Get my head around modes

Parallel, Derivative or Both. That pretty much sums it up.

Parallel - worthless while improvising, works well on paper. I like paper.
Derivative - musical.
Both - I really, really like paper. Watch - I can name a note 49 different ways (within the major scale.) Pretty cool, huh? :lol:

I for one like to add some flavour to soloing or riffing by the use of modes. I especially favour the "minor" modes; Aolian, Dorian and Phrygian (my favourite).

I use the approach of looking at the major/minor pentatonic scales and adding the notes respectively to create the different modes. Works well and it´s fairly non-complicated as we all know the pentatonics by heart.

But I guess it´s a matter of individual preference...

Heyya Staffan. I wrote a lesson based on how you navigate the fretboard. Actually, it turned into an ad for other guitar methods that teach about the same thing. There's no need for me to cover ground that others have done so well.

http://pages.suddenlink.net/skelcore/xxxxxxxx/Five.html

Right on! 8)

I for one like to add some flavour to soloing or riffing by the use of modes. I especially favour the "minor" modes; Aolian, Dorian and Phrygian (my favourite).

I use the approach of looking at the major/minor pentatonic scales and adding the notes respectively to create the different modes. Works well and it´s fairly non-complicated as we all know the pentatonics by heart.

But I guess it´s a matter of individual preference...

How do you do so? Are you using a Phrygian 2 chord vamp, or a drone pedal? If not and you are using chords, chances are that you are simply functioning in this "mode pattern" as Major of Minor. Modal music tends not to be diatonic, and tonal based.

There are sort of advanced dronal ideas in which the progression contains characteristic notes repetitively, but even so if you play anything that wants to pull from the Derivative form, such as the V chord, then you will quickly lose that "modality" and end up playing and functioning as a simple Major or Minor. It's very challenging to make that mode maintain a feeling of "resolution" on the starting note, and its very easy for the Tonic, to "hijack" what you are trying to do, unless you have a strong sense of maintaining that tonal center.

Best,

Sean