Chords for The Modes Explained 1 - What are the modes? - Guitar modes lesson

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_ _ _ _ Hello and welcome [Gm] to the first video in my new video listening series, [G] The Modes Explained.
_ Now I absolutely love the modes.
I first got my head around them when I was 18 and I've been in love with them [N] ever since and it's one of my
main life goals to teach as many people as I can about the modes because I think they're just so brilliant.
_ Anyway, so let's get started.
At the moment, I just want you to think of the modes as positions of the major scale.
Ionian, _ otherwise known as the major scale.
_ Dorian, _ Phrygian, Lydian,
_ Mixolydian, Aeolian, otherwise known as the minor scale, and finally, Locrian.
_ _ _ [C] _ These positions link up horizontally just like how the pentatonic shapes do.
Play through the notes of the three note per string C major shape from root to octave as shown by the red circles.
This is the Ionian mode. _ _ _
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Notice the C major chord in the background.
That'll be important very soon.
_ _ _ The shape is different for the next position, the Dorian mode.
It begins on the second interval of the C major scale.
So the starting note is now D on fret number 10. _ _ _
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Notice that we're still [N] playing over that C major chord. _
By moving along one note at a time and continuing to horizontally link up the shapes along the neck,
you will have played through all of the modes of C major and
if played over a C major chord, you will get that typically happy or uplifting sound associated with the major scale. _ _ _ _
So you might be thinking to yourself, big deal,
I played through the positions of a scale and they happen to have fancy Greek names.
You know, what is the big deal with that?
Well, it won't be apparent,
you know, the magic of the modes won't be apparent until you change the underlying chord from a C major
to another chord in the key of C major.
So this time,
you play the C major scale and I'll change the chords underneath and you'll see firsthand the magic of the modes. _
Play up and down the C major scale as I play a C major [C] chord.
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By playing the C major scale over a C major chord, your brain has automatically decided that C is the tonal focus.
As a result, your lead work will sound happy and we can say that the mode expressed is C Ionian.
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But listen to what happens when I switch to a different chord in the key of C, an A minor.
Play the C major scale as you did before.
_ [Am] _
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_ Notice how even though you were playing the same notes, this time they sounded sad.
This is because your brain decided that the A note of the A minor chord was now the tonal focus.
_ This time the expressed mode is A Aeolian.
[Em] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Here's one last chord change example.
Play the C major scale over an E minor chord. _
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_ _ _ _ _ [N] Your brain now considers E to be the tonal center and magically makes the notes of C major sound Phrygian.
So this time the mode expressed is E Phrygian. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ I believe that the way we perceive this strange interaction between chords and lead work is the reason why chord progressions even exist.
_ _ It's funny that we can play the same notes, but depending on what chord is underneath, it changes the feeling. _
_ Anyway, I hope you liked the first video in this [Gm] series.
I hope it didn't confuse too many people.
If you found it helpful, you know, share it with your guitar playing friends [F#] and
[G#] don't forget to subscribe.
_ And if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below because I'd love to answer as soon as I can. _ _
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