Guitar Modes How to Use Them!

Guitar Modes – Create Color

Guitar modals are mysterious, exciting and so much simpler than all the guitar instructors on YouTube make them. There is so much unnecessary information that just bemuses new guitarists. I was one of these and really once I got it it was so simple so I want to share this eureka moment with you! Many guitarists find the modal system confronting and hard to understand with the 2 B’s and 4 Sharps behind a dog in the garden sniffing a flower type explanations.

It is so much easier to get the concept and again stay with me and Ill bring the light to the darkness of guitar modes for you. Its quite easy to get started and understand. Take a breath and please please read on and you will finally get it.

Guitar Modes Explained – Light and Dark

Let me explain the use of guitar modes and what they are used for. Guitar modes are like the minor pentatonic scale, they are a specific formulae of notes derived from the major scale when payed five you a different feeling. They can be very happy sounding to sad and all the way to outright dark and mysterious.

What Modes are there?

M O D E S

Guitar modes have a wide range of colors and feels and they are pretty easy to utilize and this is the secret. Knowing when to use a particular scale. This little gem is what had me personally stumped for many years till all the blocks fell into place for me. So let me share this little gem with you.

How and when to use Guitar Modes

Knowing when to use guitar modes is much simpler in essence than you think. Lets say your playing a song in the
Key of C.

This would be the chords you could use: C, Dm ,Em ,F ,G ,Am ,B dim.

The notes in the scale are allocated numbers so you can relate this process to all different scales.
Then the number is allocated a mode.

The First Chord is the Key

Using this guide if you want to play a song in the Major scale you would start a progression on the C Chord and play for example C Em G. You may do this for Verse but you want to change up the chorus with something that’s “Dark Yet Sweet” so we would look at the DORIAN Mode. All we need to do is start the next progression on the Dm chord and use for example: Dm – C – Am – G

Lets try another scenario and your writing a song that starts out “Dark and Sad” and you want to be in the key of C for your voice then you start your progression on the Am and use the Aeolian Mode as for a solo starting on this chord.

The minor pentatonic can also be used if that’s all you currently know but this will open doors for more creative solos and chord progressions.

Modal Pattern 1 All Modes

Lets take a look at all the pattern 1 modal boxes to give you a start into the modes. These are the staring points for you to get into the modes. The next point is to try out the modes yourself because I can write a long winded explanation and break down the modes individually but this tends just to confuse and this is intended as a beginners break the ice guide. Just give you a taste and a try to get your interest wet or maybe still scare you and you run to the hills.

Rock your Modes!

Rock music is a great place to start and the most popular rock modes are Ionian, Dorian and Mixolydian scale or modes.
Ionian mode is the Major Scale so lets try that one first over a backing track in C Ionian to get started.

The modes will be determined by which chord in the scale is used to start the progression so no matter what key your in check which chord is starting the verse or the solo progression and you will know which mode to use fast.

Ionian – Major

Mixolydian Mode
G – A – B – C – D – E – F

Dorian Mode

The Dorian Mode:

D – E – F – G – A – B – C

Mixolydian Mode

Mixolydian Mode

G – A – B – C – D – E – F

It is likely you may find an affinity with a particular scale or mode that suits the type of music you like to play no matter if its country, rock, metal or jazz.

If you find a guitar mode that suites you then again get a backing track and just play and as always these are a moveable scale so if your playing a Dorian scale in C then you need to go to A for another song just move everything back three frets.