Modes
I plan on writing a few bits and pieces on modes, so there will be more to come.
But this is a real nugget:
Using the Circle of Fifths for finding Modes in a Key
You should have seen by now just how useful the circle of fifths can be in music theory. Here is a concept that I'm not aware of having seen anywhere else, so if you have seen it elsewhere, please let me know so I can credit someone other than myself.
The image below is of the famous circle of fifths, but I have added in the names of the various modes. The modes are written down next to a particular chord. These are the chords of C major. (See my previous article on the major scale in chords, or my references to the circe of fifths if this concept is new to you).
The point of this exercise is to illustrate that if you want to play an F Lydian modal scale, you simply play a C major scale but use the F as the root of your scale. Play it over a song in the key of F and you get a particular feeling from the scale. Likewise, if you want to play an A Aeolian scale, you simply play a C major scale again, but with the A as your root note. Playing this scale will give you a different feeling altogether to the F lydian. But you are still using exactly the same notes.
So how can I work out what a C lydian, or a C Aeolian scale is? Or even a C Locrian? Well, you simply flip the mode names over so that they are a mirror image of where they were previously. This is illustrated below:
So to play a C phrygian modal scale, you just need to play an Ab (G#) major scale over the key of C, or using C as the root of your scale (remember that on the guitar, you can play the same shapes for any scale and change the key that you are in by simply adjusting your starting position, or root note).
And if you look read the previous article and reference material on the circle of fifths, you will find that you can apply this rule to any key or scale by simply rotating the position of the modes according. Seriously, if this does not make sense, take a look at the great reference material for the circle of fifths in the previous article. All will hopefully become clear.
This will still take most people a long time to commit to memory. But I think the process is made much easier if you understand the concepts and patterns behind it all.
This is just scraping the surface. More on modes and the circle of fifths to come.
You can also use The Guitar Master's Interactive Circle of Fifths to easily find out what major scale to use for a particular mode. Simply click on the name of the scale you are interested in. When it is at the top of the page, find the mode name you would like to play. The not next to it is the name of the MAJOR scale required to achieve that mode. try it and let me know if you have any problems!
Back to Stages of Mastering the Guitar
But this is a real nugget:
Using the Circle of Fifths for finding Modes in a Key
You should have seen by now just how useful the circle of fifths can be in music theory. Here is a concept that I'm not aware of having seen anywhere else, so if you have seen it elsewhere, please let me know so I can credit someone other than myself.
The image below is of the famous circle of fifths, but I have added in the names of the various modes. The modes are written down next to a particular chord. These are the chords of C major. (See my previous article on the major scale in chords, or my references to the circe of fifths if this concept is new to you).
The point of this exercise is to illustrate that if you want to play an F Lydian modal scale, you simply play a C major scale but use the F as the root of your scale. Play it over a song in the key of F and you get a particular feeling from the scale. Likewise, if you want to play an A Aeolian scale, you simply play a C major scale again, but with the A as your root note. Playing this scale will give you a different feeling altogether to the F lydian. But you are still using exactly the same notes.
So how can I work out what a C lydian, or a C Aeolian scale is? Or even a C Locrian? Well, you simply flip the mode names over so that they are a mirror image of where they were previously. This is illustrated below:
So to play a C phrygian modal scale, you just need to play an Ab (G#) major scale over the key of C, or using C as the root of your scale (remember that on the guitar, you can play the same shapes for any scale and change the key that you are in by simply adjusting your starting position, or root note).
And if you look read the previous article and reference material on the circle of fifths, you will find that you can apply this rule to any key or scale by simply rotating the position of the modes according. Seriously, if this does not make sense, take a look at the great reference material for the circle of fifths in the previous article. All will hopefully become clear.
This will still take most people a long time to commit to memory. But I think the process is made much easier if you understand the concepts and patterns behind it all.
This is just scraping the surface. More on modes and the circle of fifths to come.
You can also use The Guitar Master's Interactive Circle of Fifths to easily find out what major scale to use for a particular mode. Simply click on the name of the scale you are interested in. When it is at the top of the page, find the mode name you would like to play. The not next to it is the name of the MAJOR scale required to achieve that mode. try it and let me know if you have any problems!
Back to Stages of Mastering the Guitar
