So I discovered the modes just now, but how do they relate to say the blues scale? How can you use 'modes' in the blues scale for example? I don't seem to get it...
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Discovered the 'modes' and I'm confused....
- Thread starter Bright Midnight
- Start date
Modes are just the regular major / minor scale, except running from other scale tones than the root. So play the Major scale from D to D (or anything else) instead of C to C, and you've "gone modal". They all have unique sonic characteristics relative to their "local root", because of the way the half and whole steps shift. Giving different "moods". But it's all just variations on the original scales. Very simple, but very very deep in terms of implications.
You might find some of these explanations helpful:
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By the way, Christopher Smith is a music professor here in Montreal and happens to be the brother of bassist Rhonda Smith.
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By the way, Christopher Smith is a music professor here in Montreal and happens to be the brother of bassist Rhonda Smith.
Understanding modes can help you understand major scale harmony. You can use each scale to build a chord diatonic to that key. Studying how the scales and chords interact with one another can be a real eye opener.
I'm not really clear on what you're asking re. the blues scale, so I got nothing for ya there, sorry.
This shows the modes of C major in order, with the chords built from the scale labeled on the left, the name of the mode on the right.
Each scale contains only notes diatonic to C major, and that's how modes work. In the key of D, D is Ionian, E is Dorian, etc.
I'm not really clear on what you're asking re. the blues scale, so I got nothing for ya there, sorry.
This shows the modes of C major in order, with the chords built from the scale labeled on the left, the name of the mode on the right.
Each scale contains only notes diatonic to C major, and that's how modes work. In the key of D, D is Ionian, E is Dorian, etc.
what do you mean by ‘modes in the blues scale’? Think you are confusing two things. These are separate things, that both can be applied to blues (or other styles). A blues scale is no mode.
It's sort of like C Major and A natural Minor are relative scales. They have the same notes and same key signature, which is why we call them relative.
C Major is C,D,E,F,G,A,B and A natural Minor is A,B,C,D,E,F,G
If you used mode names, you would have C Ionian and A Aeolian.
C Ionian is C,D,E,F,G,A,B and A Aeolian is A,B,C,D,E,F,G
Here are all of the relative modes from C Major...and also A natural Minor.
C Ionian: C,D,E,F,G,A,B
D Dorian: D,E,F,G,A,B,C
E Phrygian: E,F,G,A,B,C,D
F Lydian: F,G,A,B,C,D,E
G Mixolydian: G,A,B,C,D,E,F
A Aeolian: A,B,C,D,E,F,G
B Locrian: B,C,D,E,F,G,A
As you see, they all have the same notes.
When people talk about modes, they are usually referring to the modes I show above.
However, you can also generate synthetic modes from Harmonic Minor and (Jazz) Melodic Minor...let's stay in A Minor.
A Harmonic Minor: A,B,C,D,E,F,G#
B Locrian #6: B,C,D,E,F,G#,A
C Ionian #5: C,D,E,F,G#,A,B
D Dorian #4: D,E,F,G#,A,B,C
E Phrygian Dominant: E,F,G#,A,B,C,D
F Lydian #2: F,G#,A,B,C,D,E
G# Ultralocrian: G#,A,B,C,D,E,F
All have the same notes, since they are relative to A Harmonic Minor
A Melodic Minor: A,B,C,D,E,F#,G#
B Dorian b2: B,C,D,E,F#,G#,A
C Lydian #5: C,D,E,F#,G#,A,B
D Lydian Dominant: D,E,F#,G#,A,B,C
E Mixolydian b6: E,F#,G#,A,B,C,D
F# Semilocrian: F#,G#,A,B,C,D,E
G# Superlocrian: G#,A,B,C,D,E,F#
All have the same notes, since they are relative to A Melodic Minor.
You could extend the idea to blues scales if you like...who knows, maybe it's already been done.
C Major is C,D,E,F,G,A,B and A natural Minor is A,B,C,D,E,F,G
If you used mode names, you would have C Ionian and A Aeolian.
C Ionian is C,D,E,F,G,A,B and A Aeolian is A,B,C,D,E,F,G
Here are all of the relative modes from C Major...and also A natural Minor.
C Ionian: C,D,E,F,G,A,B
D Dorian: D,E,F,G,A,B,C
E Phrygian: E,F,G,A,B,C,D
F Lydian: F,G,A,B,C,D,E
G Mixolydian: G,A,B,C,D,E,F
A Aeolian: A,B,C,D,E,F,G
B Locrian: B,C,D,E,F,G,A
As you see, they all have the same notes.
When people talk about modes, they are usually referring to the modes I show above.
However, you can also generate synthetic modes from Harmonic Minor and (Jazz) Melodic Minor...let's stay in A Minor.
A Harmonic Minor: A,B,C,D,E,F,G#
B Locrian #6: B,C,D,E,F,G#,A
C Ionian #5: C,D,E,F,G#,A,B
D Dorian #4: D,E,F,G#,A,B,C
E Phrygian Dominant: E,F,G#,A,B,C,D
F Lydian #2: F,G#,A,B,C,D,E
G# Ultralocrian: G#,A,B,C,D,E,F
All have the same notes, since they are relative to A Harmonic Minor
A Melodic Minor: A,B,C,D,E,F#,G#
B Dorian b2: B,C,D,E,F#,G#,A
C Lydian #5: C,D,E,F#,G#,A,B
D Lydian Dominant: D,E,F#,G#,A,B,C
E Mixolydian b6: E,F#,G#,A,B,C,D
F# Semilocrian: F#,G#,A,B,C,D,E
G# Superlocrian: G#,A,B,C,D,E,F#
All have the same notes, since they are relative to A Melodic Minor.
You could extend the idea to blues scales if you like...who knows, maybe it's already been done.
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devnulljp
Supporting Member
The best explanations of how to actually use modes I've ever seen all come from Rich Brown.
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No way can I explain it better than others, but I will say this: As many others have recommended, getting a good teacher is a huge help if you want to advance your playing.
I found one and said that I wanted to learn/become better at three things:
1) Theory, including learning modes
2) Composition
3) Understanding jazz, so I can one day play in a some sort of jazz band
As a bass player, there are all kinds of side benefits to learning modes, beyond understanding harmony, and how to compliment music, without necessarily always falling back on the root note, or basic arpeggios. The biggest thing that it has helped me with, that I wasn't particularly expecting, was getting much better at learning all the notes on every string up and down the neck and also being comfortable moving around on the neck, instead of staying locked in one position.
Pentatonic scales for blues are great, but one student of my current teacher...who played in blues bands for decades and is a good guitarist, had his mind blown open by all the possibilities there are beyond that. Good luck in your musical journey.
I found one and said that I wanted to learn/become better at three things:
1) Theory, including learning modes
2) Composition
3) Understanding jazz, so I can one day play in a some sort of jazz band
As a bass player, there are all kinds of side benefits to learning modes, beyond understanding harmony, and how to compliment music, without necessarily always falling back on the root note, or basic arpeggios. The biggest thing that it has helped me with, that I wasn't particularly expecting, was getting much better at learning all the notes on every string up and down the neck and also being comfortable moving around on the neck, instead of staying locked in one position.
Pentatonic scales for blues are great, but one student of my current teacher...who played in blues bands for decades and is a good guitarist, had his mind blown open by all the possibilities there are beyond that. Good luck in your musical journey.
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Moved to General Instruction, as this has nothing to do with Technique
The blues scale just adds a note to the minor pentatonic scale. The minor pentatonic scale is contained within several of the modes, which supports the idea that you can use pentatonic scales to "solo over anything" ... and that is basically the end of the relationship between the blues scale and the modes.
The modes can be important when you are getting into jazz style soloing "over the changes," or sometimes when you just want to write a melody that is more interesting than "Mary had a little lamb."
Simplest place to start is that each mode is related to a chord, so if a G7 chord is the V in the key of C Major, the G Mixolydian mode is related to that G7 chord. A next step way of thinking about it is that the "mode IS the chord" - so changing chords in any song (particularly jazz, but also everything else) is like rapidly changing mode. Songs that don't change chords a lot are more "modal" because they don't discernibly change between more than one or two modes. A LOT of current pop music can be interpreted as "modal Mixolydian" because the melody is Mixolydian and the four chord loop doesn't move enough to really break you out of that modal feel.
The modes can be important when you are getting into jazz style soloing "over the changes," or sometimes when you just want to write a melody that is more interesting than "Mary had a little lamb."
Simplest place to start is that each mode is related to a chord, so if a G7 chord is the V in the key of C Major, the G Mixolydian mode is related to that G7 chord. A next step way of thinking about it is that the "mode IS the chord" - so changing chords in any song (particularly jazz, but also everything else) is like rapidly changing mode. Songs that don't change chords a lot are more "modal" because they don't discernibly change between more than one or two modes. A LOT of current pop music can be interpreted as "modal Mixolydian" because the melody is Mixolydian and the four chord loop doesn't move enough to really break you out of that modal feel.
Something I made for a friend.
For modes, pick a key and move left to right from the mode name...
Example, C Dorian starts on D and ends on C.
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The blues scale is more related to the minor pentatonic scale than it is to any of the modes.
modes are just a variation of a scale, say the major scale , changing the emphasis of the notes. it took me a while to grasp this concept initially but yea tons of stuff out there you'll get it buddy!
This was a good starting point for me years ago. I added a string to all of the diagrams when I changed over to 5 string and will likely do the same soon to help with familiarity on the 6.
The jazz pedants are going to chime in a little later telling that modes are not important and chord tones are. Just be ready for this. 
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It will click .eventually My thoughts learn the finger pattern to do the 7 basic modes . Get a drone going and play against it. Just learn the Dorian, Mixolydian and Aeolian first and hear it in action because a lot of music use these modes or built of them -- all this reading here is just confusing - Too much information.
Then Lydian and maybe you'll come across Rick Beato's video where he makes a big deal about i as if it was just discovered for the first time. Enjoy
. It will click .eventually My thoughts learn the finger pattern to do the 7 basic modes . Get a drone going and play against it. Just learn the Dorian, Mixolydian and Aeolian first and hear it in action because a lot of music use these modes or built of them -- all this reading here is just confusing - Too much information.
Then Lydian and maybe you'll come across Rick Beato's video where he makes a big deal about i as if it was just discovered for the first time
. EnjoyThe chart is really nice, but this statement is not accurate.
Dorian mode in the key of C major starts on D, but we call it D Dorian.
D,E,F,G,A,B,C
Dorian mode is the same intervals as natural minor, except the 6th is raised.
C Dorian is relative to Bb major.
C,D,Eb,F,G,A,Bb
You can make modes from the blues scale the same way you make modes from any other scale: 2nd degree to 2nd degree, etc. I just don't use the modal definition because there are no names for these resulting modes, it's more just relocating my starting point and using the same notes.
Modes of the major scale (all the dorian thru locrian stuff people are posting about above) are related only to the major scale. The blues scale is a different framework and as such is a separate area of study, even though all the notes with the exception of the chromatic are shared with three of the major scale modes. Uh oh now I'm obfuscating whoops.
Modes of the major scale (all the dorian thru locrian stuff people are posting about above) are related only to the major scale. The blues scale is a different framework and as such is a separate area of study, even though all the notes with the exception of the chromatic are shared with three of the major scale modes. Uh oh now I'm obfuscating whoops.
Modes are also related to all their relative minor scales.
Relative minor scale? That's also called aeolian and itself is a mode of major. But if you're talking about the modes derived from harmonic and melodic minor (someone give me a big flex and name more exotic minor scales), then yes I agree.
