Modes for Guitar
A Complete Guide to the 21 Modes of Major, Melodic Minor, & Harmonic Minor Scale Harmony
This course deeply explores the 21 modes of Major, Melodic Minor, & Harmonic Minor scale harmony.
Its primary fingering approach is the widely-used Three-Note-Per-String (3NPS) approach; this interlocks with the "CAGED" approach taken on this site's Scale & Interval Patterns course, allowing for deeper understanding & memory development.
Complete with modal chord voicings for harmonic context, it also includes diagrams of the entire neck for each mode, along with guided improvisations to develop aural skills and real-world fluency.
Though this course includes music theory, its primary focus is on the practicalities of recognizing, practicing, and memorizing the 21 modes and their corresponding harmonies, in every key, on the guitar.
Major, Melodic Minor, & Harmonic Minor scale modes are essential knowledge for the modern improviser & composer. Your reading, aural skills, and technique will continually improve if you integrate this material into your daily practice; the course closes with a detailed six-week practice plan to show you how.
By relating the modes to modal chord voicings, you'll develop a solid grasp of the fret-board, and also a keen ear for the building blocks of melody and harmony; a giant step towards fret-board mastery!
Introduction to Modes
FREE PREVIEWLydian: Root 4 (3NPS)
FREE PREVIEWIonian: Root 4 (3NPS)
FREE PREVIEWMixolydian: Root 4 (3NPS)
FREE PREVIEWDorian: Root 4 (3NPS)
FREE PREVIEWAeolian: Root 4 (3NPS)
Phrygian: Root 4 (3NPS)
Locrian: Root 4 (3NPS)
Discussion: Modes of Major: Root 4 (3NPS)
(Introduction) Melodic Minor: Root 5 (3NPS)
Lydian Augmented: Root 5 (3NPS)
Lydian Dominant: Root 5 (3NPS)
Mixolydian♭6: Root 5 (3NPS)
Dorian♭2: Root 5 (3NPS)
Locrian♮2: Root 5 (3NPS)
Super Locrian (Altered): Root 5 (3NPS)
Discussion: Modes of Melodic Minor: Root 5 (3NPS)
Lydian ♯2: Root 6 (3NPS)
Ionian ♯5: Root 6 (3NPS)
Dorian ♯4: Root 6 (3NPS)
Harmonic Minor: Root 6 (3NPS)
Mixolydian ♭2,♭6: Root 6 (3NPS)
Locrian♮6: Root 6 (3NPS)
Ultra Locrian: Root 6 (3NPS)
Modes of Harmonic Minor - 7 Transcribed Improvisations on Indian & African Grooves - Complete Score/TAB (PDF)
Discussion: Modes of Harmonic Minor: Root 6 (3NPS)
36-Day Training Cycle Explanation & Course Outro
Day 1 Root C
Day 1 Root B#
Day 2 Root C
Day 2 Root B#
Day 3 Root C
Day 3 Root B#
Day 4 Root F
Day 4 Root E#
Day 5 Root F
Day 5 Root E#
Day 6 Root F
Day 6 Root E#
Day 7 Root Bb
Day 7 Root A#
Day 8 Root Bb
Day 8 Root A#
Day 9 Root Bb
Day 9 Root A#
Day 10 Root Eb
Day 10 Root D#
Day 11 Root Eb
Day 11 Root D#
Day 12 Root Eb
Day 12 Root D#
Day 13 Root Ab
Day 13 Root G#
Day 14 Root Ab
Day 14 Root G#
Day 15 Root Ab
Day 15 Root G#
Day 16 Root Db
Day 16 Root C#
Day 17 Root Db
Day 17 Root C#
Day 18 Root Db
Day 18 Root C#
Day 19 Root Gb
Day 19 Root F#
Day 20 Root Gb
Day 20 Root F#
Day 21 Root Gb
Day 21 Root F#
Day 22 Root B
Day 23 Root B
Day 24 Root B
Day 25 Root E
Day 26 Root E
Day 27 Root E
Day 28 Root A
Day 29 Root A
Day 30 Root A
Day 31 Root D
Day 32 Root D
Day 33 Root D
Day 34 Root G
Day 35 Root G
Day 36 Root G
Discussion: A Systematic Approach to Practicing the 21 Modes of Major, Melodic Minor, & Harmonic Minor, All Roots: 36-Day Training Cycle & Course Outro