I've recently been getting more into the scale modes or modal playing. After playing for years it never mean't much to me. I know my keys and such. Play mostly in Ionian. Since I've gotten into this subject more I have been trying to make sense of some of it.
 
A lot of the recent music I play is in Dorian mode.
 
Those who are more enlightened on this subject maybe you can tell me if this is accurate? Each mode shifts up one whole step but retains the same scale step increments , mainly the 3rd and 4th and the 7th and 8th as micro tonal steps or half steps. There can be minor and major modes of the same scales in different modes. IOW a D Dorian can be major or minor.
 
The most common modes seem to be Ionian, Dorian and Aeolian. Some songs go between modes in the same song. This is really the first time I have looked at music structure this way. I know it's basic theory. Just haven't had a need to use it until recently.
 
How would you recommend to get started learning it. I'm guessing you would learn to play all the major scales in every mode. Seven modes seven scales or 49 scales in every mode.
 
Most musicians seem to commonly play in only a handful of Ionian scales. Mainly because they are easier to play on their instrument or their instrument isn't capable to play all of those.
 
Jazz musicians are probably the most versatile because they know where fold one thing into another and make the two relate.
 
 

Feeling kind of crappy today so not sure how in depth I'll go with this but the easiest way (IMO) to understand modal theory is on a piano keyboard.
 
Find a C (white key next to the series of keys that have two, not three black keys). Play all the white keys (no black keys) up to the next C (one octave higher). This is of course the C major scale. Look at where the unplayed black keys are positioned. It will create the tone/semi-tone pattern of the Major scale which in modal theory is called the Ionian mode. Now move up one white key (which is D) and play all the white keys up to the next D. That is the Dorian mode and again the black keys will show you the Tone/Semi-tone patter of Dorian. Just keep moving up one white key at a time until your starting point is on C again (an octave higher than where you started of course).
 
These are the "natural" modes of C Major. The capitlization (or lack thereof) of the Roman numerals denote the "quality" of the triad chord created by the mode (capitalized = Major triad, not capitalized = minor triad*):
 
I = C = Ionian (Major scale)
ii = D = Dorian
iii = E = Phrygian
IV = F = Lydian
V = G = Mixolydian
vi = A = Aeolian (natural minor)
vii* = B = Locrian (please note that Locrian has a diminished 5th, the only natural mode that does, and is sometimes referred to as a half diminished scale)
 
You can train your ear to recognize the feel of each mode through sequential repetition which become important when applying modes to other keys.
 
To translate this to other keys just find/pick a root Major for whatever key you want to play in. Using the Circle of Fifths to work through all the keys and their modes sequentially is extremely beneficial and how I learned to play all modes in all keys in all positions.
 
So take that Root note and play your Major (Ionian) scale to see where the sharp and/or flat notes appear. For example moving one step up in the Circle of Fifths will land you on G which has one sharp note that appears on the 7th step. That will remain the only sharp throughout all of the modes of G Major so you can just do what we did before and move up one note at a time playing up to the octave.
 
You may be familiar with the conept of "Relative Major/minor" in more traditional theory. They use the same notes but at different starting points. Modal theory just fills in the extra five scales within the keys.
 
HOWEVER be aware that Harmonic and Melodic minor do NOT fit in to any of the natural modes (this is why Aeolian is referred to as the Natural minor). For both of those scales you are slightly altering the natural pattern. In the case of Harmonic minor you raise the 7th step of the Aeolian mode one semitone. This will create an entirely new set of 7 modes you can play with (and some of them are pretty freaky deaky).
 
For melodic minor (and my addled mind is hopefully not fudging this up) you take the pattern of a Major (Ionian) scale and flat the Major 3rd which makes the scale minor. HOWEVER it's position in the modal steps is still on the vi (sixth) step of the relative major scale. Again this creates a whole new set of modes to play with.
 
There are many different names used in different genres/theories for these altered modes but to make things easy on myself and others I just name them after their corresponing natural mode and add Harm or Mel in front.
 
So "Harmonic" Aeolian or "Melodic Lydian".
 
Also note that in traditional classical theory you only temporarily shift to the Harmonic/Melodic minors at specific times (I don't think I want to dig into that too much right now because it requires some extra mental trickery) whilst generally playing in the natural modes/chords. With melodic minor in classical theory there is another weird thing where it's played different going up than it is going down (don't even get me started how weird and dumb that is but it's what they do). IIRC the upward version of Mel minor is the altered variant (so actually melodic minor) and then on the way down it's played as natural minor (Aeolian). I may have that flip flopped in my head though.... rough night.
 
So you've essentially got 7 modes x 3 for a total of 21 distinct diatonic modes.
 
If you work through it all methodically and in every key (using the CoF) then you can pretty much do anything. Most other scales are just variations based on those modes that drop a couple notes (like pentatonic scales) or add in chromatics at specific spots (like the minor blues scale or mixo blues scales).
 
The only other commonly used scales NOT covered by this theory are symmetrical scales but they are pretty simple to figure out.
 
Hopefully that helps you (and I didn't miss the point), Starise.
 
Cheers!

oh... and of course multiple THIS...
 
"So you've essentially got 7 modes x 3 for a total of 21 distinct diatonic modes."
 
by 12 to cover all the keys.
 
You get some REALLY crazy playing options on guitar when you apply the modes to certain keys so it's really beneficial to try it all out. Riff/Lick-O-rama, yo!
 

Beepster
You may be familiar with the conept of "Relative Major/minor" in more traditional theory. They use the same notes but at different starting points. Modal theory just fills in the extra five scales within the keys.
 
HOWEVER be aware that Harmonic and Melodic minor do NOT fit in to any of the natural modes (this is why Aeolian is referred to as the Natural minor). For both of those scales you are slightly altering the natural pattern. In the case of Harmonic minor you raise the 7th step of the Aeolian mode one semitone. This will create an entirely new set of 7 modes you can play with (and some of them are pretty freaky deaky).
 

 
Beepster, when you play in natural minor are you thinking of it as its own scale? Or do you associate it with its relative major and thinking of that major scale?  I'm wondering if I need to start getting my head into these minor scales without thinking of their major scale relations.  It's hard for me to "see" Dorian...I just see the second position of the major scale.  
 
Like Starise, I'm getting into modes and theory after all these years, and I have been associating the minor dorian, phrygian and aeolian with the relative major for a bit now, and I'm worried I'm setting myself up for a hard time learning the Harmonic and Melodic minors since there is no relative major to default to.  

Hi, Voda. I pretty much approached/learned this all sitting down with some chart paper years ago and extrapolating based on a scale book and after I had written everything out in all keys I went through a more classical oriented theory book to see if it all jibed (and it did)... sooo I am coming at it from a bit of an oddball/outsider perspective. Just so you guys know (full disclosure and all that).
 
I think really for what you are asking I'm gonna have to say "both". It is always important and useful to keep your relative Major in mind when playing modally. That makes it far easier to move around the fretboard, know which chords are accessible to you and exactly what modes you can modulate up/down to for soloing.
 
That said it is easy to become "glued" to your relative Major or minor (in classical minor receives equal weight/footing as Major when in modal theory and reality it is just the sixth step).
 
The trick is to really learn each mode as if they were the "I" chord/scale. Let it dominate the rhythm and thus the melody. For example pretend Dorian is your "I" and play a "I", "IV", "V" sequence (like a 12 bar blues).
 
In Dorian the "I" chord is minor, the "IV" chord is Major and the "V" is minor. It'll sound weird at first but you get used to it. Then you can goof around with other chord progression that fall under the Dorian modes paramaters like scooting up to minor "III" and down again.
 
Another nice thing about knowing all your modes in all keys is once you have it nailed you interchange the 3 Major modes with each and the 3 minor modes (and sometimes the half diminished Locrian) to change the mood of a solo midway. This can get tricky but as long as the rhythm chords being played at a specific point do not clash with the mode (or the notes of the mode you are currently playing...).
 
I find the most interchangeable modes are Dorian and Aeolian and to a slight lesser extent (for me) Ionian and Mixolydian.
 
The crazy thing is once you get all this under your hat and apply it practically you start to realize "Crap, I just learned all this insane and persnickety theory and it's all swappable and bendable anyway". However what it DOES do is provide many more options and an ability to hook into material very quickly and logical.
 
Rules are made to be broken but to break them with maximum efficiency one must first know what the rules actually are. In fact classical music consistently breaks modal theory rules with the weird Melodic/Harmonic minors and the cadences the get used in/over top of. THAT takes a lot of screwing around to get right because it';s essentially illogical. Sounds good though so it stuck.
 
Cheers and sorry... I am completely spaced today so that might come across as weird psuedo intellectual horsehockey. Works for me though.
 
 

Oops... I made a bit of a typo/mental fart... but not really.
 
In Dorian the third step is a minor third but the chord it creates is a Major chord.
 
Just to clarify.
 
:)
 

Oh and another EXTREMELY useful exercise to do once you have your fingers and ears wrapped around all the modes in all the keys is to then arpeggiate the triads within each key. So "I", "III", "V". This not only hammers home what chords appear in what order in all keys (and their modes) it also trains your ears/fingers to gravitate toward the "sweet" notes whilst soloing. When ever in doubt figure out what chord you are playing over top of and noodle around those three triad notes.
 
If that makes sense.
 

Okay, this thread has got my brain on this (nice distraction after last night's disaster in ON... I really need to get back to work on my "book" about this crap).
 
One of my favorite modes to goof around in is Lydian. I mean I like them all but that one is a particularly unique sounding one that doesn't get as much love as it derserves. Due to the "augmented" (sharped) IV step and its otherwise "Major" scale construction it creates a weird ethereal sound. Just droning out on the Maj chord root then launching into the scale to solo you get some crazy shnizzle.
 
Jazz guys of course use it quite a bit but in the rock world Zappa, Beck and Vai are doods who really employed it quite a bit and very effectively.
 
Highly recommend playing around in that one. It's also a really slick finger bender in it's first pattern formation (uh... hard to explain that breifly but root on open low E or when further up the neck index finger fretting the root note then not moving below that root on the fretboard).

And here's Beepster's handy guide the subjective textures/moods of the various modes (which are at least partially pulled directly from my butt):
 
Ionian: As the natural major it's uses are rather obvious and many. It's "happy" and the basis of pretty much most "non-minor" classical music as well as a lot of country, pop and pop rock. This is actually my LEAST favorite mode because of it's historic overuse and kind of hokey sound but of course it is a crucial mode/scale to know.
 
Dorian: This is an interesting one because it's kind of a "happy" minor. Great for blues, rock and folk music. I use Dorian as the main underlying foundation of my minor blues scale instead of the nat minor because of the Major 6th step (which is what gives it it's "happy" quality while remaining a minor scale). SRV, Jimi and many other blues and/or rock players use(d) it extensively BUT for blues you don't want to fully lock yourself down in Dorian for your chord progressions... particularly on the 5th which benefits from being played as a Major chord instead of Dorian's minor 5th.
 
Phrygian: Kind of foreign/middle eastern sounding, very colorful and ominous. Great for metal and/or adding a non western flair to a tune/solo. Riding on the root minor chord and noodling around the mode is very satisfying if you're into creepier/darker tones.
 
Lydian: Already touched on this one upthread but kind of spacey/ethereal sounding. As noted earlier Beck, Vai, Zappa used it a lot and it can be found in a lot of prog music as well as in quirkier jazz tunes.
 
Mixolydian: Happy country blues/rock/country feel. It's kind of twangy because of the minor (flatted) 7th which gives it a minor blues aspect (kind of like Dorian) but it is most definitely a Major scale and since it is the "Dominant" V of the major scale it is extremely important to know when playing in natural Major (Ionian). The very commonly used Mixo-Blues scale is based on Mixolydian.
 
Aeolian: Natural minor. Sad, dark, classical sounding. Great for almost anything really but old school metal and "sad" folk music would be the best descriptive applications. In traditional theory this is your relative minor to the key's relative Major and can be used as your root "I" scale/chord. When you do that your Major (Ionian "I") becomes the third step of your minor key. Now this is even weirder and based on classical theory BUT when attempting to compose a harmony in a minor key it is considered to break the natural modal patterns and play the minor "v" of natural minor as a Major "V" chord. That is what the Harmonic minor is essentially designed/used for. Just that temporary bumping up of the "v/V" to Major status. Try it out. In nat minor if you do a i, iv, v progression all those chords are minor (which, by the way is the same case for natural Major (Ionian) except the I, IV an V are all majors... this is, fraom I can glean, at least one of the reasons why we refer to "Perfect" I, IV and V in both those modes/Natural scales instead of "Major/minor" like the rest of the diatonic steps... er I may have just nereded out a bit too much... moving on).
 
Locrian: This is pure raunch, rank, odd/evil sounding, semi-atonal (to the ear) stuff. The diminished (flatted) V step makes the root chord a diminished chord. Totally metal and if you've ever heard the term "Devil's 5th"... this scale's got it. One thing to note though is that over using this can get tiresome real quick because it never fully provides the "dominant" pre-resolve feel that a perfect fifth would. So even though the "Perfect" 5th does not exist in the Locrian mode it's good to play the root as a proper 5th/minor every so often as you shred away. When doing that though remember to alter your melodies to reflect that shift so as not to clash with the perfect 5th step. Essentially momentarily move the entire key/mode pattern to either Phrygian (which is very similar to Locrian and complimentary), Aeolian or even the Harmonic/Melodic minors (Harmonic minor is a better bet). Also check out the 5th mode of Harmonic minor. That's another crazy one that works well when riffing out based on Locrian. It has minor 2nd and a major third which is nice and creepy as well as middle eastern sounding. If you are familiar with The Pogues' "Turkish Song of the Damned" the main melody intro lick is in the 5th mode of Harmonic minor (the root in that song is A).
 
/ramble

looots of typos and borked up sentences/statements in pretty much most of my posts ITT but I don't feel like going back and editing at the moment.
 
Should be reasonably clear but if anything is confuzzling anyone just ask and I'll attempt to clarify.
 
Just too mangled today to keep my brain dumps up to reasonable standards of coherency.
 
lol
 
Cheers.