This lesson is going to be particularly lengthy. So, if you need to, break it up into parts. It is often best to break things down to make them easier for the mind to digest one piece at a time.
Okay, let's see how the homework went.
We started off with a C major chord,
C Major
[A3, D2, G0, B1]
From here, it is a trivial matter to write out the Chromatic scale from the C on A3 to the C on A15 and name the major chords along the way as follows.
C Major
C sharp Major / D flat Major
D Major
D sharp Major / E flat Major
E Major
F Major
F sharp Major / G flat Major
G Major
G sharp Major / A flat Major
A Major
A sharp Major / B flat Major
B Major
C Major
I wrote the sharp and flat versions of the chords side by side, because as you ascend the Chromatic scale you sharp the root note from below (such as going from C to C sharp) and as you descend the Chromatic scale you flat the root note from above (such as going from D to D flat). Again, if this seems unclear, go back and review lesson 12 concerning how the note names change in an ascending Chromatic scale versus a descending Chromatic scale.
Today, we are going to learn about the modes of the C major scale. As you already know, the C major scale can be written over two octaves as follows:
C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
From here, we want to look at the first C note and play all the notes leading up to and including the next higher C note. This is the Ionian mode of the C major scale.
Ionian mode : C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
You will notice that this mode is simply our C Major scale in standard form. Starting with the C note on E8, we play this mode as follows:
E8i, E10m, E12p
A8i, A10m, A12p
D9i, D10m
And you can use your Chromatic skills from lesson 12 to check to make sure that,
C = E8
D = E10
E = E12
F = A8
G = A10
A = A12
B = D9
C = D10
Next, we want to look at the first D note and play all the notes leading up to and including the next higher D note. This is the Dorian mode of the C major scale.
Dorian mode: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D
Starting with the D note on E10, we play this mode as follows:
E10m, E12p
A8i, A10m, A12p
D9i, D10m, D12p
And you can use your Chromatic skills from lesson 12 to check to make sure that,
D = E10
E = E12
F = A8
G = A10
A = A12
B = D9
C = D10
D = D12
Next, we want to look at the first E note and play all the notes leading up to and including the next higher E note. This is the Phrygian mode of the C major scale.
Phrygian mode: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E
Starting with the E note on E12, we play this mode as follows:
E12p
A8i, A10m, A12p
D9i, D10m, D12p
G9i
And you can use your Chromatic skills from lesson 12 to check to make sure that,
E = E12
F = A8
G = A10
A = A12
B = D9
C = D10
D = D12
E = G9
Next, we want to look at the first F note and play all the notes leading up to and including the next higher F note. This is the Lydian mode of the C major scale.
Lydian mode: F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F
Starting with the F note on A8, we play this mode as follows:
A8i, A10m, A12p
D9i, D10m, D12p
G9i, G10m
And you can use your Chromatic skills from lesson 12 to check to make sure that,
F = A8
G = A10
A = A12
B = D9
C = D10
D = D12
E = G9
F = G10
Next, we want to look at the first G note and play all the notes leading up to and including the next higher G note. This is the Mixolydian mode of the C major scale.
Mixolydian mode: G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Starting with the G note on A10, we play this mode as follows:
A10m, A12p
D9i, D10m, D12p
G9i, G10m, G12p
And you can use your Chromatic skills from lesson 12 to check to make sure that,
G = A10
A = A12
B = D9
C = D10
D = D12
E = G9
F = G10
G = G12
Next, we want to look at the first A note and play all the notes leading up to and including the next higher A note. This is the Aolian mode of the C major scale.
Aolian mode: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A
Starting with the A note on A12, we play this mode as follows:
A12p
D9i, D10m, D12p
G9i, G10m, G12p
B10i
And you can use your Chromatic skills from lesson 12 to check to make sure that,
A = A12
B = D9
C = D10
D = D12
E = G9
F = G10
G = G12
A = B10
Next, we want to look at the first B note and play all the notes leading up to and including the next higher B note. This is the Locrian mode of the C major scale.
Locrian mode: B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B
Starting with the B note on D9, we play this mode as follows:
D9i, D10m, D12p
G9i, G10m, G12p
B10i, B12m
And you can use your Chromatic skills from lesson 12 to check to make sure that,
B = D9
C = D10
D = D12
E = G9
F = G10
G = G12
A = B10
B = B12
At this point, the next note in our two octave span of the C major scale is the C note in the middle. If we play from that C note to the next higher C note, we are simply repeating the Ionian mode of the C major scale. So, basically, we have identified seven modes of the C major scale.
1. Ionian = C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
2. Dorian = D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D
3. Phrygian = E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E
4. Lydian = F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F
5. Mixolydian = G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G
6. Aolian = A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A
7. Locrian = B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B
Now, eventually, I'm going to get a nasty comment from a strict music theorist over my convention of adding the octave at the end of scales and here at the end of each mode. Technically, each mode should only have seven notes, but from a practical standpoint, I prefer to note the octave just because it suits me to always be concious of where the patterns in music start repeating. When you can not look down at the guitar neck to see where you are, you have no choice but to compensate one way or another. Otherwise, it becomes easy to get lost when playing--especially when executing complicated lead parts. To help minimize the confusion, I've adopted the convention of being mindful of where my octaves reside both in my notation of scales and in my fretboard diagrams. So, when it comes to writing out your own notes for your own purposes, you should be mindful not only of what is theoretically correct, but also what is practical for your own playing needs. In my humble opinion, the latter often outweighs the former in importance.
Your homework this time is to simply become familiar with each of the modes of the C major scale. I recommend being able to recite them by heart. Because if you know your modes well, it really helps to open a lot of doors later on. Hint! Hint!
Corey J. Bray