Choosing the right mode.

[iplaybassguitar]

Hey.
So, i understand the modes, sorta. i know all of their names, and what notes are in each one, i understand that if your playing in Cmajor, you can solo in any of the modes of C, (d dorian, e phygrian, f lydian, g mixolydian, a aolian, b locrian) right? Are certain modes better for certain keys, or will any mode work as well as the next in that given key?

thanks for the help.

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by iplaybassguitar

Hey.
So, i understand the modes, sorta. i know all of their names, and what notes are in each one, i understand that if your playing in Cmajor, you can solo in any of the modes of C, (d dorian, e phygrian, f lydian, g mixolydian, a aolian, b locrian) right? Are certain modes better for certain keys, or will any mode work as well as the next in that given key?

thanks for the help.

There are quite a few recent threads on modes here. I would suggest reading them and then you can ask more specific questions on modes and their uses.

[stedtale]

This is a pretty wide open question. If you have any specifics, let us know.

But, for example, if there's a CM chord, I'd use C ionian, C lydian or C mixolydian, over the top of it depending on the sound you want (I'd prefer the lydian sound over a basic major chord, but it all depends on the music). And for a Cm chord I'd use C aeolian, C dorian or C phyrigian over the top of it (I'd prefer the sound of the dorian over a basic minor chord, but again, it depends on the music).

But, I'm guessing that's not what your looking for. If you could ask a more specific question, that'd be great.

[iplaybassguitar]

Originally Posted by stedtale

This is a pretty wide open question. If you have any specifics, let us know.

But, for example, if there's a CM chord, I'd use C ionian, C lydian or C mixolydian, over the top of it depending on the sound you want (I'd prefer the lydian sound over a basic major chord, but it all depends on the music). And for a Cm chord I'd use C aeolian, C dorian or C phyrigian over the top of it (I'd prefer the sound of the dorian over a basic minor chord, but again, it depends on the music).

But, I'm guessing that's not what your looking for. If you could ask a more specific question, that'd be great.

thats pretty much exactly what im looking for, i guess, i didnt know if there were guidelines like usually certain modes are better for major, and some for minor, which seems to be what u have given me. i guess ill just play around with them over some changes and see what ones sound best where, probably the best way to learn that i guess.

[j.a.e.r.i.p]

i use modes differently, i don't know if there is a right way to use modes but here is how i do it:
each mode has a different kind of feeling to it, like major and minor scales but obviously gradients between. so, if i was soloing over a cmajor chord and i wanted a dark feeling i might use a b locrian, which as you well know is exactly the same scale, however changing the tonic changes the whole feel. so from my experience i would say experiment with the modes until you are familar with how they sound and then use each one accordingly, at least thats what i do.

good luck

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by iplaybassguitar

thats pretty much exactly what im looking for, i guess, i didnt know if there were guidelines like usually certain modes are better for major, and some for minor, which seems to be what u have given me. i guess ill just play around with them over some changes and see what ones sound best where, probably the best way to learn that i guess.

One way of looking at modes is by family and the colors they bring to those families.

Major - Ionian and Lydian
Minor - Dorian, Phyrigian, and Aeolian
Dominant - Mixolydian
Locrian - can be used over Mi7b5 (a ii in minor) or for fully altered dominants (a V7 in minor.)

But the key is playing the modes over a chord of the family to get the sound in your ear so you know which mode to use when.