Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

How to Use Modes (Part 1 of 2) – The Major Scale in 5 CAGED Positions – Guitar Lesson EP374

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This is Part 1 of a 2 Part lesson series on modes. You’ll not only learn what modes are, but you’ll learn how to find them and use them when you play lead to create different moods. In this first part, we’ll start with the major scale and how to find it in 5 positions on the neck (connecting it to the CAGED System).

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Comments

  5. San Luis Rey says

    You must have been reading my mind. I was about to go look up some notes from private lessons years ago on modes. Not that I’m such a huge theory guy but just felt it was time to inject something into my playing vocab. (-:

  7. PJR says

    Thanks for more gold Brian. Those notes sound so good together, especially when allowed to ring out. The spaces will also help me play it sooner. Looking forward to next week for more.

  10. Tremelow says

    I am very glad that you are picking up the subject of modes, Brian. The major scale is not new to me, but I always know that you have way more to tell than just showing us the scale or mode. I always (bold and underscored) learn something from each lesson and am very much looking forward to Part 2 next week!

  13. Guido says

    I’m a little confused. IMO, if you are in the key of G, and you’re playing a F# note over a C chord, you are simply using a note of the G scale because for me you’re in the key of G, that has F#, and you are not changing mode, but simply create a tension that resolves in the third of the C chord (E). It would be a shift to C lydian mode, by playing a F# note in the lead, if you were in the key of C. So was what I was thinking to have learned until now, but may be I was wrong.

  14. Vernon says

    Am I correct? Nothing changed at all in regard to the G major scale pattern, regardless of position on the neck. What changed were the songs chords. The starting note within the G major scale melody gave us Mixolydian, Lydian, etc. So it’s really the starting note within the G major scale that gave us the unique sound/mode. Does that sound right?

  15. David E says

    Thank you so much Brian -another fabulous lightbulb moment that no other teacher has explained so well. I just love your approach to teaching. especially using the CAGED system. I love your melodic compositions. You are a complete inspiration and you have resurrected my love of guitar playing. I have been lost in the music doldrums for years. I wish I was twenty one again to learn everything you have to teach. But hey, I found you now!!!

  16. Cardo says

    There’s a lot of content here to digest and I’m glad that I’ve got enough theory under my belt to understand it. You go through it very quickly and I would think many players would get frustrated pretty quickly, although the play-along is easy to follow. A key point I think is important: To really hear the modal sound it’s necessary to play the scale over the appropriate accompaniment, that is, music that centers on a scale pitch other than the “one”. Just playing the scale by itself won’t reveal the modal sonic quality. Although you touch on this I think it needs to be emphasized. Studying modes can really feel like what you call “getting into the weeds”, so relating modes to popular songs is good because it gives us something to relate to, other than just digesting the theory. I’ve been playing guitar for about twelve years now and I’m finally getting around to really being able to play the major scale all over the fretboard and I like your suggestion to tie it to the CAGED shapes. Pentatonics are great, but the major scale is fundamental to everything and as you point out, adding two more notes drastically expands the “palette”. My question is how do you determine whether a song’s melody is modal and which mode it is? Is it all by ear or is there a system? I’ve always simply thought as songs being either major or minor and now I see it’s more complicated than that.

  17. Frank N says

    Brian, fantastic lesson. I echo the sentiments of my fellow guitar travelers and want you to know how clear your lessons are making the path for all of us. Light bulbs are going on all over the place. Thank you very much for your clear explanations of what I had always thought was unobtainable.

    Frank N

  19. David G says

    Brian, thanks so much for responding to our encouragement to do some modal lessons. This week’s clearly demonstrates that we don’t necessarily need to play a lot of notes to do some interesting things. After working through it and playing major and modal scales up and down the fingerboard, I was inspired to listen again to Maddy Prior and June Tabor singing “The Old Miner” and play along tentatively with Dan Ar Bras’s great solo on that tune. Next, maybe I’ll get back into Martin Carthy and some modal tunings! You’re an inspiration! The one-pager of scales in the five positions is also great as a visual aid. One additional thought: you have a bit in the premium section this week about transitioning from one position to another to continue the scale up or down the fingerboard. More work on that technical bit would be helpful some day.

  22. brian b says

    This is a fabulous lesson. I have known the E shape forever. Now see the importance of memorizing the B string for the C shape. The question I have is understanding the minor keys in relation to this. The blues are usually Gm Cm Dm correct? I thought in E position you play Gm leads off the 3rd fret and G major leads off the nut. Very confusing.

    • Brian says

      I think you’re confusing the major scale with the pentatonic scales. This lesson is only about the major scale – next week you’ll see how you can play in a minor key using the same scale… but I think you’re talking about playing the minor pentatonic scale.

  27. Greg B says

    Hi Brian,

    Really great lesson. Thank you.

    I have a guitar tangent I hope you’ll be interested in. My first Strat arrived and it’s a 1950’s style two tone sunburst of very similar appearance you yours in the lesson. The interesting part and what makes it unusual is that I played it for just maybe an hour and then handed it straight to my friend Larry, who is a superb guitar tech. He did his normal magic on the neck, frets and intonation. But the reason I’m writing is that he changed the pickups and altered the controls. The pickups are made by Lindy Fralin but to Larry’s spec’s. They are wound differently and the magnets are a bit different too. The bridge pickup is a P90. The center control isn’t tone on the middle pickup anymore. It’s a blend knob, blending the bridge pickup in for all the other combination of selector settings. So for the 5th setting (bridge only) you can use the center control to dial in some neck pickup for as much of that warmth as you like. I wasn’t prepared for how amazing it would sound. It isn’t strictly conventional but the tones and versatility are astounding. Hats off to great techs everywhere, especially the extra special ones. And to Lindy, for the tone.

    Best,

    Greg

  33. Gary Wilshaw says

    I absolutely love this Brian, thank you – just about to post my little version on ‘showcase’! I’m interested in modes but have many blindspots.

    On anther topic – I’d love to see how you laid down this backing track. I know it’s a ‘simple’ I,III, IV – but it’s so full & rounded – fantastic.
    Thanks again
    Gary

  34. Les Brown says

    Thanks for opening another important door in the modes for me. I learned the “starting and ending note” thing a long time ago, and would play against a droning note to get the modal feel, but how much more useful is it when I understand (now) that the CHORD makes the droning sound. I wasn’t smart enough to just pick this obvious relationship on my own, and am so glad AGAIN that I joined your website.

    This lesson is everything you promised it would be.

  36. Nasti P says

    Very good at explaining. thank you so much.

    Now we hope that in the next lesson we will be explained once and for all how these Modes are used.
    There is a lot of confusion on the Internet, there are many people who want to teach but unfortunately they do a lot of harm to serious people who want to study.
    Thanks again for what you are doing with the hope that you always remain so in explaining.

  37. Noshan G says

    Modes,Aha! Getting slowly into my mind.Waiting for next week.I think we need to have a different category under”Singer songwrite style” on the left list under the category list.Just a thought.

  39. Les Brown says

    So I played the harmonized chords in G major up the scale (G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, Fdim) into my looper in a rhythmic fashion, and then jammed to it using only the G major scale, shifting positions up the neck. It was a great ear training session for me, Thanks to you. We all really appreciate your lessons!!!

  40. abraxas1 says

    Thanks again Brian. this is great stuff. makes learning the major scale more interesting when tied together with the CAGED system, and also learning both at the same time.

    And the notation in your fretboard tabulature is fantastic. much information without being overwhelming.
    and i love the thickness of the strings. immediately know which way we’re looking at the fretboard.
    printed it right out and put it on my wall.

  43. mritalian says

    I thunk I have it. Wonderful lesson, can’t wait until this Friday. Man your right Brian this was a lightbulb moment, can’t wait until we jump into the minor modes.. Keep up the great work

  44. Rickie L says

    In part 2 EP 374 Modes, the video is frozen at the beginning (bar E) also, the yellow dot on the G’s didn’t come out on the PDF. I have had issues with my router before on active melody, probably what’s going on here. I’ll try to go through it later in the day. This is a lesson that will benefit me, big time. Thanks Brian

  45. thomas w says

    Hi Brian, I have been a member for a few years, but never made a comment. I enjoy your lessons a great deal and have advanced some in my playing as well. This particular lesson is quite interesting to my ear because it has the sound I seem to be always searching for. I grew up a blues, souther rock, kicking country guy that my opportunities to gig were bluegrass. So thats weird but diverse. Now I play in my church worship band. It’s a mix of stuff but a fair amount of contemporary worship music. That’s not in my bag of tricks, for the most part my stuff comes out sounding country rock. A decent reverb pedal has helped my tone some. I am grateful for this lesson as it will help me right now where I’m at. I am looking forward to the next lesson with great anticipation also. Any future material that would deal directly with the modern christian worship sound would be great. Its not a style that comes easy for guys like me, it’s laid back spacey style is not my natural way.

    Keep up the good work, what you are doing matters in this crazy world.

    Blessings to you and your family.

  46. william W says

    Brian
    Did this in the early 70’s in the London collage of Music exams in classical guitar. Forgot most of it as the years went by. Since I have been loving my guitar practice again with your lessons a lot is coming back, keep going and stay safe in these times.
    Loving my guitars after all these years.
    William(Bill) UK

  49. Andre H says

    Brian, thanks for these 2 modes lessons. These are great. One question: why do you say that play in C Lydian here? You do not necessarily start all little riffs with a C note and the tension with the F# note is also there with D mixolydian. Thanks, Andre

  52. steve k says

    You are my favorite online teacher. However, you sure are windy. You spend so much time on individual notes. To me, that is what the tab is for. I don’t mean to be critical. You do a fine job, I know most people will disagree with me. I have been attempting to play for twenty years. I realize I am thick but I am so close. I am searching all your lessons, daily. Looking for that one that will drag me over. Thanks, I guess I just needed to vent. SK

  53. DENIS J says

    I’ve just been watching your Modes lessons. I thought I’d pass on some changes I’ve made to the major scale phonetic sounds for the notes. There is no consistency to the Sol-Fa phonetic sounds of the Major Scale. I decided to use oh as the phonetic sound of all the notes in the major scale. Doh Roh Moh Foh Soh Loh Toh Doh. Flattened notes use ah and sharpened
    notes use ee.

    The scale in half tones sharpened would be

    C- Doh Dee D- Roh Ree E- Moh F- Foh Fee G-Soh See A-Loh Lee B-Toh C-Doh.

    The scale in half tones flattened would be

    C-Doh B-Toh Tah A-Loh Lah G-Soh Sah F-Foh E-Moh Mah D-Roh Rah C-Doh.

    With this system a consistent method is created to sing or play the modes. The starting note of each mode is Doh so for example the D Dorian mode
    would start as Doh. I use a note numbering system based on the increase in frets for each note of the Major scale as follows:

    Ascending scale: Doh to Roh is 2 frets, Doh to Moh is 4 frets, Doh to Foh is 5 frets, Doh to Soh is 7 frets, Doh to Loh is 9 frets, Doh to Toh is 11 frets, Doh to Doh is 12 frets. If I did this for
    a descending scale it would be Doh to Toh is 1 fret, Doh to Loh is 3 frets, Doh to Soh is 5 frets, Doh to Foh is 7 frets, Doh to Moh is 8 frets, Doh to Roh is 10 frets, Doh to Doh is 12 frets.

    The number of frets from Doh determines whether a note is referred to phonetically as a oh, ah or ee sound.

    I don’t think there is any point to having a different system for each of the ascending and descending scales so I arbitrarily chose to phonetically name the notes of the modes based on the
    ascending number system and use the same phonetic sounds when ascending and descending the mode. Using the same names works in Sol-Fa.

    Using both the ascending and descending system might be useful for a singer.

    For the Dorian mode the note positions from Doh would be 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12/0

    D Dorian would be D-Doh E-Roh F-Mah G-Foh A-Soh B-Loh C-Tah D-Doh
    0 up 2 3 5 7 9 10 12/0

    For the Phrygian mode the note positions from Doh would be 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12/0

    E Phrygian would be E-Doh F-Rah G-Mah A-Foh B-Soh C-Lah D-Tah E-Doh
    0 up 1 3 5 7 8 10 12/0

    All the modes can be done using this system.

    I’ve referred to the guitar in this message but the system will work for piano and I presume most other instruments that can produce a 12 halftone scale.

    I hope you find this useful.

    Denis

  54. DENIS J says

    Numbering system for all the modes. The number of frets each note is above Doh / 0. I’m using the C IONIAN/MAJOR MODE/SCALE as the basis for the numbering
    system. The same numbering system applies to all major keys and the modes derived from the key.

    IONIAN / MAJOR MODE

    NOTE NAMES: C D E F G A B C
    FRET NUMBERS: 0 2 4 5 7 9 11 12/0
    FROM C or 0

    DORIAN

    D E F G A B C D
    NUMBER OF 0 2 3 5 7 9 10 12/0
    FRETS FROM D or 0

    PHRYGIAN

    E F G A B C D E
    NUMBER OF 0 1 3 5 7 8 10 12/0
    FRETS FROM E or 0

    LYDIAN

    F G A B C D E F
    NUMBER OF 0 2 4 6 7 9 11 12/0
    FRETS FROM F or 0

    MIXOLYDIAN

    G A B C D E F G
    NUMBER OF 0 2 4 5 7 9 10 12/0
    FRETS FROM G or 0

    AEOLIAN / NATURAL MINOR

    A B C D E F G A
    NUMBER OF 0 2 3 5 7 8 10 12/0
    FRETS FROM A or 0

    LOCRIAN

    B C D E F G A B
    NUMBER OF 0 1 3 5 6 8 10 12/0
    FRETS FROM B or 0

  55. DENIS J says

    Apparently blank spaces are deleted when submitting messages. This caused the formatting of my previous
    message to be altered.

    For each of the modes the mode scale names should be moved right to line up with the numbers starting at 0
    on the line below. As an example for the

    Dorian Mode

    D E F G A B C D should line up with

    0 2 3 5 7 9 10 12/0

    The same adjustment applies to all the other modes using the associated numbering
    sequence.

  58. Khanh D says

    Hi Brian,
    Brilliant your lessons I appreciate a lot!!! No question on the mode but about the lead which is simple in terms of technique but not quite evident to me in terms of rythmn. I have a lot of difficulty to count. What process would you suggest to learn the lead effectively? Try to break down your tablature or just by ear with the back track?
    Thanks a lot

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