Tip: Practicing Modes (Part 4)

Darrin Koltow Blog Scales and Modes for Guitar

We’re going to continue exploring modes in this issue, the C Ionian mode in particular. We’ve used chords and arpeggios to convey the C Ionian sound, and have started on using scales to convey that sound.

The first scale to choose in giving the C Ionian sound is the C major scale, which we played in a couple of different ways last issue. Now let’s try yet another scale that’s not the C major, but that still gives the C major/C Ionian sound:

This is the C Lydian scale, which can often substitute for the C Ionian sound, or convey the same basic feeling or mood as C Ionian. C Lydian is played with the G major scale, which has six out of seven notes in common with the C major scale “” that’s why we can use G major to give a C major sound. The key is to start and end the scale on the C note. If you start the G major scale on a note besides C, you’ll be conveying some other mood besides C Ionian /C Lydian.

Thanks for reading.

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News – March 15, 2009 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.