Understanding Modes on Guitar - Guitar Modes Lesson - Part 2

http://www.fretjam.com

This lesson uses our knowledge of how modal systems are formed to create modal chord progressions. This is about using a sequence of chords from within the chord scale to highlight a particular mode.

More on modes on guitar here:

http://www.fretjam.com/guitar-modes.html

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• guitar
• modes
• scales
• theory
• ionian
• dorian
• phrygian
• lydian
• mixolydian
• aeolian
• locrian
• major
• minor
• mode
• lesson

[vampiricsplendour]

is modes the tonal centres you play around to sound right?

[fretjamdotcom]

@vampiricsplendour If you're playing over a sequence of chords, then yes there may (not always) be a modal center implied, but remember that tonal center could also be established through a single chord. Dorian would sound right, for example, over a minor chord if there are no chord changes just as it would sound right over chord changes with Dorian's associated chord (e.g. Dm in a C major scale) as the tonal center.

[shankaraist]

You don't have to know modes to play improvisation well.

There is no dorian group of chords in standard concept of chords. They group into tonic, subdominant, dominant and 9th.

The dorian mode sounds the same as the melodic minor but is played over different frets.

[fretjamdotcom]

@shankaraist No of course you don't have to know them, but it might help. And calling the chord group Dorian just helps some people visualise a chord progression compatible with Dorian more easily. I think Dorian sounds the same as melodic minor because of the 6th, but it has a flat 7th unlike melodic minor's major 7th.

[JamesBirdCHANNEL13]

Brilliant vids, - MY question is;

I understand the "maj, min, min, maj, maj, min, dim" and the modes, "ionian, dorian etc" being attached to them.

But what I am not to sure of is if thats the major scale, for example, if it was to change to Dorian being the main scale, would the above structure just chaneg around lightly or are their actual positions of the dorian scale.

Eg, the pentatonic scale has 5positions, does each mode have 5 individual positions?

[fretjamdotcom]

@JamesBirdCHANNEL13 Think of Dorian as simply the major scale starting on the 2nd degree. So Dorian will still have 7 positions, but its 1st position will be the 2nd position of the major scale. So all you're doing is shifting the tonal center of the major scale to its 2nd degree minor mode.

[fhussain44]

THanks, now it makes sense . The mistake I was making was playing the modes over the same I-IV-V chord progression. (C-F-G) I now realize each mode has their own chord progression based on the tonic note.

[vanight]

Thanks so much, I have been trying to figure this out for over 20 years!

[weblogik]

part 1 was ace, part confused me :(

[CRAIGARRR]

I listened to this, and I think I went back in time trying to understand it!

[shankaraist]

Misunderstanding about difference between dorian and melodic minor is connected with keys not positions. You were referring to same key, while I was talking about different key - that is a-melodic minor one runs on same frets as

d-minor dorian.

The standard chord types are: diminished, augumented, major, minor. Dorian type chord is a rare concept.