Guitar modes are one of the first things you want to get accustomed with when you are starting to play the guitar. They can easily seem confusing, and knowing where to start can help save you from a lot of trouble. Learning the different guitar modes can be simple and fun with these simple beginner tips.

Know the Guitar Modes

There are seven different guitar modes. Occasionally guitar modes are referred to as the modal scales or modal styles, so keep this in mind when listening to guitar lessons or browsing for tips online.

The seven guitar modes are:

• Ionian mode
• Dorian mode
• Phyrigian mode
• Lydian mode
• Mixolydian mode
• Aeolian mode
• Locrian mode

Classical guitarist Matt D’Netto has written a comprehensive guide to guitar modes. This information package also has great scale patterns to help you understand how each mode is played on the guitar.

Essentially, the easiest way to understand guitar modes is by understanding that they are patterns that play each scale a little differently. You can pick a major scale, such as A major, and start it from each note on the scale and you’d have played all the seven guitar modes.

For instance, the A major scale goes like this: A B C# D E F# G# A

If you wanted to play it in the Dorian mode, you’d play it by changing your root note to B. So the scale for Dorian mode goes: B C# D E F# G# A B

For Phyrigian mode the starting note would be the third and the mode goes: C# D E F# G# A B

As you might have figured out, the list continues in the similar fashion. The Lydian mode starts with the fourth note, Mixolydian mode with the fifth, Aeolian with the sixth and Locrian with the seventh.

Best Mode for Beginners

Although all of the modes are relatively straightforward, some of them are easier and more useful to learn as you start playing the guitar. The Ionian mode starts from the first note of the major scale, so it is naturally the same as each of the major scales. This makes it one of the easiest to remember.

In addition, the Aeolian mode is the natural minor scale, making it very simple to learn together with the Ionian scale. You should start with these two and practice them until you are comfortable.

Once you are comfortable with the two modes, you can move onto the Dorian mode. The Aeolian and Dorian mode only differ by one note, so you won’t have trouble mastering the new mode.

After that, the Phyrigian mode will come naturally, as it only differs from the Aeolian mode by one note.

Finally, you can master the Mixolydian mode, since you only need to change one note in the progression to the Ionian mode.

The Lydian and Locrian modes are the most demanding of all the guitar modes and you shouldn’t learn them until you’ve gotten a hang of all the others.

Practice Regularly

You definitely need to practice playing the guitar modes a lot in order to master them. The Pro Lick series can be a great way to enhance your playing and see how to use the different modes in action.

In addition, you should also practice the modes on top of backing tracks. Backing tracks can help you make better use of the sound and to understand how the modes work in connection with the music. Check out Coffee Break Grooves for basic guitar backing tracks.