Exploring Modes on the Guitar
Dec 31, 2020
This diagram shows all notes of the G major scale between the 2nd and 15th fret. Notes of the G major pentatonic are colored green, except for the root, which is blue. Using each note of the major scale as a tonic yields the seven different modes
- Ionian/Major (G),
- Dorian (A),
- Phrygian (B),
- Lydian (C),
- Mixolydian (D),
- Aeolian/Minor (E),
- Locrian (F#).
If we start playing each mode on the lower E string and try to play without stretching or moving our hand too much, we naturally end up with five different positions: one position starting from each note of the pentatonic scale because in two cases two modes can be played in the same position (Phrygian/Lydian and Aeolian/Locrian).