Mode Names
(What Do Those Weird Mode Names Even Mean!)

 

Discover what those weird mode names mean…and understand this baffling guitar topic once and for all with this simple, ‘jargon free’ lesson !

 

 

 

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Those Weird Mode Names! One of the things that makes modes so confusing to so many guitar players .

So what are the modes called?

In The Mystery of Modes Part 2 I’ll explain the mode names, how to think of each mode and where each mode comes from.

Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:

0:32 In the first Mystery of Modes video we answered the question  ‘What Is A Mode?’and saw how a mode is like a ‘child’ which comes from a ‘parent scale’. By ‘recycling’ the 7 notes in a major parent scale we can create a ‘family’ of new scales. The members of this family are the ‘modes of the major scale’.

0:42 Just like the members of a family, each new scale has a name. Let’s examine each mode and it’s name.

0:50 The Ionian Mode

We’ll use the G major scale for this lesson. It contains the notes G A B C D E F#. It is also known as the Ionian Mode, in this case G Ionain Mode.

1:10 The Dorian Mode

You can use the same group of notes but think of A as the root. Now we have the same notes but we’re thinking of them as some sort of A scale – A B C D E F# G. This ‘A scale’ is a ‘mode’ of the G major scale and is called the Dorian Mode.

1:36 The Phrygian Mode

If we start on the 3rd note, B and recycle the notes we get a B scale – B C D E F# G A. This is the Phrygian Mode, in this case B Phrygian.

2:05 The Lydian Mode

If you recycle the notes starting on the 4th note you get C D E F# G A B. This is the Lydian mode: C Lydian in this case.

2:20 The Mixolydian Mode

If you recycle the notes starting on the 5th note you get  D E F# G A B c. This is the Mixoldian mode: D Mixolydian in this case. This is a commonly used mode, often heard in blues basaed music.

2:50 What do these strange mode names mean? Don’t worry about that! They are just a name or label for describing a particular scale and sound.

3:08 The Aeolian Mode

If you recycle the notes starting on the 6th note you get  E F# G A B C D. This is the Aeolian mode: E Aeolian in this case. This is also sometimes called the Natural Minor scale and is used a lot in rock and metal music.

3:37 The Locrian Mode

If you recycle the notes starting on the 7th note you get   F# G A B C D E. This is the Locrian mode: F# Locrian in this case. You don’t hear this one used much apart from in jazz, fusion and Latin music.

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