Dave Hargreaves Guitar Lessons

There are seven notes in a major scale, so depending on which note we begin at, we can actually play seven different versions (called modes) of the same scale.

To look at it another way, we could say that there are seven different scales (modes), all made up of the same notes, within any given key.

The names and positions of the modes of the major scale are as follows:

Position	Mode	Description
1^st / root	Ionian	major scale
2^nd	Dorian	major b3, b7
3^rd	Phrygian	minor b2
4^th	Lydian	major #4
5^th	Mixolydian	major b7
6^th	Aeolian	relative minor scale major b3, b6, b7
7^th	Locrian	minor b2, b5 or, major b2, b3, b5, b6, b7

So, what’s the point of learning all this, if all these modes are made of the same notes as the major scale?

Well, if you learn the finger patterns for each mode of a particular key, you will be able to improvise from any position of the fretboard. Knowing modes can also add some variety to your playing, by allowing you to emphasise different notes of the scale.

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