Music Theory Lesson: Understanding and Applying Modal Scales in Solos

[Chrono_Xay]

Imagine playing in the key of C Major (CDEFGABC) but instead of playing from C to C', play from D to D'. (DEFGABC) In relation to the key of C Major, that is known as the Dorian modal scale (b3, b7). It is a scale rooted on the second note (AKA the second 'scale degree' or 'ii') of whatever key the song is in. (In the case of C Major, the second scale degree is D.) Modal scales sounds odd because they seem as if their 'flavor' or 'feel' is pulling toward something else. (The D Major scale normally has an F# and C#, but the D Dorian modal scale lowers the third (F#) and seventh (C#) notes of the D Major scale by one half step (F, C) in order to conform to what you could probably call the 'parent' key signature of C Major.)

[For those of you who know your Major and minor chords (AKA 'triads'; chords comprised of three stacked notes separated by Major or minor thirds- three or four half steps) if you go back and look at the D Dorian scale, you'll notice that while it's in the key of C Major, the first, third, and fifth scale degrees of the mode would form a D minor chord (D F A). One of the reasons that someone would choose to play in a mode is where, in the case of a lead guitarist (or any member of the band, for that matter): the band is holding on a particular chord, they're playing a solo and they want to stay in the general area of that chord. They could choose to continue playing in the key of the song, or they could play in the mode that the chord is based on. For example, in the case of a song is C Major, where the band is holding on a G Major chord, they could solo within a G Mixolydian mode, and as long as the last note they played before the band changed chords is one of the notes in the G Major chord (depending on the sound they're going for, of course), it'll blend very well, and sound pleasing AND interesting to the ear, because the center of the song's key in relation to the person playing was, in a manner of speaking, temporarily shifted. (This change is also called a shift of 'tonal center'.) )

The Phrygian mode would be as if you were playing from E to E' in C Major. (Starting on the third scale degree or 'iii'.) (EFGABCDE) The E Major scale normally has an F#, G#, C#, and D# but the E Phrygian modal scale has a lowered second (F#), third (G#), sixth (C#), and seventh (D#) scale degree so as to conform to the song's key. (You might also see this scale described as something like "b2, b3, b6, b7"). Again, if you look at the notes of the E Phrygian modal scale, you'll notice that the first, third, and fifth notes form an E minor triad (E G B). That being said, if the band is playing in C Major and is holding on an E minor chord, the lead guitarist can solo within an E Phrygian scale, AND, again, as long as the last note before the chord changes is a member of that chord- that triad- it'll sound good. (That being said, when the chord changes, if they just change modes so that they are soloing over the correct scale, it'll STILL sound good AND interesting! So, as an example, if a band is playing in C Major, they hold on a D minor chord (D Dorian mode) then move to E minor (E Phrygian), as long as you change to the correct mode (C Major -> D Dorian -> E Phrygian) you'll be just fine.

Moving on, the Lydian mode (based on the fourth scale degree, or 'IV') would be as if playing from F to F' in the key of C Major. (FGABCDEF') The key of F Major normally has a Bb, but the Lydian scale raises the fourth scale degree (Bb) by a half step (B).

So, as an example: C Major -> F Major (F Lydian) -> G Major (Mixolydian) -> C Major (Ionian).

(The Major scale is actually a mode, too ('I'), but it's not in relation to any other key signature, really, so you don't need to worry about that. Also, the minor scale is a mode as well, known as the Aeolian mode; it's based off of the sixth scale degree, or 'vi')

Next, the A Aeolian scale, based off of the sixth scale degree ('vi'; ABCDEFGA'), actually looks pretty familiar already, now doesn't it? It's an A minor scale. That's because the Aeolian scale is also called the 'minor scale'. A Major has a C#, F#, and G#, but in an Aeolian scale the third (C#), sixth (F#), and seventh (G#) scales degrees are lowered one half step (C, F, G) so the scale conform to the key. Now don't go around calling songs in A minor as if they're in 'A Aeolian', but though I don't remember exactly why from my music theory classes, it's not quite true.

I almost forgot to talk about this one (having briefly mentioned it earlier): The Mixolydian mode. (GABCDEFG') It's a scale based off of the fifth scale degree (or 'V') of the song's key signature. The key of G Major has an F# in it, but the Mixolydian mode lowers the seventh scale degree (F# -> F) in order to conform to the key. The first, third, and fifth notes in the scale outline a G Major chord, so you know you can use it to solo over a chord built upon the fifth scale degree (so, in the key of C Major, you can use the Mixolydian scale to solo over a G Major chord).

Finally, we get to the last mode: The Locrian mode (vii^o). (Imagine that "o" as a tiny 'o' just above and to the right of the last 'i'.) (BCDEFGAB) B Major actually has five sharps: C#, D#, F#, G#, and A#, but the Locrian scale lowers all five of those (b2, b3, b5, b6, b7) to conform to the key. It is described as the "most unstable" mode, musically speaking, because there is such a strong pull toward other modes or chords (perhaps, most strongly, the Ionian mode ('I')/C Major).

Something you may not have realized that the Roman numerals I was using in my description of each mode (i.e. I, V, vi, vii^o) are actual music terms called 'Diatonics'; diatonics have to do with chords whose notes are all in same key. (When a song changes from one key signature to another, the chords, and inherently, the diatonics, follow the new key.)

Here's another way to look those Roman numerals:

In the key of C Major-

I - CEG
ii - DFA
iii - EGB
IV - FAC
V - GBD
vi - ACE
vii^o - BDF

If you're familiar with what the different kinds of triads are, you'll see the following pattern:

I - Major
ii - minor
iii - minor
IV - Major
V - Major
vi - minor
vii^o - diminished


With that in mind, you'll also notice from the lowercase and uppercase letters go with particular types of chords; lowercase Roman numerals go with minor triads, and uppercase Roman numerals go with Major triads.

In case you're wondering, there is, in fact, a diatonics pattern for minor key signatures:

i - ACE
ii^o - BDF
III - CEG
iv - DFA
V* - EG#B (* - I'll get to why there's a G# right after this)
VI - FAC
vii^o - G#BD

Now the reason that the G is raised a half step (when it normally would not be in the key of A minor) is because by raising the seventh scale degree of the V and vii^o chords (and just the chords themselves; not a minor scale, which I'll get to shortly) in a minor key, it helps to clearly define the 'tonal center' of the song so that the seventh scale degree, regardless of key signature, is always wanting to pull that last half step up to 'A'.

The reason I said that you'd only raised the seventh scale degree of the scale when forming or outlining the V or vii^o chords, is because there are actually minor scales where you'd raise it; the fact of the matter is, there are three different kinds of minor scales:

There's
1) The Natural ("Pure") minor scale (ABCDEFGA)
2) The Harmonic minor scale (ABCDEFG#A)
and
3) The Melodic minor scale (ABCDEF#G#A' - A'GFEDCBA)

[The Melodic minor scale is played a certain way when going up, and a certain way when going down. These variations on the Natural minor scale also have their own diatonics, which I've noted below:

Harmonic minor diatonics
i - ACE
ii^o BDF
III+* - CEG# (* - the "+" means it's an augmented chord; two stacked Major thirds)
iv - DFA
V - EG#B
VI - FAC
vii^o - G#BD

Melodic minor diatonics
(ascending diatonics)
i - ACE
ii - BDF#
III+ - CEG#
IV - DF#A
V - GBD
VI - FAC
vii^o - G#BD

(descending diatonics)
i - ACE
VII - GBD
VI - FAC
v - EGB
iv - DFA
III - CEG
ii^o - BDF
i - ACE]

Another something to think about that'll help enrich your solos is that even though you're playing in a mode, you can still play chords and arpeggios within that mode. Another thing you could try is take a melody that you played in one mode and play it in another!

I hope this was a big help to anyone wanting to learn more about music theory, so that they can apply it to enriching their playing, as well as their band's sound!

[BachiG]

Ouch. My head hurts.

[Chrono_Xay]

That was actually relatively advanced, so I'm not surprised by your reaction. HAHA XD

Anyway, is there anything in particular you'd like to learn about music theory (or music in general)? Determining Key signatures? Time Signatures? Solfege? Scales? I could probably help get you started, and I have my textbook, so...

Oh, I completely forgot to mention this, but when soloing over augmented chord, you'll probably want to play what's called a 'whole tone' scale. That is, for example, CDEF#G#A#C' (If you look carefully, it looks like two interwoven augmented triads, that is, CEG# and DF#A#; it's also known as a 'hexatonic' scale, because there are only six whole steps from C to C'), and in the case of a diminished chord that's NOT viio or viio7 (where you'd usually want to solo over the Locrian scale, I think you'll want to play a diminished scale One example is the octatonic scale, below:

1a) C D D#(not Eb) F F#(not Gb) G# A B C'

With the key signature in mind, this might also be written as

1b) C D Eb F Gb Ab A B C'

Apparently there's another version of a diminished scale which alternates half steps with whole steps, instead of the other way around (above). It sounds slightly different, but it still gives you that diminished sound that the chord has.

2a) C Db Eb E Gb G A Bb C'

Given the key signature, it might be written as

2b) C C# D# E F# G A A# C'

When you examine kinds of octatonic scales, you'll come across something: they both could be derived from laying two diminished seventh chords on top of each other, either a whole step apart (such as diminished scale #1) or a half step apart (i.e. diminished scale #2).

Take a look.

1a) C D D# F F# G# A B C'
1b) C D Eb F Gb Ab A B C'

C Eb Gb Bbb (Bbb/B double-flat = A)
D F Ab Cbb (Cbb ~ B)


2a) C Db Eb E Gb G A Bb C'
2b) C C# D# E F# G A A# C'

C Eb Gb Bbb
C# E G Bb

However, I'm not sure when you'd ideally want to use one over the other... :/

[SideshowJack]

The only experience I have with music theory is from a youtube video I watched a few years ago so I only understand about 10% of what you wrote but thank you for taking the time to write it.

[Mega-Tallica]

Once upon a time, I knew all of this theory. I got real into it and studied it, but long story short, I didn't find that it was helping me much. It's nice to know for sure, but I've since forgotten 75% of music theory. So yeah.

[soup567]

This is a lot to read, but a good lesson I guess. I do know some music theory that I learn at my guitar lessons. It's good stuff to know.

[DavyinaToga]

OP would probably make more sense to the music illiterate if it's read bottom up instead of top down.

[Chrono_Xay]

Again, the stuff above is actually a little advanced- perhaps too advanced for me to be posting right now. (part writing, aka composition, is much more complicated, yet, at the same time, somewhat easier to comprehend initially; it's in PRACTICE that part writing is so difficult- there are many little rules that you WANT to follow.)

Here's some guitar theory (NOT to be confused with music theory) which should be easier to read and comprehend. (I'm actually in the middle of teaching my mom how to play guitar/bass and drum set this summer. Haha.)

Did you know that there are five basic chord/scale shapes? I have a book by Barrett Tagliarino from the Musician's Institute called "Guitar Fretboard Workbook: A Complete System for Understanding the Fretboard" (a really neat book which, though I am by no means a "skilled" guitarist, I would personally recommend) where the author calls them 'patterns', but my professor in my college guitar classes calls them shapes. (I'd be inclined to heed the MI book's terminology more, because of their institution's good reputation, but since they're *both* correct...)

Anyway, there are five basic chord/scale shapes which make up something which my guitar professor called the "CAGED system" (so named because of the five most basic, open string chords: C Major, A Major, G Major, E Major, and D Major). You may commonly find songs which use these chord shapes (either in open position or barre'd up the neck). You'll also find that these C, A, G, E, and D shapes--called patterns 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in my MI book--are scale shapes. Take a look below:

C Major scale shape (aka 'Pattern 1'):

(Numbers represent the 'scale degree', and 'x's represent members of the chord which the scale shape is based off of)

e |--x|--4|---|--5|
B |--7|--o|---|--2|
G |--x|---|--6|---|
D |--2|---|--x|--4|
A |--6|---|--7|--o|
E |--3|--4|---|--5|


A Major scale shape (aka 'Pattern 2'):

e |--4|---|--x|---|--6|
B |---|---|--2|---|--x|
G |---|--6|---|--7|--o|
D |---|--3|--4|---|--x|
A |---|--7|--o|---|--2|
E |--4|---|--5|---|--6|


G Major scale shape (aka 'Pattern 3'):

e |--6|---|--7|--o|---|
B |--x|--4|---|(x)|---|
G |--o|---|--2|---|--3|
D |--x|---|--6|---|--7|
A |--2|---|--x|--4|---|
E |---|---|---|--o|---|

(The 'x' in parenthesis just pays respect to another common way the G Major chord can be voiced)


E Major scale shape (aka 'Pattern 4'):

e |--7|--o|---|--2|
B |---|--x|---|--6|
G |--2|---|--x|--4|
D |--6|---|--7|--X|
A |--3|--4|---|--x|
E |---|--o|---|--2|


D Major scale shape (aka 'Pattern 5'):

e |---|--2|---|--x|---|
B |---|--6|---|--7|--o|
G |--3|--4|---|--x|---|
D |--7|--o|---|--2|---|
A |---|--5|---|--6|---|
E |---|--2|---|--3|--4|


You may have noticed that there were certain spots in my diagrams where there should have been either an 'x' or a '1', but in their place was a 'o'. This is because is the MI book I mentioned earlier, where it talks about patterns, before it even gets to chords it first talks about what it calls "root shapes" (i.e. "Pattern 1, 2, 3..."). Now these five root shapes actually overlap each other, as I'll show you below, starting with the C- and A-Major shapes. (pay particular attention to where the 'x/o's are.

e |--x|--4|---|--x|---|--6|---|---|
B |--7|--o|---|--2|---|--x|--4|---|
G |--x|---|--6|---|--7|--o|---|--2|
D |--2|---|--x|--4|---|--x|---|--6|
A |--6|---|--7|--o|---|--2|---|--3|
E |--3|--4|---|--5|---|--6|---|--7|

As I hope you've noticed, these two shapes overlap at the 'o's (the first scale degree; the 'roots') The same holds true for the A- and G-shapes (Patterns 2 and 3), the G- and E shapes (Patterns 3 and 4), and the E- and D-shapes (Patterns 4 and 5). Most importantly, though, it holds true with the D- and C-shapes (Patterns 5 and 1), which means that if you're playing a scale in the D shape (be it a major scale, minor scale, etc.; Pattern 5), and you want to keep moving over the fretboard for whatever reason, you can migrate into the nearby C shape and still be playing the same notes of that chord or scale. (This holds true for ANY mode, as well).

Now, if we apply this realization to the entire fretboard (which, for reasons of typing-space restraints, I'll keep to a maximum of seventeen frets), we get the following:

-------(C; 1)--(A; 2)--(G; 3)----(E; 4)---(D; 5)--(C; 1)--(A; 2)
e |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B |--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|
G |---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|
D |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A |---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|
E |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|


With this in mind, we can now find ANY note on the fretboard of the guitar by following it backward through the five root shapes. Let's take the following, for example:

e |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|


Let's see if we can trace this note back.

-------(G; 3)-----(E; 4)---(D; 5)----(C; 1)
e |---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G |--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D |---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E |---|---|---|--o|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|

It turns out the note is a G#/Ab.


If you want to find diagrams of more chords or scales (such as the Natural minor scale, Harmonic/Melodic minor scales, let alone Major or minor Pentatonic or Blues scales) or any of the modal scales I mentioned earlier, here are a couple of websites I looked up a long time ago that I thought were pretty good:

http://www.guitar-chords.org.uk/
http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/


If you're interested in some music theory, there are a couple of websites which seem to do a half-decent job of getting your toes in the water (I say this as someone who has currently gone through about half of his college music theory classes):

http://www.teoria.com/
http://www.musictheory.net/


Another website I found just seconds ago which would seem to be rather good when it comes to music theory can be found here:

http://musictheoryblog.blogspot.com/

[afterstasis]

Many props to the OP.
I've already taken my lumps in this field, but I'm sure this will be a very handy primer for others.

[Chrono_Xay]

OP would probably make more sense to the music illiterate if it's read bottom up instead of top down.

I hope this doesn't sound insulting, but if someone has never, EVER heard the musical term 'mode' before when it comes to scales, they should prepare to not understand very much of what is said.