GUITAR
THE ROAD TO MODES – PART 2 : CHORDS | David Harsh
Welcome to the next level of our discussion of modes . If you have some familiarity with modes on the guitar with individual notes and you ’ re ready to learn how to leverage modes with chords , you ’ re in the right place .
Now , if you ’ re not quite ready for this step because you need a little bit of an introduction to modes themselves , I ’ ve got good news for you . I ’ ve created a mini-lesson that sets up today ’ s lesson perfectly . I encourage you to experience that one first from the February 2023 of Worship Musician . It ’ s called “
The Road to Modes – Part 1 : Notes .”
On the other hand , if you ’ re ready to tackle modes with chords , then let ’ s jump in with today ’ s mini-lesson !
I highly recommend watching the accompanying instructional video , while it ’ s available , because hearing these modes and watching me play them will change the game for your ears and eyes in a way that my typed words and diagrams won ’ t be able to .
Last time , we talked about the 7 diatonic modes . For your review , the names of the
modes are : Ionian , Dorian , Phrygian , Lydian , Mixolydian , Aeolian , and Locrian . The modes with the Major quality are the Ionian , Lydian and Mixolydian , and the modes with the minor quality are the Dorian , Phrygian , Aeolian and Locrian .
Last time , we played all the modes in the key center of C Major . Just to illustrate that modes can be found based on any key signature , today , let ’ s use the very guitar-friendly key of G Major .
The seven notes we ’ ll use to tackle everything we need today are : G , A , B , C , D , E , and F #.
One of the useful tools I ’ ve created for harmonizing a scale , especially in open position , is something I call the Skipping Scale . ( And if you want to check out my Worship Musician article / video on that – please do – it ’ s called
“ The Art of the Skipping Scale ” from September of 2021 .)
Basically , we walk up the scale from the lowest version of each note , and skip back down once we hit the open 4 th string D .
So , if I play a G Major scale in this way , I ’ d play the notes G , A , B , C , D , then I ’ d SKIP down to open E , F #, and finish on G . What ’ s another name for the G Major scale ? That ’ s right – the G Ionian mode .
All the other modes can be achieved in this manner . I ’ ll supply a table for the G Major Skipping Scale with my diagram .
These seven notes can then be used for what purpose ? To harmonize the scale with chords . We can latch the chords onto these degrees – and with seven notes , how many chords will we use ? Wait for it – just seven chords .
Keep them in the same order , and these modes will unfold right before your eyes and ears .
Now , to be fully transparent , I will say that there are two chords in the key of G that are less commonly used , at least by those who are newer to the guitar . The first one is the minor iii chord , B minor , which is commonly articulated as a bar chord .
The other chord which could make things a