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Time to play the modes, not just understand them. Using C as the root, you'll practice adding the two color notes two ways: first around a single rectangle or stack — with a triad drone so you can actually hear each mode's flavor — then across full in-position patterns, emphasizing the root to lock in both the shape and the sound. Special attention goes to placing the extra notes cleanly when a shape crosses the warp. Take it to other positions and keys on your own.
What follows is this lesson’s section of the Course Guide — you can read it here or in the full guide →
The goal of these exercises is to become comfortable playing the major scale modes anywhere on the fretboard where you can find a root note.
Optional Exercise: Use a “freeze” pedal to create a C major triad drone. Find a C note on the fretboard and visualize a major pentatonic stack there. Play the root, then play the notes of the pentatonic scale. Visualizing the added notes in the “bright” configuration (on the upper strings toward the nut), play from the root up to the top of the stack, then down to the bottom of the stack and back to the root to hear the sound of the Lydian mode. Visualize the added notes in the “staggered” configuration and repeat to hear the sound of the Ionian mode. Finally, repeat with the added notes in the “dark” configuration to hear the sound of the Mixolydian mode.
Change the drone to a C minor triad and repeat with a minor rectangle, creating the sounds of the Dorian, Aeolian, and Phrygian modes.
Repeat the entire exercise with the root under your ring finger and using the major pentatonic rectangle and minor stack shapes.
The C major triad drone the exercise asks for, no pedal needed. Switch the chord to Cm for the minor-mode half.
C3 · E3 3 · G3 5
Exercise 1: Find a C note anywhere on the fretboard. For all eight scales (major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, and each of the six pentatonic-based major scale modes), play the scale in position up from the root to the highest note in the pattern, then play back down to the root. Then play down the scale to the lowest note in that position, and finally play back up to the root. Whenever you play any root note, emphasize it.
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