One of the best explanations of the modes and how to use them Personally I had no idea you play the 4th and 5th triads of the parent scale, that is a brilliant take away. Thanks for yet another great lesson so appreciated.
Great video nice to see someone explain the modes the right way I learned the hard way years ago before the Internet.. it's the cords that matter I try to explain it to a friend. The cord said a different mood, same scale different mood. Lol.
Thanks Charlie! So I think I can follow along as you map from the C major scale to a new “parent” scale. For Lydian (I think of as 4) the the new ‘parent’ key is G major (4 down) because C is the 4th interval in the scale of G. So the 4th and 5th triads (I.e. the IV and V chords) in the key of G major are C and D. You play this C Lydian scale over the C and D. What I don’t understand is how to map things back the other way. It seems like in mathematical terms, this is a one-to-one function where x maps to y and only y, and y maps back to x and only x. The challenge for me is how do I know what scale to play given the chords that are being played? I’m at a jam and they’re playing whatever chords they’re playing… how do I map that back to say, ‘oh, the Lydian scale will work great over those chords…’ Do I have to memorize all of those mapped relationships? In other words, you took me from the scale to the chords, but how do I easily go from the chords to the scale?
Wow Charlie - another stellar lesson! Once again you have shone the light on another "missing piece" that had escaped my gaze namely the use of the 4th and 5th triads as the "context" to practice the modes - just so, so useful to once again bring all my previous practice elements together so that it all makes sense. You really are an amazing teacher, thank you.
Very good. I kinda work the same way. Say I see an A7 being played (Dominant) my mind is already in Mixolydian and I'm eyeing a D major key with a G Major 7 as my fourth chord or Lydian spot to stay in Mixolydian mode. So, one thing I have found and I believe this works - if you have been learning modes in the aforementioned relative manner, as in playing patterns all over the neck, say three notes per string style ( i.e. for triplets or 6/4), the Good News 🗞️ is that you now have the entire neck mapped out for the mode you are currently vibing in. So you can move from your Mixolydian pattern up to say the next (Aeolian or 6th minor) pattern - up the neck a tone - and still keep the continuation of your Mixolydian scale pattern flavour. Then onto Locrian and Ionian, where you'll find your main key in theory; D in this example. So, any work you have already put into learning the major scale pattern across the entire fretboard (what it ACTUALLY IS, but which we may have believed were the 7 independent modes), are still totally useful in an actual modal context! 🎉 As this means you now have your Mixolydian notes mapped throughout the entire fretboard from the work you have previously been doing. Totally useful 🙂 🙏 Now this, so long as our A7 is actually the Dominant 7th in that song/example. Anyways, mess with it over some simple backing tracks and you'll likely also discover you are making some great sounds and rarely hitting bum notes if at all. God Bless 🕊️ Mike Bloomfield
Forget, temporarily, that modes are all related to the major scale. Take the Major scale, Ionian, then flat the 7 (b7) and you’ve got Mixolydian for playing over a Dominant 7 chord. Go back to the Major scale and sharp the 4 (#4) and you’ve got Lydian for playing over a Major 7 #11 chord. That’s your 3 modes with a Major 3rd. - Now play Natural Minor (Aolian the 6th mode, with b3/b6/b7). Make the 6 major and you’ve got Dorian (b3/b7). Go back to Aolian and flat the 2 (b2/b3/b6/b7) and you’ve got the Spanish-sounding Phrygian. That’s your 3 modes with b3 and 5 which makes them the 3 Minor modes. Now go back to Phrygian and flatten the 5 (b2/b3/b5/b6/b7). That b5 makes it the only mode that works over a Diminished triad (1-b3-b5). So think: 3 major-sounding modes, 3 minor-sounding modes, and 1 Diminished mode. - Forget, temporarily, that they are all related. Play them all starting from the same root note. Play them over either a Major triad, a Minor triad, or a Diminished triad; and all should be formed from the same root note. - The worst think you can do is relate them all back to their “parent” Major scale. Think “b7 is Mixolydian”, “#4 is Lydian, “b3/b7 is Dorian”, “b3/b6/b7 is Aolian”, “b2/b3/b6/b7 is Phrygian” and “b2/b3/b5/b6/b7 is Locrian”. Memorize those formulas and learn to play them all starting from the same root note.
To me the simplest way to understand it is; D Dorian is a C scale starting and ending on D.. E phrygian is a C scale starting and ending on E, and so on. The SOUND of the mode, once in your head, will give a whole new set of melodic ideas.
I know no theory, scales, chord names, or note names. I never know/care what key I'm in. How? I learned the major scales in 4 fingerings over the ENTIRE NECK. (Berklee Book 1). That's my music education. Those major scales .... ARE THE MODES (I didn't know). So I can improvise in all modes easily. Thanks for your great content!
Hey man, this worked for me really well - just spend a weekend working out some of the songs that you absolutely love 💕 and you'll soon take off again. For me that was some difficult Zappa, early Jethro Tull with Mick Abrahams and a solid dose of Clapton and Page, with the occasional David Gilmour and Brian May solos and that's it - catch me if you can! How can you possibly STOP 🛑 playing the music that you absolutely love!???? Answer: you cannot 😂👍 Works. Tested and approved. ✅ 😎👊✨
Hi Charlie, great lesson once again. Most of what you have taught relats to the 4th @ 5th triads of the parent key, does this also work on other triads?
This is a great question with too long of an answer….it CAN work but not with every triad in a key. You’re looking for 2 triads with no common notes so you’d need to experiment 🎸🎶🔥
Im always that one exception who doesn't get it because of all the mushrooms i took in 1983. I got lost when we started using the term, "triad," seemingly with no definition. I am confident that with repeated views (8,000), i might start to get it. Thank you for your production!
I really DO want to understand more...my brain simply wants to reject anything that seems to contain infinite variables, such as different language forms. Math... forget it. Music theory... nope. My style evolved from this ignorance, and though it's great fun to strangle the strings, it's ultimately frustrating to get so lost so easily. Been playing for almost 50 years, and I'm pretty much at the end. Pray for me!
The issue we all srtuggle with is when they work. This is very xonfusing like the rest. So i am in Am. Santana for ex. Do i play A dorian? The problen is what you call them. If that Dorian works over a G and F great. But there is no F in Black majic women. See what i mean. I dont undertand this after 50 years.
One of the best explanations of the modes and how to use them
Personally I had no idea you play the 4th and 5th triads of the parent scale, that is a brilliant take away. Thanks for yet another great lesson so appreciated.
@@martynspooner5822 enjoy! Thanks as always! 🎸🎶🔥🎶🎸
Great video nice to see someone explain the modes the right way I learned the hard way years ago before the Internet.. it's the cords that matter I try to explain it to a friend. The cord said a different mood, same scale different mood. Lol.
@@mikecisco7941 right on!! ❤️🎸🔥🎶
Thanks Charlie!
So I think I can follow along as you map from the C major scale to a new “parent” scale. For Lydian (I think of as 4) the the new ‘parent’ key is G major (4 down) because C is the 4th interval in the scale of G. So the 4th and 5th triads (I.e. the IV and V chords) in the key of G major are C and D. You play this C Lydian scale over the C and D.
What I don’t understand is how to map things back the other way. It seems like in mathematical terms, this is a one-to-one function where x maps to y and only y, and y maps back to x and only x.
The challenge for me is how do I know what scale to play given the chords that are being played? I’m at a jam and they’re playing whatever chords they’re playing… how do I map that back to say, ‘oh, the Lydian scale will work great over those chords…’ Do I have to memorize all of those mapped relationships?
In other words, you took me from the scale to the chords, but how do I easily go from the chords to the scale?
Wow Charlie - another stellar lesson! Once again you have shone the light on another "missing piece" that had escaped my gaze namely the use of the 4th and 5th triads as the "context" to practice the modes - just so, so useful to once again bring all my previous practice elements together so that it all makes sense. You really are an amazing teacher, thank you.
@@Bflat-fu3wb I’m really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the nice comment! 🎸🎶🔥🎶🎸
No way dude I just started learning and oh my god you upload this at the perfect time , I love you man
@@sraidimohamed5367 love it!! Enjoy!! 🎸🎶❤️🎶🎸
Excellent stuff, Charlie. Thanks very much!
Very good. I kinda work the same way. Say I see an A7 being played (Dominant) my mind is already in Mixolydian and I'm eyeing a D major key with a G Major 7 as my fourth chord or Lydian spot to stay in Mixolydian mode.
So, one thing I have found and I believe this works - if you have been learning modes in the aforementioned relative manner, as in playing patterns all over the neck, say three notes per string style ( i.e. for triplets or 6/4), the Good News 🗞️ is that you now have the entire neck mapped out for the mode you are currently vibing in. So you can move from your Mixolydian pattern up to say the next (Aeolian or 6th minor) pattern - up the neck a tone - and still keep the continuation of your Mixolydian scale pattern flavour. Then onto Locrian and Ionian, where you'll find your main key in theory; D in this example.
So, any work you have already put into learning the major scale pattern across the entire fretboard (what it ACTUALLY IS, but which we may have believed were the 7 independent modes), are still totally useful in an actual modal context! 🎉 As this means you now have your Mixolydian notes mapped throughout the entire fretboard from the work you have previously been doing. Totally useful 🙂 🙏
Now this, so long as our A7 is actually the Dominant 7th in that song/example. Anyways, mess with it over some simple backing tracks and you'll likely also discover you are making some great sounds and rarely hitting bum notes if at all.
God Bless 🕊️
Mike Bloomfield
Thanks Charlie 💯💯👏👏🎸🎸💙❤️🤍💜
@@DanaDeerwester thank you as always!!!
Forget, temporarily, that modes are all related to the major scale.
Take the Major scale, Ionian, then flat the 7 (b7) and you’ve got Mixolydian for playing over a Dominant 7 chord. Go back to the Major scale and sharp the 4 (#4) and you’ve got Lydian for playing over a Major 7 #11 chord.
That’s your 3 modes with a Major 3rd. - Now play Natural Minor (Aolian the 6th mode, with b3/b6/b7). Make the 6 major and you’ve got Dorian (b3/b7). Go back to Aolian and flat the 2 (b2/b3/b6/b7) and you’ve got the Spanish-sounding Phrygian. That’s your 3 modes with b3 and 5 which makes them the 3 Minor modes.
Now go back to Phrygian and flatten the 5 (b2/b3/b5/b6/b7). That b5 makes it the only mode that works over a Diminished triad (1-b3-b5).
So think: 3 major-sounding modes, 3 minor-sounding modes, and 1 Diminished mode.
- Forget, temporarily, that they are all related. Play them all starting from the same root note. Play them over either a Major triad, a Minor triad, or a Diminished triad; and all should be formed from the same root note. - The worst think you can do is relate them all back to their “parent” Major scale. Think “b7 is Mixolydian”, “#4 is Lydian, “b3/b7 is Dorian”, “b3/b6/b7 is Aolian”, “b2/b3/b6/b7 is Phrygian” and “b2/b3/b5/b6/b7 is Locrian”. Memorize those formulas and learn to play them all starting from the same root note.
To me the simplest way to understand it is; D Dorian is a C scale starting and ending on D.. E phrygian is a C scale starting and ending on E, and so on. The SOUND of the mode, once in your head, will give a whole new set of melodic ideas.
I know no theory, scales, chord names, or note names. I never know/care what key I'm in. How?
I learned the major scales in 4 fingerings over the ENTIRE NECK. (Berklee Book 1). That's my music education.
Those major scales .... ARE THE MODES (I didn't know). So I can improvise in all modes easily.
Thanks for your great content!
You provide everything one needs. Yet i sit on my rear. I need motivation
You’ve got this Ralph!!! Get after it!!! 🎸🎶🔥🎶🎸
Hey man, this worked for me really well - just spend a weekend working out some of the songs that you absolutely love 💕 and you'll soon take off again. For me that was some difficult Zappa, early Jethro Tull with Mick Abrahams and a solid dose of Clapton and Page, with the occasional David Gilmour and Brian May solos and that's it - catch me if you can!
How can you possibly STOP 🛑 playing the music that you absolutely love!????
Answer: you cannot 😂👍
Works. Tested and approved. ✅
😎👊✨
I believe this is going to help me, because I've been playing the CAH mode.
Hi Charlie, great lesson once again. Most of what you have taught relats to the 4th @ 5th triads of the parent key, does this also work on other triads?
This is a great question with too long of an answer….it CAN work but not with every triad in a key. You’re looking for 2 triads with no common notes so you’d need to experiment 🎸🎶🔥
Excellent!
@@morrisgentry8624 glad you enjoyed it! 🎸🎶🔥
very informative thank you1
Thank you for the comment!! 🎸🎸
Incredible video
Im always that one exception who doesn't get it because of all the mushrooms i took in 1983. I got lost when we started using the term, "triad," seemingly with no definition. I am confident that with repeated views (8,000), i might start to get it. Thank you for your production!
I really DO want to understand more...my brain simply wants to reject anything that seems to contain infinite variables, such as different language forms. Math... forget it. Music theory... nope. My style evolved from this ignorance, and though it's great fun to strangle the strings, it's ultimately frustrating to get so lost so easily. Been playing for almost 50 years, and I'm pretty much at the end. Pray for me!
Finally I get it!
So true
I don't play like my aunt Linda. Ionian Dorian phrygian lydiian myxlydian aeolian locrian IDPLMAL.
@@garettxanyn8076 that’s awesome!
I posted a 'salty blues comment' but i deleted it. I hope it doesn't show up. I misunderstood something. My apologies!
@@Larrymh07 all good! Rock on brother! 🎸🎶🎸🎶🎸🎶
The issue we all srtuggle with is when they work. This is very xonfusing like the rest. So i am in Am. Santana for ex. Do i play A dorian? The problen is what you call them.
If that Dorian works over a G and F great. But there is no F in Black majic women. See what i mean.
I dont undertand this after 50 years.