Guitar Modes This Guitar Lesson and Video Unveils the Secret.
Guitar modes…you've heard about them. You've read about them. You've asked your guitar teacher about them. But why do they still seem so mysterious and confusing?
This advanced guitar lesson is designed to make the modes easy to grasp. The fact is, they are really quite simple!
The written part of this lesson unveils the secret to understanding the modes -- and both guitar lesson videos at the bottom of the page illustrate the concepts. With a little thought and determination, you'll soon be applying these ideas to your own guitar playing. Let's get going!
Before we begin...you'll need a few things under your belt.
important note: If you download the guitar scale charts from the lesson mentioned above, you'll notice "funny" names on them. These are actually the names of the guitar modes. They are derived from Greek terms, but that's not important. These are NOT the complete modes! These are names given to describe which degree of the major scale the guitar scale form is starting on. In other words which area of the fretboard. If this doesn't make sense now, don't worry about it. Just keep going and it will :-)
Do you know what the primary chords are in any given key? In other words, the I, !V and V chords? If not, you'll need this guitar keys lesson to find out.
note: If you don't already have it, you'll need Adobe Reader (the latest version is recommended) installed on your computer in order to download the PDF files on this page. You can get Adobe Reader here (a new window will open so you can download it without leaving this page).
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Guitar Mode Theory Part One
Let's say you're playing lead guitar to a song that's in the key of G, and it uses the following chords: G Emi C D
Remember primary chords? I, IV and V? They are also MAJOR chords. This would mean that G, C and D are the primary chords in the key of G. With me? If not, you know what you need to do. You need to go back to this guitar keys lesson.
The vi ( that's 6) chord in any given major key is MINOR. If you start at G and count up 6 letters, you get E. Therefore, E minor is DIATONIC to the key of G major.
Diatonic means that a chord is constructed from notes that occur only in the key -- in this case, G major. There's more to it -- an A minor chord also occurs in the keys of C major, F major and G major. Find out how this works in part two below!
Guitar Mode Theory Part Two
Secondary chords… are the complement to primary chords. The secondary chords are ii, iii and vi ( 2, 3 and 6). And in a major key they are MINOR.
sidenote: We're discussing this information only in terms of major keys for the purposes of this guitar mode lesson. An entirely different set of guitar modes occur in minor scales such as the harmonic minor or melodic minor.
The V chord is where things get interesting -- but that would take an entire book! Technically, the V chord is a V7 chord and is called dominant in function -- it serves to lead us back to the tonic (I) chord -- in this case, G major. It can appear as either V or V7.
And finally, why can the above A minor chord occur in 3 different keys? In the key of C major it's a vi chord. In the key of F major it's a iii chord and in G major it's a ii chord.
Note: Recall that in a Major Key, secondary chords are minor and are built on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th degrees of the scale.
OK! We're at the homestretch now :-) See part three below…
In a nutshell...the guitar modes correspond to the diatonic chords of any given key! That's it. That's all she wrote. But you'll need to know which ones are which.
ionian, dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian and locrian. Note there are 7 modes just as there are 7 notes in the major scale before it repeats. I pronounce them very slowly and clearly in the guitar video below if you don't know how. And remember, there are also 7 diatonic chords in the major scale.
Back to our little song in the key of G. It goes G to E minor to C to D. Let's say you know it's in the key of G and you play the G major scale over it. It works. It doesn't sound fantastic, but it works.
tip: One of the quickest ways to determine which key you're in is to use your EAR. Which chord would you end on? That's home base -- in other words, the tonic chord.
Why G major scale works... over the G major (tonic) chord you're using Ionian mode. Over the E minor you're using Aeolian mode. Over the C major you're using Lydian mode and over the D major you're using Mixolydian mode. That's it. THAT is what guitar modes are. The major scale!
You absolutely need to know this…the Interval Structure -- or "pattern" of each of the modes of the major scale. Tattoo these formulae AND the sound of them into your brain ;-)
Ionian: R, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, R
Dorian: R, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7, R
Phrygian: R, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7, R
Lydian: R, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7, R
Mixolydian: R, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7, R
Aeolian: R, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7, R
Locrian: R, b2, b3, 4, b5, b6, b7, R
Make sure to watch the guitar video lessons below. It's on a keyboard and will help to make things even more crystal clear.
How to make that G major scale sound even better...that's another topic covered in this caged system guitar lesson. I say it over and over, but at the end of the day, it's about targeting chord tones, chord tones and more chord tones.
So Why Bother With Guitar Modes?
They are important because you if you think "modally" you will know the strong and weak notes available. For example, if you ARE more advanced and you've been practicing targeting strong chord tones and arpeggios, knowing about guitar modes will help you "fill in the blanks".
This is especially the case when choosing how to approach a IV chord. If you can analyze the chord progression and realize it's a IV chord, you can decide whether you like the sound of the raised 4th degree of the lydian sound -- or if you prefer the sound of a regular 4th degree instead.
A strong melody that capture the listeners attention -- and is also more satisfying to play as a guitarist -- is simply embellished chord tones. There are a bunch of names for these "other" tones. Appoggiatura, echapee, passing tones, etc. The point is, by being aware of guitar modes and some basic music theory, you'll be able to choose those "passing notes" with precision.
The irony... once you reach this point in your guitar playing ability, your EAR will find those "embellishment" notes for you -- and usually much quicker! That's why I had to do this lesson on guitar modes. So you know what they are and how you can use them to continue progressing as a guitar master. It's definitely worthwhile to spend some time thinking about them and practicing them, but don't get too caught up in them! When it comes to creating compelling guitar solos or composing strong melodies, it's still chord tones, chord tones, chord tones!
Important Tips On How To Practice Guitar Modes: On the free downloadable guitar mode charts (below) the modes extend from string 6 to string 1. There ARE NO SET RULES with how to play scale passages on your guitar. These -- and any other shapes you see anywhere else -- are only suggestions to get you up and running. The most important thing is to start the mode from the Red or Root note. And end it on a root note if possible. You may need to shift positions at times in order to accomplish this.
Start on the Roots. End on the roots. Play the corresponding chords as in the guitar lesson video. This will teach your eyes the vision and your ears the sound.
It's good to "noodle" around on all the notes in the guitar mode you're working on. Just make sure you come back home to the roots as often as you can.
These modes are all from the key of C major. In this lesson, I used the area of the guitar fretboard around fret 5. This was just to get you going. You can eventually expand all these shapes to cover the entire fretboard. Take your time :-)
You'll also want to learn these modes in different keys. Remember, it's as simple as knowing the major scale for that key and going from there!
I hope this lesson on guitar modes was both enlightening and enjoyable :-) I'd love to hear any feedback or questions. Thanks for tuning in and tuning up!
