I first heard of this through Vai and Satriani. Basically, you play all the modes over a constant root used as a pedal tone. In this example, I use E as the root, and cycle through Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, and back to Ionian, all over E. Of course, this can be applied to any key. Have fun! (For the mp3 file: sorry about the static! Just lower the preamp a little, thanks.)

I have been receiving a lot of emails concerning modes over teh past year or so, and I've seen that there is some general confusion on the subject which is to be understood because, well, modes are just plain confusing. This text is actually one of my responses to an email I received a while back. I hope it serves to explain the fundamentals of modes and the concepts behind them as well as provide information for those who have encountered them before here and there. Good luck, and as always, please email me if you have questions or comments.

Phrygian Dominant is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale. In other words, it has the same notes as harmonic minor, but you start on the fifth degree of the harmonic minor scale. This scale produces a much different sound than harmonic minor even though they are the same notes. It gives a very Middle Eastern or Egyptian sound. If I get started on this scale in a jam, I stick with it for a while because its so fun to play. For a prime example of this scale in action, all you fellow Metallica fans can refer to "Wherever I May Roam". Kirk uses it extensively i...

While there are many facets to analyzation, here we will talk about how to find the right scale to use for a given chord progression. First off, you have to find the root of the progression. Usually it's the most played note, the first chord, or it just sounds like the progression is finished when it resolves to that chord. In the example, I used Satch's 'Flying In A Blue Dream'. The opening progression begins by arpeggiating a C power chord, then moving to a D major chord, then back to the C major chord. It's pretty safe to say the song is in C. Now we hav...

OK you need a whammy bar for this one, but it doesn't have to be fancy. I played the example on a cheap strat. Besides, a whammy bar can open so many new doors for your playing, not just dive bombs and harmonic manipulation. Look at Steve Vai - he plays melody lines with his bar. This trick just scratches the surface of what you can do. Physically, this is easy to do. Just depress the bar real low, hit the fifth fret harmonics on the G, B, and E strings, and raise that thing into the stratosphere.

Lydian can seem like a strange mode if you're not familiar with it. Because it's the fourth mode of the major scale it does not have the normal perfect fourth. Instead, it has a sharp fourth (or 'raised' fourth), which makes for a unique sound. Vai and Satch are the masters of this mode. It most closely identifies with ionian, yet it has a much different sound due to the sharp fourth. Lydian - (1, 2, M3, #4, 5, M6, M7)

Welcome to Part II. I'm just going to run with this idea of posting the good questions that I get. I'll leave it in a Q & A format, I think it's easier to deal with that way. I'll update this page based on the questions I continue to receieve, so check back every once in a while. Peace. Q: Does the term 'modes' only refer to the diatonic scales, or can you use it when talking about non-diatonic scales, such as harmonic minor, melodic minor, hungarian, enigmatic, asian pentatonics, etc.? A: Actually, the term ...

This is the dorian mode, the second derivitive of the parent scale, ionian. We can find it by taking the chordal structure of ionian and making the second degree the root. Ionian: I ii iii IV V vi vii(dim) Dorian: i ii III IV v vi(dim) VII Dorian is used a lot in rock music. It is similar to aeolian, but has a raised sixth degree in comparison that softens the sound and doesn't make it as depressing. I didn't bother to tab it out because it's basically just a musical rant in the A dorian position at the fifth fret. It's not terribly difficult to fig...

Well, here it is. One of the staples of classical music as well as metal, aeolian (also known as natural minor) is one of the most common modes employed in music. Here is how we derive it. Starting with the chordal structure of ionian, the parent scale, we get this: I ii iii IV V vi vii(dim) Capital Roman numerals are major chords, lower case are minor. The vii is diminished. Since aeolian is the sixth degree (vi) of ionian, we make a new chordal structure which is really the same thing, just shifted. We get this: i ii(dim) III iv v VI VII ...

This is the first in what will hopefully be a short series of chord progression tricks. These lessons contain some theory, some 'trick' quality to them, but most of all it's about the chords. The progressions (usually composed of 2 or maybe three chord changes) are not diatonic. That is, the qualities of the chords (major, minor, diminished) do not fit into the diatonic chord structure for the major scale. They add some interest to parts in songs because the tonality is jumping all over the place - not to mention the soloing opportunites. When the chord progressio...

Chord inversions was a tricky subject for me a while back. It never quite made sense to me until I took a Music Theory AP class my senior year in high school. I urge all of you high school students to seriously consider it. Anyway, we all know the basic parts of a chord consists of the root, third and fifth. For example, in C major, the I (one) chord would be C. The root is C, the third is E, and the fifth is G. When a chord is played with the root note as the bottom or lowest note (often reffered to as the bass note), in this case C, the chord is said to be i...

The Locrian mode is definately the oddball of the bunch. It's the only one without a perfect fifth; it's fifth degree is lowered making the mode diminished. Being the seventh degree (vii dim) of the major scale, it is usually avoided in many types of music. One exception is metal. If you've ever heard those evil tritones (an interval of a lowered fifth) and flat five progressions, you can thank locrian. And who better to quote musically than the master of tritones himself, James Hetfield. The example is from "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" on ...And Justice For Al...

Used sparingly, a little bit of chromatic phrasing can go a long way. I'm not just talking about that blues scale passing tone, but entire phrases in the chromatic scale. This example opens with common blues-rock licks, then goes into a chromatic phrase similar to the one in Steve Vai's well-known "For The Love Of God" solo.

This is the Mixolydian mode, which is the fifth degree of the major scale. It sounds very similar to ionian except that it's seventh degree is flat in comparison. I'm not sure how to describe the sound. Listen to 'Summer Song' by Satriani off of The Extremist. It's pure mixolydian in A which is derived from D Major. Here is the chordal structure for Mixolydian: I ii iii dim IV v vi VII The example is in A Mixolydian. It opens with some chords to establish a tonality. The progression is A-G-A-G-A-G-D5-E5-A.

Even though phrygian is a minor mode, it doesn't sound like the norm. It's usually described as the exotic minor scale because it sounds much like the phrygian dominant scale, the difference being the minor third degree instead of a major third. Often used and abused is metal. When guitarists don't want Locrian, they go for Phrygian. The half step in the first two notes is definately evil. Combined with the perfect fifth, it makes for some nasty stuff. But, like all scales, there is more than one side to it. See if you can find 'em.

While I was thinking of ideas for this series, I knew I wanted a way to solo back and forth between a parallel major and minor. So I thought about how to accoplish this. If I start in Ionian, I can play it's I chord behind it. That's easy. But then I want to move to the parallel minor (see my parallel trick if you're confused on parallels). The first thing that came to me was to just play the minor key's relative major chord. In other words, if I start in B major, like the example, I solo in B Ionian over a B major chord. Then I change to B Aeolian, the parallel...

Here\'s a fun little sound effect first used (to my knowledge) by Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd in the great theme song of the 70\'s - \"Free Bird\". Using a slide (I prefer glass) or any other other object that produces the same results, move it around on the high E and B strings in between the end of the fretboard and the bridge. Depending on the shape of your guitar, you might want to bring your left arm over the top of the body or from underneath. In my example, I use short, quick slides near the bridge humbucker and move towards the head...

It's the little things that count, really. I mean, when you hear Hendrix or Satriani or Hammett, you know who it is. Partly it's their tone or maybe their phrasing techniques, but the things that really make the big picture in any guitarist's signature sound are the little details of their style. These details are heard often in their music, and you can recognize it. With Satch, its the legato fluidity time and time again. With Hendrix, its the way he bends or the how he hits the notes. So its important to find your own little things that define your style...

Lydian can seem like a strange mode if you're not familiar with it. Because it's the fourth mode of the major scale it does not have the normal perfect fourth. Instead, it has a sharp fourth (or 'raised' fourth), which makes for a unique sound. Vai and Satch are the masters of this mode. It most closely identifies with ionian, yet it has a much different sound due to the sharp fourth. Lydian - (1, 2, M3, #4, 5, M6, M7)

It's the little things that count, really. I mean, when you hear Hendrix or Satriani or Hammett, you know who it is. Partly it's their tone or maybe their phrasing techniques, but the things that really make the big picture in any guitarist's signature sound are the little details of their style. These details are heard often in their music, and you can recognize it. With Satch, its the legato fluidity time and time again. With Hendrix, its the way he bends or the how he hits the notes. So its important to find your own little things that define your style...

OK you need a whammy bar for this one, but it doesn't have to be fancy. I played the example on a cheap strat. Besides, a whammy bar can open so many new doors for your playing, not just dive bombs and harmonic manipulation. Look at Steve Vai - he plays melody lines with his bar. This trick just scratches the surface of what you can do. Physically, this is easy to do. Just depress the bar real low, hit the fifth fret harmonics on the G, B, and E strings, and raise that thing into the stratosphere.

I first heard of this through Vai and Satriani. Basically, you play all the modes over a constant root used as a pedal tone. In this example, I use E as the root, and cycle through Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, and back to Ionian, all over E. Of course, this can be applied to any key. Have fun! (For the mp3 file: sorry about the static! Just lower the preamp a little, thanks.)

Used sparingly, a little bit of chromatic phrasing can go a long way. I'm not just talking about that blues scale passing tone, but entire phrases in the chromatic scale. This example opens with common blues-rock licks, then goes into a chromatic phrase similar to the one in Steve Vai's well-known "For The Love Of God" solo.

Phrygian Dominant is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale. In other words, it has the same notes as harmonic minor, but you start on the fifth degree of the harmonic minor scale. This scale produces a much different sound than harmonic minor even though they are the same notes. It gives a very Middle Eastern or Egyptian sound. If I get started on this scale in a jam, I stick with it for a while because its so fun to play. For a prime example of this scale in action, all you fellow Metallica fans can refer to "Wherever I May Roam". Kirk uses it extensively i...

This is the Mixolydian mode, which is the fifth degree of the major scale. It sounds very similar to ionian except that it's seventh degree is flat in comparison. I'm not sure how to describe the sound. Listen to 'Summer Song' by Satriani off of The Extremist. It's pure mixolydian in A which is derived from D Major. Here is the chordal structure for Mixolydian: I ii iii dim IV v vi VII The example is in A Mixolydian. It opens with some chords to establish a tonality. The progression is A-G-A-G-A-G-D5-E5-A.

While there are many facets to analyzation, here we will talk about how to find the right scale to use for a given chord progression. First off, you have to find the root of the progression. Usually it's the most played note, the first chord, or it just sounds like the progression is finished when it resolves to that chord. In the example, I used Satch's 'Flying In A Blue Dream'. The opening progression begins by arpeggiating a C power chord, then moving to a D major chord, then back to the C major chord. It's pretty safe to say the song is in C. Now we hav...

Here\'s a fun little sound effect first used (to my knowledge) by Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd in the great theme song of the 70\'s - \"Free Bird\". Using a slide (I prefer glass) or any other other object that produces the same results, move it around on the high E and B strings in between the end of the fretboard and the bridge. Depending on the shape of your guitar, you might want to bring your left arm over the top of the body or from underneath. In my example, I use short, quick slides near the bridge humbucker and move towards the head...

For those of you without a whammy bar, this sounds just as nice (well, maybe not, but it's better than nothing). The main part of this trick is bending the tapped note with your left hand. Confused? Here's an example: with your left hand, fret the 10th fret on the B string. Now tap the 17th fret with your right hand. Without removing the tapped note, bend the string up a half or full step with your left hand, which is still holding the 10th fret. You can pull-off to the 10th fret with the tapped note while it bent or not, or even during the bend. Throw in some slides...

Well, here it is. One of the staples of classical music as well as metal, aeolian (also known as natural minor) is one of the most common modes employed in music. Here is how we derive it. Starting with the chordal structure of ionian, the parent scale, we get this: I ii iii IV V vi vii(dim) Capital Roman numerals are major chords, lower case are minor. The vii is diminished. Since aeolian is the sixth degree (vi) of ionian, we make a new chordal structure which is really the same thing, just shifted. We get this: i ii(dim) III iv v VI VII ...

This is the dorian mode, the second derivitive of the parent scale, ionian. We can find it by taking the chordal structure of ionian and making the second degree the root. Ionian: I ii iii IV V vi vii(dim) Dorian: i ii III IV v vi(dim) VII Dorian is used a lot in rock music. It is similar to aeolian, but has a raised sixth degree in comparison that softens the sound and doesn't make it as depressing. I didn't bother to tab it out because it's basically just a musical rant in the A dorian position at the fifth fret. It's not terribly difficult to fig...

The Locrian mode is definately the oddball of the bunch. It's the only one without a perfect fifth; it's fifth degree is lowered making the mode diminished. Being the seventh degree (vii dim) of the major scale, it is usually avoided in many types of music. One exception is metal. If you've ever heard those evil tritones (an interval of a lowered fifth) and flat five progressions, you can thank locrian. And who better to quote musically than the master of tritones himself, James Hetfield. The example is from "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" on ...And Justice For Al...

Even though phrygian is a minor mode, it doesn't sound like the norm. It's usually described as the exotic minor scale because it sounds much like the phrygian dominant scale, the difference being the minor third degree instead of a major third. Often used and abused is metal. When guitarists don't want Locrian, they go for Phrygian. The half step in the first two notes is definately evil. Combined with the perfect fifth, it makes for some nasty stuff. But, like all scales, there is more than one side to it. See if you can find 'em.

This is the first in what will hopefully be a short series of chord progression tricks. These lessons contain some theory, some 'trick' quality to them, but most of all it's about the chords. The progressions (usually composed of 2 or maybe three chord changes) are not diatonic. That is, the qualities of the chords (major, minor, diminished) do not fit into the diatonic chord structure for the major scale. They add some interest to parts in songs because the tonality is jumping all over the place - not to mention the soloing opportunites. When the chord progressio...

While I was thinking of ideas for this series, I knew I wanted a way to solo back and forth between a parallel major and minor. So I thought about how to accoplish this. If I start in Ionian, I can play it's I chord behind it. That's easy. But then I want to move to the parallel minor (see my parallel trick if you're confused on parallels). The first thing that came to me was to just play the minor key's relative major chord. In other words, if I start in B major, like the example, I solo in B Ionian over a B major chord. Then I change to B Aeolian, the parallel...

Well, here we go again. This one is a I-bVI progression, meaning the root is major, but instead of following the ionian format and playing a normal vi (minor six) chord, we move it down a half step and make it major. The example goes from C to Ab. It's almost like a common i-VI progression in a minor key, but the root is major. On the C chord I used Ionian, and on the Ab chord I used Lydian. It just sounds good.

Chord inversions was a tricky subject for me a while back. It never quite made sense to me until I took a Music Theory AP class my senior year in high school. I urge all of you high school students to seriously consider it. Anyway, we all know the basic parts of a chord consists of the root, third and fifth. For example, in C major, the I (one) chord would be C. The root is C, the third is E, and the fifth is G. When a chord is played with the root note as the bottom or lowest note (often reffered to as the bass note), in this case C, the chord is said to be i...

I have been receiving a lot of emails concerning modes over teh past year or so, and I've seen that there is some general confusion on the subject which is to be understood because, well, modes are just plain confusing. This text is actually one of my responses to an email I received a while back. I hope it serves to explain the fundamentals of modes and the concepts behind them as well as provide information for those who have encountered them before here and there. Good luck, and as always, please email me if you have questions or comments.

Welcome to Part II. I'm just going to run with this idea of posting the good questions that I get. I'll leave it in a Q & A format, I think it's easier to deal with that way. I'll update this page based on the questions I continue to receieve, so check back every once in a while. Peace. Q: Does the term 'modes' only refer to the diatonic scales, or can you use it when talking about non-diatonic scales, such as harmonic minor, melodic minor, hungarian, enigmatic, asian pentatonics, etc.? A: Actually, the term ...