modes of the major scale

[neilsss]

my bass teacher confused me a bit. when you go to a different mode do you have to make any notes sharp or flat as well as the different root note or just use the different root note and keep the rest the same? e.g. dorian: i know i start on what would usually be the 2nd note of the major and follow the major pattern until i get to the octave but do i have to make any notes in between sharp or flat?

[MalcolmAmos]

He is teaching you relative modes and with relative modes you play the notes of the scale, i.e. C would not have any flats or sharps, but F would have one flat, the Bb. OK that out of the way.

Let's choose the C scale - no flats or sharps in C so there would be no flats or sharps in the modes of C using the relative mode format.

Ionian - C, D, E, F, G, A, B
Dorian.......D, E, F, G, A, B, C
Phrygian........E, F, G, A, B, C, D
Lydian...............F, G, A, B, C, D, E
Mixolydian.............G, A, B, C, D, E, F
Aeolian .....................A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Locrian..........................B, C, D, E, F, G, A

Just start on a different tonal center. Talk to your instructor about what chords to play under your mode, the chord gives the mode it's mood. With out the chord in the background it will all sound like the C major scale just started on a new note - which it actually is.

Now you may have heard someone talking about modes in the parallel format and yes here sharps and flats are thrown in. I'm not going to go into detail here it will just confuse you -- your instructor is taking you down the relative road best to stick with what he is showing you.

[neilsss]

awsom thanks.