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The modes presented here are just 3 out of the 7 diatonic modes. Two of the other 4 should already be familiar to you. They are: Ionian, which is nothing more or less than the major scale; and Aeolian, which is the minor (natural) scale. This leaves: Dorian, which is very similar to the natural minor scale, and Locrian, which is probably one of the least used scales/modes in music (except maybe to solo over certain chords) .

  For the moment, you should concentrate on these three modes, and make sure you learn and hear them well before moving on to other stuff. Just like with other aspects of music, you need to build strong foundations. Learning too many scales at a time will only ensure that you play none well.

Try to remember that every mode has it’s distinctive flavor. And it’s usually just one or two notes (intervals) that create that distinctive flavor. It’s these notes that you should try to recognize. For example, if you listen to Sting’s « when we dance »; at first it just sounds like a basic major-scale sound, but then he sings that #4 and everything just changes. Just that one note gives the whole song a different feel and flavor. And this is important: each mode has a different spice or flavor to it, and they often have an effect on our emotions. Movie composers know that well, and have been using changing modes to play with or heighten our emotions since the beginning of cinema.

If you decide to jump ahead and look at other modes, don’t forget about context! It’s good to know what scale each mode is derived from, but remember that if you’re playing mode X (that is related to or derived from mode Y) that you should be hearing an X tonality (try a drone on X), and not Y. If you’re hearing Y as the tonal center while trying to play mode X, then you’re just wasting your time.

As stated before, listening and recognizing are crucial. Record yourself playing different modes and see if you can tell which one is being played and where the characteristic notes are. Also, a good way of seeing if you have understood something is trying to explain it to others. So go and find someone patient (preferably a musician) and see if you can teach them what you’ve learned.