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Who here plays in MODES ??
- Thread starter mike buzzetti
- Start date
As noted, many interpretations of the question.
Yeah, one could argue that anything that anyone plays is in a mode, but let's forget about that and consider intent. I was self-taught for years. I learned songs by ear. No intent to play scales/modes... I just guessed at notes until I was right.
I figured out the pentatonics fairly quickly because those "box patterns" were common and easy in rock -- of course that was before I knew to call them pentatonic. I knew the major and minor scales (modes) from grade school, but quickly realized that a lot of bass lines that used 7 notes didn't fit into those scales: e.g. blues was often major with a minor 7, but could also have these chromatic lines with "extra" notes. What's up with all that?
Eventually I realized I was in a mental rut -- my brain was stuck in a few common patterns, and it was tough to figure out fancier bass lines (Geddy Lee) that fit unfamiliar patterns... multiple unfamiliar patterns in some cases. Long story short, I took lessons from a guitarist/teacher who showed me the basic modes and how to play each of them in any key in any position on the fretboard, and then altered modes and other music theory concepts. This was the epiphany that brought me from being just an intermediate bass player to something more closely resembling a musician.
As others have said it's not a matter of thinking modally all the time, but modes can provide a framework, and learning them opened my brain to where I was playing with intent, not just guesswork. My ear became better, it became much easier to learn bass lines in a variety of genres (i.e. not just rock/blues). I could create my own bass lines to songs, fake my way through songs where I was showed the chords but hadn't learned the bass line... and do so without limiting myself to root, five, and maybe three. I never really worked on soloing, but could do basic improvisation.
I still don't consider myself a "musician": I'm just a hack at jazz. But I've become fluent in many different styles outside of that, and am now one helluva lot more versatile than I used to be.
Can you become a "musician" all by yourself? Maybe.... eventually. But I can't recommend theory lessons highly enough: music theory is an enormous field, but a good instructor will teach you what you need to learn next in a way that you can understand. It requires some effort, and money for the lessons, but if you can swing it you'll be glad you did.
Don't mean to put myself on a pedestal. I could have worked harder, especially at jazz. But overall I worked fairly hard and became fairly good.
Yeah, one could argue that anything that anyone plays is in a mode, but let's forget about that and consider intent. I was self-taught for years. I learned songs by ear. No intent to play scales/modes... I just guessed at notes until I was right.
I figured out the pentatonics fairly quickly because those "box patterns" were common and easy in rock -- of course that was before I knew to call them pentatonic. I knew the major and minor scales (modes) from grade school, but quickly realized that a lot of bass lines that used 7 notes didn't fit into those scales: e.g. blues was often major with a minor 7, but could also have these chromatic lines with "extra" notes. What's up with all that?
Eventually I realized I was in a mental rut -- my brain was stuck in a few common patterns, and it was tough to figure out fancier bass lines (Geddy Lee) that fit unfamiliar patterns... multiple unfamiliar patterns in some cases. Long story short, I took lessons from a guitarist/teacher who showed me the basic modes and how to play each of them in any key in any position on the fretboard, and then altered modes and other music theory concepts. This was the epiphany that brought me from being just an intermediate bass player to something more closely resembling a musician.
As others have said it's not a matter of thinking modally all the time, but modes can provide a framework, and learning them opened my brain to where I was playing with intent, not just guesswork. My ear became better, it became much easier to learn bass lines in a variety of genres (i.e. not just rock/blues). I could create my own bass lines to songs, fake my way through songs where I was showed the chords but hadn't learned the bass line... and do so without limiting myself to root, five, and maybe three. I never really worked on soloing, but could do basic improvisation.
I still don't consider myself a "musician": I'm just a hack at jazz. But I've become fluent in many different styles outside of that, and am now one helluva lot more versatile than I used to be.
Can you become a "musician" all by yourself? Maybe.... eventually. But I can't recommend theory lessons highly enough: music theory is an enormous field, but a good instructor will teach you what you need to learn next in a way that you can understand. It requires some effort, and money for the lessons, but if you can swing it you'll be glad you did.
Don't mean to put myself on a pedestal. I could have worked harder, especially at jazz. But overall I worked fairly hard and became fairly good.
Everyone plays in a mode.
Not everyone knows what mode they're playing in.
I'm kinda working on learning em.
Not everyone knows what mode they're playing in.
I'm kinda working on learning em.
I think the mixolydian mode here is not correct.
I dont really need them either. If I play a note, it is going to be the root note.
Isn't it supposed to have a flat 7? Looks like a major 7 in the diagram
Yeah, many errors in the bottom section. Looks like Ionian might be the only one that's correct.
Just two examples:
Dorian is Aeolian (minor) but with a major 6
Mixolydian is Ionian (major) but with a minor 7
... is an illusion and the source of most debate. There is nothing Lydian about the IV chord in the context of it's relationship with the I chord in tonal music based on functional harmony, i.e. keys.
ok I get it now. Was confusing to me at first. I was reading the black note as the root
