New Way of Looking at the Modes
Modes are nothing more than scales, and they should be learned in a way that highlights the unique tonality of each one.
Our way of looking at the modes is based on:
Playing each mode individually, as if it were in a vacuum and un-related to the other modes. When a mode is played by itself—optimally with a jam track—you’ll see that each mode has its own feel. Some modes sound light, dark, sad, etc. Once you understand this, you can use an appropriate mode to evoke a certain feeling or to play over a challenging chord or chord progression.
Understanding that it is the intervals in the scale that give the mode its color (whole steps, half steps, etc). Intervals are the distances between notes (C to D is a whole step; C to C# is a half step). The distances between notes are different for each mode, and this gives each mode its unique sound.
Knowing the intervals of each mode is the secret to understanding them.
For example, if you play a C Ionian (a C major scale), and then a C Do-rian (a major scale with a flatted third (Eb) and seventh (Bb)), you’ll immediately hear that these two modes have vastly different sounds. But if you play a C Ionian and a D Dorian, you’ll tend to miss the differences between them.
Listen to the Master Class audio track to hear how the modes sound different from each other.
