simply a displaced scale. The ones I will show are a C major scale (no sharps or flats), displaced to D, E, F, etc. The modes are commonly used in jazz improvisation, but they also appear very often in rock music. The one thing to remeber about soloing in the modes is that you need to change modes according to the chord changes, and also you need to resolve to the root when you make these changes. The diagrams below show one position for the modes, with the most up-
to-date method of fingering (but certainly not the only). If you are soloing in the F - Lydian mode, and need to change to G - Lydian, you just slide everything up two frets.
I = Ionian
II = Dorian
III = Phrygian
IV = Lydian
V = Mixolydian
VI = Aeolian
VII = Locrian
F - LYDIAN G - MIXOLYDIAN A - Aeolian (minor "pure" scale)
E A D G B e E A D G B e E A D G B e
================ ================ ================
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
(*) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| * * * | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
* * (*) | * * (*) * * | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ 3 +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | * | | | | | * | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
* * * * * * * * (*) * * * (*) * * * | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ 5 +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | (*) | | | | | * | | | | | * |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | * * * * * | * * * (*) * | *
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | (*) * * * | | * *
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | * * | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (*) *
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
B - LOCRIAN C - IONIAN D - DORIAN
E A D G B e E A D G B e E A D G B e
================ ================ ================
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
(*) * * * | | (*) * | | | | (*) * * * | |
7 +--+--+--+--+--+ 8 +--+--+--+--+--+ 10 +--+--+--+--+--+
* * | | * * | | * * | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | (*) * | | * * (*) * * * * * (*) * * *
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
* * * * * * | | | | | | * | | | * *
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | * * * * * * | * * * | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | (*) * | | | | (*) * | | | | (*) *
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
E - Phrygian
E A D G B e
================
(*) * * * | |
12 +--+--+--+--+--+
* | | | * * The root notes are in parentheses ().
+--+--+--+--+--+ The number on the left shows what fret
| * (*) * | | number to start at.
+--+--+--+--+--+
* * * | * *
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | * | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | (*) *
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
Notice the repeating shapes of the modes. Unlike the scales you may have previously learned, there is a repetitive pattern to the modes that makes them easy to remember. A seven string guitar would actually show the relationship between modes more clearly. This is what the Aeolian mode would look like on a seven string guitar:
?||---|-*-|---|-*-|-*-|---|---|
?||---|-*-|---|-*-|-*-|---|---|
?||---|-*-|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|
?||---|-*-|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|
?||-*-|---|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|
?||-*-|---|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|
?||-*-|---|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|
There are seven different modes listed above, each one has this pattern, only slightly altered: they each start at a different fret, and at a different spot in the above pattern. Since there are only six strings, the seventh pattern is left off. Also, unlike the fictional guitar in the above example, the B and high-e strings are tuned higher, so the pattern on those two strings is pushed up one fret higher.
This is following the pattern first shown in the circle of fifths. Each "-" represents a half step:
I--II--III-IV--V--VI--VII-I....etc
If C is the I chord, then the III and IV chords will be E and F, and the VII chord will be B (notice that there is only a half step from E to F, and from B to C). Therefore the above diagram could also look like this, using Roman numerals:
?||----|-II-|----|III-|-IV-|----|----|
?||----|-VI-|----|VII-|-I--|----|----|
?||----|III-|-IV-|----|-V--|----|----|
?||----|VII-|-I--|----|-II-|----|----|
?||-IV-|----|-V--|----|-VI-|----|----|
?||-I--|----|-II-|----|III-|-IV-|----|
?||-V--|----|-VI-|----|VII-|-I--|----|
^
|
I put these in to show why there are so many different fingerings for the same scales. Just
as in tuning, if you go down one string and back five frets, you get the exact same note.
A very good way to practice the modes (or any scale) is to do backsteps. Play the first four notes of the scale, then the 2nd - 5th, then the 3rd - 7th, etc, all the way up, then backwards all the way down.
In tab for the Ionian mode in G:
e||----------------------------------------------------------------
B||----------------------------------------------------------------
G||------------------------------------------------------4-----4-5-
D||-------------------------------4----4-5---4-5-7-4-5-7---5-7-----
A||-------3-----3-5---3-5-7-3-5-7---5-7----7-----------------------
E||-3-5-7---5-7-----7----------------------------------------------
e||---------------------------------------5-----5-7---5-7-8-
B||---------------5-----5-7---5-7-8-5-7-8---7-8-----8-------
G||---4-5-7-4-5-7---5-7-----7-------------------------------
D||-7-------------------------------------------------------
A||---------------------------------------------------------
E||---------------------------------------------------------
and then repeat in reverse order.
The best modes to concentrate on at first are the Ionian, Dorian, and Aeolian. These are the most common, and often are used in jazz improvisation.