Intro to Major Scale Modes

Major scale modes are simply scales within the major scale. Scale modes created by playing the notes within the parent scale but starting and ending on different notes of the parent scale.

For example: DO - RE - MI - FA - SO - LA - TI - DO represents the major scale which is the parent scale for all the modes.

By shifting the tonality up each of the steps in this scale we get the following:

1. DO - RE - MI - FA - SO - LA - TI - DO : Ionian
2. RE - MI - FA - SO - LA - TI - DO - RE : Dorian
3. MI - FA - SO - LA - TI - DO - RE - MI : Phrygian
4. FA - SO - LA - TI - DO - RE - MI - FA : Lydian
5. SO - LA - TI - DO - RE - MI - FA - SO : Mixolydian
6. LA - TI - DO - RE - MI - FA - SO - LA : Aeolian
7. TI - DO - RE - MI - FA - SO - LA - TI : Locrian

Even though each mode uses the exact same notes as all the other modes, we perceive a great difference between them because the intervals are assembled in a different order.

How are Modes Used? Modes are usually used in one of 3 ways:

• When soloing over diatonic major and minor chord progressions
• When soloing over modal progressions
• As substitutes for major and minor scales

This lesson discusses the first bullet:

I. Soloing over diatonic major and minor chord progressions

Each mode in the major scale corresponds to a chord in the major harmonic scale.

Diatonic chord progressions are built upon harmonic scale for the key in which the song is written. All the notes in all of the chords are common to the major scale in that key, and so the scale selection with the least amount of risk is the scale that fits perfectly over the chord being played.

Let's have a look at each of the modes corresponding to the relative chord in the harmonic scale in the key of C. In the charts below, the white dots are the starting and ending points of each scale. The bright blue dots are the anchor notes, or the root of the C, in this case.

Ionian Mode

The Ionian mode fits exactly over the I chord in the harmonic scale.

Dorian Mode

The Dorian mode fits exactly over the ii chord in the harmonic scale.

Phrygian Mode

The Phrygian mode fits exactly over the iii chord in the harmonic scale.

Lydian Mode

The Lydian mode fits exactly over the IV chord in the harmonic scale.

Mixolydian Mode

The Mixolydian mode fits exactly over the V chord in the harmonic scale.

Aeolian Mode

The Aeolian mode fits exactly over the vi chord in the harmonic scale.

Locrian Mode

The Locrian mode fits exactly over the vii chord in the harmonic scale.

Tom Kolb has been an instructor at Musician's Institute after graduating with honors and receiving Student of the Year in 1989. Tom has played over 4,000 gigs in the US and Europe, and has done copious studio work with major artists, as well as playing in his own band.

The trouble with learning scale modes is that teachers either don't know modes well themselves, or maybe they do, but don't know how to teach them. Tom has taught modes to hundreds of students, and now has a book with a CD that helps you get scale modes into your playing as soon as possible.

Modes For Guitar Written by Tom Kolb. For guitar and voice. Includes instructional book and examples CD. With guitar tablature, standard notation, chord names, guitar chord diagrams, instructional text, introductory text and guitar notation legend. Scales and soloing. 56 pages. 9x12 inches. Published by Musicians Institute. (HL.695555) See more info...