Exercise For Learning Major Modes, Fun exercise to learn all 7 modes based on 1 fingering Options

[The Professor]

Just wanted to share an exercise that I like to use when working on and teaching the modes on guitar.

It’s a fun way to learn all 7 major modes, but without learning a totally new fingering for each mode in the scale.

This not only helps get the modes under your fingers, but helps understand the relationship between the different modes at the same time.

To begin, take a look at the modes of the major scale arranged from the “brightest” (containing the most #’s in the key of C) to the “darkest” sounding modes (the ones with the most flats in the key of C).


Lydian - 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7
Ionian - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Mixolydian - 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
Dorian - 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
Aeolian - 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Phrygian - 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Locrian - 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7


You can see that by starting on Lydian, you can just lower one note with each new mode to produce the next sound.

Here’s a chart to help visualize this in the key of C


C Lydian - C D E F# G A B (1 sharp)
C Ionian - C D E F G A B (4th lowered, no sharps/flats)
C Mixolydian - C D E F G A Bb (7th lowered, 1 flat)
C Dorian - C D Eb F G A Bb (3rd lowered, 2 flats)
C Aeolian - C D Eb F G Ab Bb (6th lowered, 3 flats)
C Phrygian - C Db Eb F G Ab Bb (2nd lowered, 4 flats)
C Locrian - C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb (5th lowered, 5 flats)


And here’s how the exercise would look like with a one-octave fingering on the 5th string C, 3rd fret.






As you can see, if you play the Lydian fingering, you just lower the 4th note and you’ve got an Ionian fingering without having to learn a completely new scale shape for that mode. You are essentially building new mode fingerings from ones you already know.

Try playing through this exercise in this key and position. Then take it to other keys and positions around the neck to see how it can be expanded to cover the entire fretboard.

The key is to see the one-note differences between each mode, allowing you to build upon fingerings you’ve already learned rather than having to learn a totally new fingering each time you learn a new mode.

If you know a Locrian fingering, you just lower the 4th note by a fret and now you know an Ionian fingering.

If you know an Ionian fingering, you just lower the 7th note by a fret and now you know a Mixolydian fingering, and so on.


Check this exercise out and if you have any questions or comments post them below.

Have you checked out this method of approaching modes before? What do you think about it?

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