[papadog65]

I'm at a point where looking at Modal scales seems an interesting way of being able to improvise tunes. It's like all you need to do is know a Major scale and to understand where the major-sounding and minor-sounding modes are within that.

I can do it a little, until I reach a chord progression that gets complex. Then, I just can't do it on the fly. Even with a bunch of charts in front of me I have to stumble through them.

What am I missing here? Just practice, or what? I've been banging my head against this for a couple months and making no progress.

Are there some teaching aids out there, or some other clear explanations of how modes work with improv?

Any suggestions appreciated.

John

[Kirk Lorange]

Hi papadog.

I've been twanging for 43 years, and the thing I'm hired for mostly is playing solos on sessions or in bands and I've NEVER once thought "mode". All I've ever done is keep very strict track of what I call the "chord of the moment"... being, of course, that chord which is setting the rules "right now".

If all music were written around the 7 related chords, wouldn't life be wonderful? But musically boring! The fact is though, there are far too many digressions from the key to be able to keep track of things by thinking modes ... for my poor old brain, anyway.

There's a lot more to it than I can answer here, but the chord of the moment says it all really. If it's a 7th, then the 1-3-5-b7 are your boss notes; if it's a minor 7th, then the 1-b3-5-7 are your boss notes; if it's a major 7, then 1-3-5-7 ... etc. These are purely the chord tones, and THEY are the notes your melodic excursions should hang themselves off ... if you get my meaning.

The trick is to be able to see your entire fretbaord as the chord of the moment, not just little box patterns. That trick is the subject of my book PlaneTalk, which you can read about at http://planetalk.thatllteachyou.com

It's a simple visualization technique which turns the wjhole fretboard into the SAME familiar territory for all chords.

Kirk

[papadog65]

Hi, Kirk,

Thanks for the swift reply and the suggestion.

I know what you mean about the poor old brain trying to keep track of
modes through chord changes. I thought it was just me, but maybe it's
that only some people are "wired right" to do that sort of thing. Or are
still young enough that they still have most of their brain cells intact.

I joined your site a year or so ago and have looked at Plane Talk and
got some good use from it. I'll work that into my practice again. Lazy me!

Meanwhile, keep on keeping on with your great website, and keep emailing
those cool lessons. Happy twanging.

John

[cpinegar]

Very good question.

Assuming you are playing in the key of C/Am, then the I chord is C major, and the ii chord is Dm or Dm7, etc.

Dorian fits perfectly on top of a ii chord, because it is the ii scale. If making chords and scales get along together without any tonal tension is your goal, then you may opt to use modes to "fit" the chords and scales together in this way. This is one valid way to use modes, which you can think of as just playing the notes in C/Am, but your emphasis is stronger over chord changes to and from Dm, instead of C or Am. To answer your specific question, when you are playing the key of C/Am, the notes your ear hears are all the same, but emphasis delivered by the bass or rhythm guitar sections push the tonal center up and down along the harmonic scale. If your goal is to follow the tonal center changes with your melody, and resolve from ii to I, then your scale should also shift its emphasis to end on the I (most commonly down through the ii or up through the VII scale degree).

Another way to think of modes is as substitutions for the classic Major or Minor scales.

Major modes (by virtue of the major 3rd) are:
Ionian (major)
Lydian
Mixolydian

Minor modes (by virtue of the minor 3rd) are:
Dorian
Phrygian
Aeolian (minor)
Locrian

For example, where you would normally use a minor scale over a vi chord, experiment with a Dorian, Phygian or Locrian instead. The root, minor 3rd will keep the vi chord linked to any of these scales, but the linkage is a little looser with the other degrees, and the emotional result can be one of excitement.

It takes time and practice to know when to think of a mode as a shift within a key, or as a substitute for a major or minor scale, but practicing both gives you a more seasoned variety of options for your listeners.