Quote:
Originally Posted by LeeB
Okay.. I have been playing for over 2 years and seem to be progressing and surviving without having much of a clue about this Greek confusion. I do know when you play the C-major scale in the first position..something many of us start with..that it begins with an open E string..hence the mode.. E -phryigian (sp?). I think I have this correct??
For those of you that have been playing for a while and have a knowledge of modes.. did this open new doors to your playing.. did lights go off? is it worth learning?
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There are so many opinions about how modes work in modern music. There are historical facts and then there are historical uses. To quote one famous guy name Kirk, 'melody loves chord tones'. That's the bottom line for making music these days.
Can you survive without knowing much about modes? Absolutely. All you need to know is the major scale and it's intervals. This is the basis for western music, and it's also where the modes are based. Not that you need the mode knowledge, but it can open up a wider world.
Modal scale use is the modern sense is based upon the different starting note positions of the major scale. Keep the intervals, change the flavor.
Starting the scale in the first position (or what we call the root note) is the Ionian mode, the 2nd, Dorian, the 3rd, Phrygian, the fourth Lydian, the fifth, Mixolydian, the sixth, Aeolian, the seventh, Locrian.
That's all there is to it. There are countless discussions everywhere about the uses of modes, including this site. Do a search and you'll come up with large discussions. With this comes countless opinions. Will knowing this help you? Sure, it will add some flavor to your playing and some understanding about theory. Is it the end-all attitude of playing? Absolutely not. Melody and chord tones are king.
Steve