalcade]

If you don't have a chord to play on there is nothing to understand about modes. The 7 modes are just a major scale. To understand it is critical to have a chord to play on.

[Naminator99]

The 7 modes are NOT a major scale....

[Dazzler59]

yea they are dude

[sonico73]

THEY ARE NOT BUT THEY COME FROME THE MAYOR SCALE IF WE LOOK AT THE MAYOR SCALE THE SECOND DEGREE IS DORIAN MODE AND THE FORMULA 1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7 THE CHORDS THAT YOU CAN USE OVER ARE MIN7 (MINOR 7).

[iamapirate5888]

OMG thanks for this dude my quest for musical theory just got easier

[IsolatedDimension]

aeolian is the natural minor scale, locrian is the darkest sounding mode as it contains a diminished triad - you probably wont have come accross this mode that often and almost never in a static way. i hope this helps a little

[s0ulfire]

it does!...thank you!

[IsolatedDimension]

and they have different sounds- ionian is just a major scale, quite plain, dorian is very jazzy and chilled, used in jazz alot but can also sound celtic depending on what chords you play over, phrygian can sound quite spanish or quite egyptian, Lydian is the happiest sounding mode- steve vai uses it alot, mixolydian is a very blues sounding mode,

[IsolatedDimension]

guys modes are not so hard . this tutorial is not so good because he missed out explaining the chords that work with the modes which is just as important as knowing what the scales look like. if you cant hear how it sounds playing the modes over the right chords theres no way youll understand why and how to use them. using modes help make your soloing more expressive and colourful.

[IbzJem]

Eb, D# same thing

[dude5647]

so is it basically what notes your focusing on. Such as rather than focusing on the root G note you would focus on ohter notes like A and Fsharp? thanks

[dude5647]

can you tell me why i would want to solo in (for example) A dorian when it sounds the same as a G major scale (only starting on a difernt note). Since when you solo your not playing the notes of the scale in order how would changing the order of the notes make it sound any different?

[JonITD]

A dorian has a sharpened 6th. The F is sharpened to being an Fsharp. With this in mind, the Gmajor scale and E minor scale have the same notes as A dorian. This means than over an Aminor chord as a backing track, you can solo around in E minor and G major, accenting the notes in the A minor chord, which are A,E and C, and also the Fsharp. This will give you a dorian flavour. All you are doing is sharpening the 6th, i.e. sharpening the F to an Fsharp. Does that answer your question?

[JonITD]

Also if you played an octave run in A dorian it wont sound the same as G major, as you are starting from the A note, so the intervals beween each note will be different. Also A dorian wont sound the same as A minor because the 6th is sharpened

[smoker1521]

very nice lesson....

[rayger]

Good lesson. But where and when (ie. over what chords and how to know when to use each mode) do you use each mode?

[nealeo1221]

what he means is that there is only 2 "perfect" modes that exist... all other modes are variations which he states

[tommyk77]

it's D# in E major, not Eb. i know they are technically the same but trust me. also, this "2 modes" theory is only valid with the modes of the simple major scale. there are alot of other modes. they sound great too! well, some of them... lol

[Guitarguru0327]

wow this really helped me out with the modes. thx man.

[ekikoo]

He's gotta be Steven Wilson's little brother/son/neighbor.

Oh, and nice video, too.

[HarmonicMinorJ]

haha yeah

sounds just like em!

[br1ancrowell]

Excellent! I've come to approach modes in the same way, and is exactly the way I teach them myself! Guess I don't need to do a video on it now! Good Job!

[waterproofcompanion]

thanks dude very good

[reening]

Modes...are HARD

[phrancque]

Subtitles in english for foreigners are welcome :D

[reening]

No idea what he's talking about.

[jackginger06]

thanks for the vid man

[stratocastermojo]

Very good work jon , very helpful!

[JonITD]

lolzzz!

[colligbro]

quit bitching..its blog and video site to help

[chrislydian]

hahahahahahah!

[chrislydian]

It's also important to bear in mind that modes are only relevent if played over mode chord progressions or it becomes difficult to even hear their qualities. For example play D dorian over Dm-G7vamp instead of a Cmajor progression.

[JonITD]

Yes it is. Or you can see it as an A minor scale with a sharpened 6th. There are many ways to look at the same thing. A dorian also has exactly the same notes in it as the E minor scale too! Have fun

[denim98]

yeah, basically,

ionion = major scale

dorian = minor 7 scale

mixo-lydian = dorminant 7th scale

aeolian = natural minor scale

locrian = diminished scale

[denim98]

modes are actually major scales that starts/ends with other notes that aren't the root note. For example A dorian is actually G major that starts/ends with A instead of rootnote G.

[JonITD]

Its just two different ways at looking at the same thing I suppose. D Dorian can be percived as TSTTTST or looked at as the Dminor scale with a sharpened 6th. I find it easier to look at Dorian and Phrygian as alterations of the minor scale and Mixolydian and Lydian as alterations of the major scale. All with a slight different flavour. But thats just how I see them which makes it easier for me. All your comments are very helpfull thanks alot nothings been taken the wrong way :)!

[chrislydian]

Take a C note and play T T S T T T S and you have mode 1 (C Ionian). Now move up 1 step and play T S T T T S T and you get mode 2 (D Dorian) etc. Repeat procedure to get all other modes. Easier and more correct than altering other modes and formulas. This does not suggest that you are wrong but it is in my humble opinion a better way of explaining the modes to a beginner or advanced student of any instrument not just rock guitar.

[chrislydian]

I think my point was that the modes are more often used in a more thorough way in jazz and world music than in rock. A jazz musician would never explain the modes as alterations of other modes but as sequences of tones and semitones which is just as "easy" to understand if you present the information correctly. My comment was meant to be useful but you,ve taken it the wrong way!

[JonITD]

Of course there are more than two modes! But the point was that this was an easier way to understand the basic modes, by just changing the one note. Phyrigian dominant and other modes have more than 1 note in the major/minor sequence of tones changed, this was just a way for beginners to understand them easier.

[chrislydian]

To say there are really only 2 modes is a very "rock" perspective. Jazz, Flamenco, World and Classical music often considerers the other modes as "key" scales and are not simple alterations of the major and minor. Modes should be viewed as sequences of Tones and Semi-tones not as altered degrees. Otherwise good info and vids.