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Ideally, this article's aim is to be a « no nonsense » approach to modes, without there being too much technical stuff or theory. And while the attempt was made to try and make it as straightforward as possible, there are, of course, a certain number of basic things you probably need to know.

To play the scales (modes) that are given here in E, you need know nothing other than where the notes are found on your instrument. But if you want to transpose them to other keys (something you should learn to do) you’ll need to know something about intervals, or at least know the difference between a half-step and a whole-step. Since the modes we’ll be dealing with are related to the major scale, it’s a good idea to learn how a major scale is constructed, if you don’t already know.

The Formula for a Major Scale is as Follows:

Ascending: Root (any note) + WS + WS + HS + WS + WS + WS + HS (and you should end up an octave above the starting note)

WS = whole-step, HS = half-step (for a guitarist or bassist, HS = 1 fret, WS = 2 frets)

If you follow this formula you’ll get a major scale. A major scale has the following intervals within it (all related to the root):

Between root and second note: Major 2nd
Between root and third note: Major 3rd
Between root and fourth note: Perfect 4th
Between root and fifth note: Perfect 5th
Between root and sixth note: Major 6th
Between root and seventh note: Major 7th

In the key of C Major : C D E F G A B C
In the key of E Major : E F#G# A B C# D# E

When I speak about how each of the modes differs from the major scale I’ll be making reference to these intervals.

Once you understand these intervals and how modes are constructed, you should then be able to transpose these scales, to any other key (tonal center). Or, of course, if you’re a bassist or guitarist you could just take the easy way out and move the fingerings up or down the neck. But this won’t help you in the long run.

Important Points:

The mode examples: Throughout this article I’ve used E as the tonal center. The reasons for doing so are twofold:
1. It’s important to get away from the key of C and the strong associations and confusion of the modes in this Key (especially for keyboardists). We often see the diatonic modes of C major listed one after the other in diagrams. And when we play them in order (starting with C major), we’ve already got the C major sound in our head and so we don’t hear the mode being played, just more of C Major! Therefore the crucial element for each mode, context, is lost.
2. By putting the examples in E, I’m hoping that it will be easier for Guitarists and Bassists to use their low E string as a drone while they play the scales/modes on top of it (It won‘t make any difference to keyboardists). This will come in handy when no other drone source is available.

The Progressions: As stated above, everything depends on context, and Rhythm, especially harmonic rhythm (an oft neglected topic) plays a crucial role in musical context. These progressions need to be played in such a way (rhythmically) that there will be no doubt about the tonal center. This doesn’t necessarily mean starting on the I chord (though this is often the case), but you should at all times feel the tonal center (in this case E) and should always hear this tonal center as being the final resting place of the piece/improvisation, even if you choose "not" to end on the I chord (Tonic).

Bass Drone : The chord progressions given here can (and should) all be played with, in this case, an E bass/drone on the bottom. So if, for example, I say in E Lydian, a typical progression is E - F# - E, you should also try it as E - F#/E (F# with an E in the bass) - E. It's even preferable at this stage to play it like that since it will give you even a stronger feeling for the flavor of the mode, and will give you new ideas for chords with different bass notes other than their roots.

About Chords In a Given Scale/Mode: This is very important because you need to know which chords are native (diatonic) to which mode so you don‘t play any chords that are outside the scale. I won’t be going into how these chords are derived for the moment because it involves a little more theory than I have space for in this article. I’ll be dealing with this theme at a latter time. For the moment, try transposing the given chord progression examples into other keys.