Intermediate Theory Lesson – Understanding Modes

In Music Theory | on February, 09, 2010 | by Carl Brown | 4 Comments

OK, so I thought it was about time to start doing some lessons on modes.

This PDF tutorial is designed to help you grasp theoretically what is going with modes. We take a look at modes in 3 different ways in this tutorial.

First, we discuss a method to quickly be able to spell all of your modes by using your knowledge of the major scales. If you can’t spell your major scales yet please check out the “Understanding Keys” lesson to get that out of the way.

The second method we will talk about is one to help you hear the modes in your head in order to improvise and compose with them more fluently.

And the third method we will study describes how to go about visualizing modes on the fretboard.

I finish up the tutorial with a brief explanation of modal harmony. Coming up will be video lessons to help you understand how to visualize any mode you want on the guitar quickly and easily!!

So go ahead and download the tutorial here.

Understanding Modes Tutorial PDF

In up coming video lessons I will show you not only how to use your 3-notes per string major scales as modes, but also how to use pentatonic scales as modes as well. WOOHOO!!

PLEASE HELP ME CONTINUE THESE FREE LESSONS BY MAKING A SMALL DONATION TO THE SITE. THESE LESSONS MAY BE FREE FOR EVERYONE, BUT THEY ARE NOT FREE FOR ME SO I NEED YOUR HELP IN ORDER FOR THEM TO CONTINUE. THANKS FOR HELPING!! Carl..

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4 Responses

Matthew

02.09.10

Hey Carl, I’m studying in a Music Bachelors HighSchool, and it’s my first year studying music. I just have to say that all your lessons are very helpful an that these Musical Theory lessons are helping me a lot to undestand better the music and my studies, Thank You Carl!
Cheers from Spain ;D

Brian

02.09.10

Thanks Carl, I have read through several of your lessons now and they have been very helpful in theory…All I need to do now is practice…See here at work I have a lot of time to read Ha…I just have one question about this lesson on Understanding Modes…You said on one paragraph that when you want to play the G Lydian mode you find out what your parent Key is in this case D…Ok so my question is when you are phrasing out a solo which Note would be best to end on?? The D since it is in relation to the D major scale or the G which is the 4th degree of the scale?? Thanks

Carl Brown

02.09.10

Hey Brian, I usually try not to look at a certain note as being the best to end on. You can kind of limit yourself that way. But if you are trying to find the note that most grounds the key your are in it would be G because you are playing in G Lydian. Thinking of it’s parent major key is just a visualization method so for whatever basic mode you want you can visualize it across the neck as a major scale. But the sound that you are actually playing in G Lydian not D Major. Hope that makes since.