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Where those two extra notes live — the "Hidden in Plain Sight" method. Starting from the rectangle and stack you already know, you'll learn a simple geometric rule for placing each mode's two color notes: the brighter the mode, the further they shift toward the bridge. The same pattern reveals matched pairs (Lydian/Dorian, Ionian/Aeolian, Mixolydian/Phrygian) that differ only by which note is the root — and it reproduces the familiar in-position (CAGED) mode fingerings, except now you always know which notes are pentatonic and which are color.
What follows is this lesson’s section of the Course Guide — you can read it here or in the full guide →
We can easily play all seven notes of a major scale mode by positioning two additional notes in or around the pentatonic rectangle and stack shapes. Since each rectangle or stack can represent either a major or a minor pentatonic scale, each configuration of added notes can be used to play a pair of modes, one minor and one major. These pairs are arranged in order of brightness.
I call this the hidden in plain sight method.
Memorize this: The added notes fall inside the pentatonic rectangle. They are both shifted toward the bridge to play Dorian and Lydian (the brightest minor and major modes). They are shifted toward the nut to play Phrygian and Mixolydian (the darkest minor and major modes). They fall in a staggered pattern to play the Aeolian and Ionian modes (the natural minor and major scales). To remember this, notice that the brighter the mode, the more the added notes are shifted toward the bridge.
Memorize this: The added notes fall just outside the pentatonic stack. They are shifted up and toward the nut to play the Dorian and Lydian modes. They are shifted down and toward the bridge to play the Phrygian and Mixolydian modes. Finally, they are staggered to play the Aeolian and Ionian modes. To remember this, notice that the brighter the mode, the more the added notes are shifted toward the higher strings.
If we alternate rectangles and stacks vertically, and add the notes in accordance with these patterns, we recreate the in-position fingering patterns that are printed in countless guitar method books. For example, here are the Ionian (or major scale) patterns:
There are multiple benefits to thinking of these scales as notes layered on top of pentatonic rectangles and stacks. For one, there’s no need to memorize the full six-string patterns. Second, the patterns you create using this method can be used on any fretted instrument that is tuned in fourths. Third, and most important, this approach provides a useful hierarchy of notes: we always know where to find the root, the core triad target notes, the pentatonic scale notes, and the two additional notes that determine the sound of the mode.
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