Rick, I’m 60 years old. At the age of 15, I learned basic music theory from a crusty, classically trained piano teacher from Hayward, CA named Alfred Haldeen. What he taught me in the six months I studied with him gave me the gift of playing by ear. Your lesson here, 45 years later, was the single greatest epiphany I’ve had in understanding music since learning the 1-4-5 basic chord progression in 1975. Granted, I’ve taken a lot of time away from music in the interim, but Aha! moments like this are crucial to revitalizing latent interests and reigniting the fire in an older belly. Thanks, and kudos also for the livestream you did in the minutes following the announcement of EVH’s passing. Reminds me we need to revere and appreciate the musical treasures we still have on this earth while we can.
If you learned everything in music in 6 months you are a genius. It usually takes yrs and if you go to a top music institution where you just do music full time you can do it in 2 yrs. Music gets very complex when you are doing classical studies. Then after that you can learn all styles and become a professor of music. This takes over a decade.
The =worst= musical advice from a music teacher, which I unfortunately listened to at the time, was: "Don't Play By Ear!" It was not until many, many years later that I realized that "this is the only way to play." If you merely content yourself with exactly reproducing what is on the printed page - although this "copy-typing" is a useful skill to develop - you're just a copy-typist. You also need to close your eyes and LISTEN to what you are playing.
You probably dont care but does anyone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..? I stupidly forgot the account password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.
I was in orchestra for 12 years playing double bass. I have never had modes explained so well. You teach like a musician, not like a teacher. It works man.
There's so many professional classical musicians who go years without really knowing what the modes are. Definitely a huge gap in the formal "music theory" courses taught at universities and conservatories.
Bought your book a while ago to remind me of all the musical knowledge I once had . It's all flooding back, I'm feeling like a new man. Better than buying a Porsche to make me feel relevant!
One of the basic things to know, for those who don't understand modes, is that although a song may be in C, the other chords in the progression may make it so that playing a different scale will sound better. When you play other scales in C, those scales are called modes of C and have names. So if you play an F scale over a C chord, you're playing a C Mixolydian mode. If you play a Bb scale over an F chord, that's an F Mixolydian mode. Rick is showing the opposite side of the same coin - You can play a C scale over other chords and that C scale becomes a mode of that chord. Play a C scale over a G and it's G Mixolydian, play a C over an A and its A Aeolian, etc..
@FU 50cent To someone who has little or no music theory, that was as clear as mud. My comment was just intended to give a novice an idea of what modes are all about.
@FU 50cent That goes so far over my head it's not even funny. I'm just starting to learn music theory and I don't think I'll ever be able to think like that. Not enough time in my life to learn all that!
@@Billy-ho5ms Ya know, my intent was to make a simple comment and I realize I still went too far. Let me try to sum up what I said in one short sentence - Just because a song is in, say, the key of C, that doesn't mean you can only play notes in the C major scale. And for a bit of encouragement... you don't need to understand modes to use them, and you probably already are using them - when you play the blues pentatonic scale in A (i.e., A Blues, also call A minor blues), you're playing 5 notes in the C major scale. That's a mode! That's A Aeolian. If you play the A major pentatonic blues scale (where C and F are sharps), you're playing 5 notes in a D Major scale - that 's A Mixolydian.
You are impressive. I come from famous bloodline and have been playing for 49 yrs and teaching for 39yrs so its always nice to see a true player in action. God Bless CROPPER
Quick list of the mode structures of the major scale modes that someone wanted to video description. Ionian 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (major scale) Dorian 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 Phrygian 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 Lydian 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 Mixolydian 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 Aeolian 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 (natural minor scale) Locrian 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 Btw. I bought all the Rick's coffee mugs with different modes for different scales. Easy way to memorize modes or refresh your memory if you don't know all the mode for different scales. I have coffee mug always at my computer, so it's easy to look at anytime. I knew the major and some of the melodic minor ones the coffee mugs have helped me to memorize other ones too. I'm not Rick's second account trying to sell his mugs :).
@Naki Ryan "Your fingering for every key changes" Exactly! I'm also a guitar player who's currently in the process of learning to play keys and this is exactly what I'm finding most challenging about it. I do appreciate the simple layout of the keyboard and I would say that learning some of the basics such as the major scale, triads and chords is even easier than it is on guitar. However when you go to apply what you've learned in the key of C major (which is where most people start) to other keys it's almost like starting over from scratch. Sure it's easy enough to figure out how to transpose a chord or scale you already know in C to a new key by simply applying the correct formula for construction as Rick is doing in this video, but in order to play something proficiently (especially at a fast tempo) you need muscle memory. The human brain just doesn't work fast enough to be constantly applying formulas in order to know which notes to play. Of course over time I will get to know the different fingering patterns that each key creates and they will eventually become second nature but this is a challenge that doesn't even exist on the guitar. Through my many years of guitar playing whenever I would learn something new, I would always apply it to the key of C major first. Once I have fully integrated the new concept into what I already know, moving it to another key is easy peasy. It almost requires no extra thought or effort at all. Of course the guitar has its own unique challenges as well but I think the fact that you're fingering remains constant regardless of which key you're playing in is one of its greatest strengths.
@Naki Ryan I've always particularly described the layout of a guitar's fretboard as if you were to make all of a keyboard/piano's black keys, white! I actually feel that due to the layout of a keyboard being unable to utilize 'shapes', akin to a guitar player, in order to quickly identify a particular scale/key signature or chord voicing, they're instead fundamentally forced to familiarize themselves with any scale/chord's intervallic structure instead! IMHO I find this more beneficial than memorizing 'shapes'!
The way I explain modes vs scales (before jumping into the chord-scale relationship): A "scale" is a specific pattern of note intervals. No matter where you start the pattern, that pattern remains consistent. A "mode" is a scale that uses the same intervals as the host scale, but starts the pattern using a different note as its root to give it a different sound. For example: Major scale pattern: (Root) - tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone (to root); also called the Ionian mode. Dorian mode (start with the 2nd degree as the root): (Root) - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone - tone (to root) Phrygian mode (start on 3): (Root) - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone (to root) Lydian mode (start on 4) (Root) - tone - tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - semitone (to root) ... etc. Same principle applies when you use the minor scales which alter the Aeolian mode): Harmonic Minor: (Root) - tone - semitone - tone - tone - semitone - minor 3rd - semitone (to root) Second mode: (Root) - semitone - tone - tone - semitone - minor 3rd - semitone - tone (to root) Third mode: (Root) - tone - tone - semitone - minor 3rd - semitone - tone - semitone (to root) ... etc. Actually, the Fifth mode is most used: Third mode: (Root) - semitone - minor 3rd - semitone - tone - semitone - tone - tone (to root) Can also do the same with jazz melodic minor, which different from classical is the same going upwards and downwards: Melodic minor: (Root) - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - tone - semitone (to root) Second mode: (Root) - semitone - tone - tone - tone - tone - semitone - tone (to root) It's easier to hear than to write, but understanding this helped me learn them so I could use them more quickly.
The way I like to explain modes is that they're alternate perspectives on the same scale, like the same way the moon looks different depending on what time of day it is or where you're located in the world. And chords are just modes being played at the same time, and scales are modes being played note by note, but the modes produce the chords. Ionian makes a Maj7(9,11,13), Lydian augmented (3rd mode of melodic minor) generates Maj7#5(9, #11,13), etc.
By Jove I think I've got it! From 5'11" in, up to 7'30" and then 12' 55" to 13'43" is what I've been waiting for. Bravo! This is it! Thank you Mr. Beato. Kudos. Sincerely.
Great video! As video says, there are two common ways to think about modes. One is parallel mode, where you keep your center note the same and change the notes you play. Other is relative mode where you keep the same notes but you move your center. In both cases you end up playing a different shape and get a different feel. Very common question I've had and others have had is given relative mode changes, what's really the difference? Three possible answers (at least) that can make it meaningful to say you are in a mode like D Dorian versus C Ionian or another mode from C Major note set: Level 1: You work to make the note d your center note and try to get the feeling that the d note is your home. Level 2: You play D Dorian over the Dmin chord or something similar with chord and scale combining to get a harmonic vibe that feels Dorian. Level 3: You think of Dmin as your home chord while in D Dorian and you work to get flavors of cadences that treat Dmin as your home chord; you avoid dominant chord that would take you to Ionian tonic; you consider notes that are characteristic to D Dorian and emphasize them; you possibly avoid other chords that are too characteristic to other modes; you probably avoid root motion by fifths and fourths in favor root stepwise motion in your cadences back to Dmin. Other methods exist but people have a good question when they ask what's the difference between C Ionian and D Dorian.
I knew Rick would be the first to innovate the VERY flawed legacy modal theory that had produced generations of confused music theory students. The aha moment is when Rick presses the point of using ONE TONIC and using interval formulas to achieve ALL the modes without having to change key OR move your left hand. (guitar etc) That is it. Rick cracked it. FINALLY I have seen hundreds of vids over the years and they all fall down the rabbit hole of "begin on next note in scale method" which adds milliseconds to "improvisational decision making" and they NEVER play all modes over the SAME DRONE without moving the top and bottom 1st last note. Would be nice to hear Rock whipping thru all the modes with the same drone. Like a whole video taking the intervals without changing key and running thru all the modes without moving the left hand. Best modes video to date!
So.... I was taught modes this exact way, and although I committed this information to memory, I didn't fully understand it until I cross-referenced all the modes with common tonics (I probably screwed up the wording on that). What really opened up my understanding of modes was playing them back to back in order from most major to most minor: Lydian (1-2-3-#4-5-6-7) (ex C-D-E-F#-G-A-B) Ionian (1-2-3-4-5-6-7) (ex C-D-E-F-G-A-B) Mixolydian (1-2-3-4-5-6-b7) (ex C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb) Dorian (1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7) (ex C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb) Aeolian (1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7) (ex C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb) Phrygian (1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-b7) (ex C-Db-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb) Locrian (1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7) (ex C-Db-Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb) It was in arranging the modes in this way that helped me grasp the degree of happiness or sadness a mode possesses and allowed me to understand how to manipulate a mode to make it more happy or sad to reflect whatever mood I wished to portray. I hope that this may be helpful to other people.
I so wished I could have learned this stuff decades ago. Thank you Rick from the bottom of my heart for your time and generosity in educating the thousands and thousands of so many of us self-taught guitar players. If I’m teaching someone guitar today, I’m starting them the C Major scale and a song like Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd as the melody is off of the relative A minor. C Major seems like a great place to start with no sharps. My grandpa knew this stuff in the 1970s! He was a professional banjo player and had a permanent gig at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Rochester, MN (also 70s). I recall him always mentioning the Circle of Fifths but never had any clue what he was talking about. I remember him saying in G Major that D could also be D7 but I had no idea that D was V and Mixolydian. I should have listened to Grandpa more or asked him more questions but I assumed his Skakeys Rag Time wouldn’t translate to the Van Halen licks I was trying to learn while locked up in my bedroom on. Saturday for 8 hours (ear to cassette - play, pause try and hack it out, rewind and repeat) - way before UA-cam. I also own all of your courses and have trouble determining which parts of it some of us older players need to focus on. Understanding that all modes are the same scale and which half steps and notes to focus on is so fantastic to learn. I now know if I’m writing in G Major when going to the IV chord C that I’m going to sneak in that F# which is so beautiful. Thank you sir!!!!
Many years ago, there was an article in Guitar for the Practicing Musician that gave a basic crash course in modes much in the same that you started this video. Over the years, and especially since I've been watching your videos, I've learned how to apply them.
Rick. I am not a musician. I was searching the tube for examples of guitar solos for my sixteen year old. I really appreciate how much music theory and teaching you do. I introduced my son to your site and he now wants to purchase your book. Thank you for making learning music engaging and correlating to modern music it really made a connection!
I watched so many videos and tried to understand what modes are, this video finally made me realize how they work. It's way easier to see it with the Piano. Thank you 👍
I think the main mistake in teaching the modes is connecting C ionian right away with D dorian. Instead, compare C ionian with C dorian. People just get confused because they are the same notes. And once they get confused with that, it takes a really long time. Even half the music theory educators that did videos on the modes, I wonder if they actually get it or not.
I kindof agree, but feel like instead of starting with Dorian, start with Aeolian. Most every musician knows how to play in a minor key already and is familiar with how it feels. Show how A-minor shares the same notes as C-Major. Most guitar players know, for a minor key, you just shift the scale up 3 half steps. No need to remember which intervals to flat, no new patterns to learn. Now show G-Mixolydian by shifting up 5 half steps then jam over a G-major chord. D-Dorian, shift down a whole step then jam over a Dm chord. It maybe skips some of the theory, but allows one to play a mode and feel it without requiring understanding/memorizing all the intervals.
@@randajiThanks, I think it's important to mention like you did " now jam over .......... chord " We need to know what chord to jam over with this mode. Most guys leave that part out. I think Rick did leave that out here too.
Ionian is not the major scale and it doesn't sound anything like it, as so as the other modes. Modes cannot be expressed with 7 notes, otherwise you end up masking/spoiling the intervalic structure which comprises them and impart their characteristic sound.That's one of the misconceptions common and widely spread about the topic. Btw, to emphasize intervals while playing is definitely not modalism.
If you look at each mode intervalically, you can get the same results. D dorian makes a min7(9,11,13) while C ionian makes a Maj7(9,11,13), same notes but still multiple perspectives to explore, but both work!
one of my favorite tricks is when rock songs written in aeolian that use IV (i.e. the minor scale's sixth chord) a lot, just, resolve to IV at the end, a great way of pulling out the lydian feeling without needing to use modal harmony anywhere also love chord voicings that have semitones in them
I purchased the Ear Training Course after watching this video. Exactly what I have been looking for. It's very user friendly. Thank you for the program and for the sale!
Thanks for video. I saw this on my TV yesterday when it just came out. I really like the keyboard lighting up on bottom of screen. Great way to teach n to learn. .I'm no musician but play keyboard by ear and can figure out and play along any song with 1 hand lol. You're teaching an old dog new tricks now. Its gr8. Good 4U. Thanks a lot.
Rick, everytime I watch your video's like this one I'm awed by your knowledge. You must have an external hard disk linked to your brain to have all this stuff at the tips of your fingers! Huge respect man !!
So well explained in quite a lucid manner. I could draw some equivalence with Indian ragas though they are different with regards to movement from one note to the other.
It's important to see the two sides of the coin with Modes. The Major Scales Modes, and The Modes as an Alteration of the Major Scale. With those we got the formulas to use in any key.. nicely explained Rick.
Your channel is great Rick. I bought myself and my dad your book. He plays clarinet and piano, jazz. I'll play any instrument in my hands whether I know how to play or not (brass, bass guitar, piano). Its about fun and you get to the point logically and fluently. Keep it up
Just picked the beato book up and honestly its a wealth of knowledge coming from this man.. thanks Rick ! I'm picking up new things and I haven't even scratched the surface of the book
Aeolian : Elliott Smith "Evreything means nothing to me" chorus line ;) Mixolydian : Bowie/Nirvana : "The Man Who sold the World" bass/guitar ascending line before chorus ("Who knows?, not me?...") ;)
I didn't know you had a book. I picked up your mega bundle today to support the channel. I've learned so much already, I appreciate your videos, your teaching style, and how you wore your heart on your sleeve for EVH a lot.
Great video ! I've been nothing but a ear musician all my life but you are ever so slightly gradually getting me pulled toward theory. Never thought it would happen but you make it interesting. Like a great teacher once said: if you're not interested then i have failed as a teacher. You're a mage Rick! Thank you
I discovered your channel this summer from a random UA-cam suggestion while watching the SpaceX splashdown. Your channel has gotten me on a Van Halen kick for the past 2 months. I'd heard of them before, obviously, but never really paid much attention to them (I was born in 1981 fwiw). Thanks to you and your channel, Rick, I've come to the conclusion Eddie Van Halen is the greatest rock guitarist of all time. I'm so glad I had a chance to discover and really appreciate this amazing talent before he died. Thank you!
If i would of never discovered Rick's channel my goals and moves would be dead id be dead but I just got the beato book(logically how don't you...) the most str8 forward way to learn just dont take too much at once little by little
While listening to the video, two things came to my head all the time: Eric Satie and The Köln Concert. I think, they might be great for practicing hearing modes. Thanks, Rick, great job!!
Thank you, Rick...for keeping on. I am a PROUD owner of The Beato Book, which I consider a little Treasure. You should recommend to all fans of the channel that they BUY the Beato Book. Just a thought. Mark. PS Also, I happily paid FULL PRICE for my copy.
I think of them as pentatonics + extensions. Major Pentatonic: + 4/7 = Ionian, + #4/7 = Lydian, + 4/b7 = Mix Minor Pentatonic: + 2/6 = Dorian, + b2/b6 = Phrygian, +2/b6 = Aeolian. Locrean is kinda it’s own thing. B5 Minor Pentatonic + b2/b6. Works for me. In my mind, it simplifies the common denominators. Might not be for everyone.
Ian McLean Very kind, thanks! Just a different approach. Maj and Min Pentatonics are just Maj6/9 and Min7sus arpeggios basically - We learn those at the very beginning. After that, it’s just 4s/7s, or 2s/6s. Lol. Super easy, and requires me to think a lot less. (Thinking = bad!) hah!
Just to clarify...are you using these formulas to identify the notes that are contained in a specific mode ( eg what are the notes of A dorian ?) or for some other purpose in the use of modes?
Maximuscottius I just use them as colors. Since pentatonics are literally innate to most guitarists, you get 5 of the 7 skeletal notes automatically. Then it’s just about adding the 2 “modal extensions.” You can use it for note identifying, or comping, or whatever. Again, it’s a skeletal ergonomic approach. You don’t get the “modal sound” with a pentatonic. You get everything else, lol. Then you just add in the color needed for that sound. For me it’s easier to think “minor + color” or “major + color” as opposed to fiddling with names and 7 note algorithms. Those are quicker for me.
Julien Valois Dobbie I’m in good company! Hah. It’s just a weird reverse engineering result of trying to teach students modes using application methods, and connecting it to stuff they already knew. I found that while they’ll understand it “on paper,” actually applying it over changes is completely different. This just eliminates a lot of flab in the process.
Thank you Rick. More importantly thank you to everyone in the comments. By reading them all , I have a really good understanding. Sometimes it just takes a different approach for me to get it through my thick scull. Thanx
I always like to think of the white note modes in relation to the circle of fifths and key signatures. Eg E major has 4 sharps therfore the phrygian mode has 4 notes flattened relative to a major scale. If you take F lydian as your starting point, then C major, G myxolidian, D dorian, etc (moving around the circle of fiths) then the modes get progressively darker, flattening one more scale degree with each step. First we lose the sharp 4, then we flatten the 7, then 7 and 3, then 7, 3 and 6, etc. You travel from lydian (brightest) to locrian (darkest) by flattering one scale degree at a time in the order 4,7,3,6,2,5.
Until you broke off into the different voicings, which is beyond my level at this time, I was finally able to grasp the idea that the modes reside within a scale set of notes. Recently, while practicing "two hands" for the major scales, I inadvertently started my right hand on E while starting the left hand on C, and I wondered which musical term applied to that right hand as it began on E, and now I know that it was Phrygian. Thanks.
Thank you Rick for sharing your knowledge and for the way you present it. You have reinvigorated my lust for growth and learning in all aspects of song writing and production. I am an admirer of both your work and the energy you emit. It is worth interupting my sleep to catch you live. Ode Gold Newcastle Australia
I have found after studying modes for a while, it really helps to get familiar with what they SOUND like. What I do in my own original music, on piano I will pick a mode, build chords from the notes in that mode and solo over those chords using the same notes the chords are built from. You can get charts online that show for example a Dorian scale in whatever key you want on piano, or guitar. But I think it helps to HEAR what they sound like....for example Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel is a DORIAN sound. Fire on the mountain by the DEAD is MIxolydian. Get those intervals embedded in your brain. The only tricky mode is Lydian cause it seems to me you really need to use Lydian voiced chords to keep the Lydian vibe in the listeners ears. Otherwise it sounds too close to Ionian. Emphasize the sharp 4. Personally my favorite scales are from Melodic Minor!
As an Electro-Mechanical Engineer I am not in any way qualified to teach music, but I have tried to with a few pupils. Before introducing Modes teach your pupil a two octave run of the Major scale, when they have done that get them to play one octave runs of the major scale, but starting from the 2nd note, 3rd note, 4th note, etc. once they can do that tell them about Modes. Getting them to play modes before you tell them about modes has worked better for me than telling them about modes and then trying to get the pupil to play them. It might well be a form of Kidology, but if it gets positive results it's acceptable.
For a brilliant example of "modes in motion," check out the crossover hit "Can't Fight the Moonlight," performed by LeAnn Rimes. LeAnn sings basically the same notes each time through the melody, but it is set against a steadily rising series of modes - sometimes switching twice within one phrase. Not only does this build tension, but to those of us who understand the musical trick it's a demonstration of "what modes actually DO." The melody sounds and feels completely different in each setting. A genius arrangement. Check it out. FYI: The transitions are brilliantly and strategically placed: the first at 0:51, but 1:18 is pure effin' magic. 2:25 steps through two modes in one measure. 2:36 does it again, mid-phrase. This is a progression that "simple key-changes" are not capable of. (Well, I guess that isn't quite true: the magic happens because the song changes key but LeAnn doesn't.)
The keyboard view is really great! In working on my own music, I think of modes instead of chords. For example in a ii V I, I would just think of Dorian, Mixo, and Ionian, instead if working out 7th, dom 7th chords and what the possible extensions might be. When working from a modal perspective, all the possibilities are just so easy to “visualize”, for me, anyway. Add in the other scales and their modes in parallel, and it’s all there.
I'm sure I'm not alone here, but, somehow, even when you've known and have understood all of this for x amount of time.. It's just cathartic to hear it all explained. Thanks for another great video, Rick!
Me too Rick, Ive been watching all the EVH interviews. Ive been a VH freak since grade school . It was a hard knock in the gut. It really affected people. Guess we all have that VHbond. RIP Eddie
Agree. EVH passing is hitting in a different way than Bowie's passing. It was similar with Les Paul, but not the same as EVH. And I too have been watching numerous interview videos with Eddie & Alex. They are both so cool & humble...🎸🎼🎵🎶 Kinda like RB, cause what he has contributed to Music Instruction and Music Appreciation, is priceless...👍
I saw Eddie on 1984 at 13 and 86 on 5150 and OU812 next and Balance. Wish I saw Gary but it just didn’t happen. I have seen a few shows and it was A GREAT time for them. I’m sure it will finally get the recognition it deserves. Just wish Eddie could have seen it.
Anyone who has messed with an appalachian (or mountain) dulcimer gets this easily, since these are fretted diatonically not chromatically. A few artists have played these on mainstream albums, such as Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell and Rory Gallagher. Not an instrument that lends itself to key changes, though. Great video, thanks!
No matter how many times I watch these type videos by Rick I still always fail to ingest all the information that I need to know lol Thanks for the video Rick
In Simplest term I can come up with is basically, You just play C major Scale over each degree of C Major scale. C major scale is C-Dm-Em-F-G-Am-Bdim or I ii iii IV V vi vii* if you are in a key of C, Play C Major scale over it and its Ionian 1st degree If you are in a key of Dm Play C Major scale over it and its Dorian 2nd degree Em and C Major scale over it will be Phyrgian 3rd degree and if you are in a key of F, Play C Major scale over it then it will magically become Lydian the 4th degree G and C major scale over it will be Mixolydian 5th degree Am and play C major scale over it will be Aeolian the 6th degree and lastly, When you are in Bdim, play C major scale over it, then it will become Locrian the 7th degree
I think of modes as pairs of stacked 4 note chords on the root and a tone above. C Ionian is Cmaj7 in left hand and Dmin7 in right. C Dorian is Cm7 in left and Dmin7 in right. Etc. Once I memorized these the relationship between modes and chords became clear.
Eddie passing was hard on a lot of us. I couldn't even touch my guitar for 2 days. It doesn't matter if you didn't know him on a personal level. Most people didn't. We felt like we did though because that's how much he meant to us. He shaped our lives as guitar players and inspired us.
Thanks for covering modes in the same key. The usual C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian thing tells the story - but the ear hears all the same notes, just ordered differently. Doing it in the same key gives the ear the context to grasp the concept.
So kind of you to share this Rick. It's really helpful seeing the layout of the keys as you play and describe them. Oh, and I couldn't help thinking that the Dorian mode was the sound of Joni Mitchell :-)
That first bit of piano you are playing reminded me of a Prince song called the ladder off Around the world in the day, quite haunting and beautiful thanks for another great lesson.
the best Explainer of Modes is Jake Lizzio of Signals Music. Using the term "subset" is confusing. -- Its al about the "Tone Center". Then, when you talk about certain mode sounds, talk about how it makes you "Feel" and why -- e.g. Lydian is spacy and etheral becaus of the sharp 4th.
At around 15:00, some really cool sounding chords. Unfortunately difficult to use those voicings on a guitar. I'd like to learn how to know which notes can be left out without losing the "mood" of the chord or the chord progression.
Rick! Great video as always! Could you do a video expanding on this with melody writing over modes within a scale? Just you explaining these things is so much clearer than reading about it.
I'm thinking of a challenge: For one video talk about all chords you use - diminished, half diminished, dominant, suspended etc etc, with only using names of the modes and intervals in them. For example: Cdim7 would be C Locrian 1 3 5 b7 (or natural 6) Thank you very much for this video, this is like the fifth one I've seen about modes and first one that talks about them as versions of the Major scale. Very helpful.
Rick, I’m 60 years old. At the age of 15, I learned basic music theory from a crusty, classically trained piano teacher from Hayward, CA named Alfred Haldeen. What he taught me in the six months I studied with him gave me the gift of playing by ear. Your lesson here, 45 years later, was the single greatest epiphany I’ve had in understanding music since learning the 1-4-5 basic chord progression in 1975. Granted, I’ve taken a lot of time away from music in the interim, but Aha! moments like this are crucial to revitalizing latent interests and reigniting the fire in an older belly. Thanks, and kudos also for the livestream you did in the minutes following the announcement of EVH’s passing. Reminds me we need to revere and appreciate the musical treasures we still have on this earth while we can.
A truly well written comment, John! I wholeheartedly agree with everything you stated about the content exhibited in this video, as well! Take care!
If you learned everything in music in 6 months you are a genius. It usually takes yrs and if you go to a top music institution where you just do music full time you can do it in 2 yrs. Music gets very complex when you are doing classical studies. Then after that you can learn all styles and become a professor of music. This takes over a decade.
The =worst= musical advice from a music teacher, which I unfortunately listened to at the time, was: "Don't Play By Ear!"
It was not until many, many years later that I realized that "this is the only way to play." If you merely content yourself with exactly reproducing what is on the printed page - although this "copy-typing" is a useful skill to develop - you're just a copy-typist. You also need to close your eyes and LISTEN to what you are playing.
Shoutout east bay
@@mikerobinson9504 What are you talking about?
I love how the first 30 seconds of Rick’s live streams always looks like it’s his first time streaming.
Lol.
Don't judge a book..
By a couple chapters..
@@justah2668 I know.. don’t worry. I literally own the Beato Book so.. hahaha!
lmaooooo
You probably dont care but does anyone know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..?
I stupidly forgot the account password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.
I was in orchestra for 12 years playing double bass. I have never had modes explained so well. You teach like a musician, not like a teacher. It works man.
That's Ricks greatness in a nutshell. He breaks down things in a way that even people like me (that play by ear) can understand.
He's brilliant
There's so many professional classical musicians who go years without really knowing what the modes are. Definitely a huge gap in the formal "music theory" courses taught at universities and conservatories.
Bought your book a while ago to remind me of all the musical knowledge I once had . It's all flooding back, I'm feeling like a new man. Better than buying a Porsche to make me feel relevant!
Dude, The way you “Talk” about music, has totally changed the way I “Listen” to music. Thank you so much!
One of the basic things to know, for those who don't understand modes, is that although a song may be in C, the other chords in the progression may make it so that playing a different scale will sound better. When you play other scales in C, those scales are called modes of C and have names. So if you play an F scale over a C chord, you're playing a C Mixolydian mode. If you play a Bb scale over an F chord, that's an F Mixolydian mode.
Rick is showing the opposite side of the same coin - You can play a C scale over other chords and that C scale becomes a mode of that chord. Play a C scale over a G and it's G Mixolydian, play a C over an A and its A Aeolian, etc..
@FU 50cent To someone who has little or no music theory, that was as clear as mud. My comment was just intended to give a novice an idea of what modes are all about.
@FU 50cent That goes so far over my head it's not even funny. I'm just starting to learn music theory and I don't think I'll ever be able to think like that. Not enough time in my life to learn all that!
Thanks Kilroy I will revisit this comment..i had a flash of understanding then got confused again will keep trying.
@@Billy-ho5ms Ya know, my intent was to make a simple comment and I realize I still went too far. Let me try to sum up what I said in one short sentence - Just because a song is in, say, the key of C, that doesn't mean you can only play notes in the C major scale.
And for a bit of encouragement... you don't need to understand modes to use them, and you probably already are using them - when you play the blues pentatonic scale in A (i.e., A Blues, also call A minor blues), you're playing 5 notes in the C major scale. That's a mode! That's A Aeolian.
If you play the A major pentatonic blues scale (where C and F are sharps), you're playing 5 notes in a D Major scale - that 's A Mixolydian.
I think I agree with you, but a coin only has two main sides whereas the modes of a major scale have 7 🤔
You are impressive. I come from famous bloodline and have been playing for 49 yrs and teaching for 39yrs so its always nice to see a true player in action. God Bless
CROPPER
Quick list of the mode structures of the major scale modes that someone wanted to video description.
Ionian 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (major scale)
Dorian 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
Phrygian 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Lydian 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7
Mixolydian 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
Aeolian 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 (natural minor scale)
Locrian 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7
Btw. I bought all the Rick's coffee mugs with different modes for different scales. Easy way to memorize modes or refresh your memory if you don't know all the mode for different scales. I have coffee mug always at my computer, so it's easy to look at anytime. I knew the major and some of the melodic minor ones the coffee mugs have helped me to memorize other ones too. I'm not Rick's second account trying to sell his mugs :).
THANK YOU!!!
You explained modes better in 28 minutes than any teacher I've had or book I've read in the last 15 years. It makes so much more sense to me now.
Music theory is soooo much easier to understand when taught on a keyboard...it's more visual.
Agree and to that I’ll add learning to read sheet music is so invaluable.
@Naki Ryan - to each his own. I started on both about the same time and the keyboard is visual, simple and repetitive.
@Naki Ryan - if you're requiring "gymnastics", you're doing something wrong...
@Naki Ryan "Your fingering for every key changes" Exactly! I'm also a guitar player who's currently in the process of learning to play keys and this is exactly what I'm finding most challenging about it.
I do appreciate the simple layout of the keyboard and I would say that learning some of the basics such as the major scale, triads and chords is even easier than it is on guitar. However when you go to apply what you've learned in the key of C major (which is where most people start) to other keys it's almost like starting over from scratch. Sure it's easy enough to figure out how to transpose a chord or scale you already know in C to a new key by simply applying the correct formula for construction as Rick is doing in this video, but in order to play something proficiently (especially at a fast tempo) you need muscle memory. The human brain just doesn't work fast enough to be constantly applying formulas in order to know which notes to play.
Of course over time I will get to know the different fingering patterns that each key creates and they will eventually become second nature but this is a challenge that doesn't even exist on the guitar. Through my many years of guitar playing whenever I would learn something new, I would always apply it to the key of C major first. Once I have fully integrated the new concept into what I already know, moving it to another key is easy peasy. It almost requires no extra thought or effort at all.
Of course the guitar has its own unique challenges as well but I think the fact that you're fingering remains constant regardless of which key you're playing in is one of its greatest strengths.
@Naki Ryan I've always particularly described the layout of a guitar's fretboard as if you were to make all of a keyboard/piano's black keys, white! I actually feel that due to the layout of a keyboard being unable to utilize 'shapes', akin to a guitar player, in order to quickly identify a particular scale/key signature or chord voicing, they're instead fundamentally forced to familiarize themselves with any scale/chord's intervallic structure instead! IMHO I find this more beneficial than memorizing 'shapes'!
The way I explain modes vs scales (before jumping into the chord-scale relationship):
A "scale" is a specific pattern of note intervals. No matter where you start the pattern, that pattern remains consistent.
A "mode" is a scale that uses the same intervals as the host scale, but starts the pattern using a different note as its root to give it a different sound.
For example:
Major scale pattern: (Root) - tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone (to root); also called the Ionian mode.
Dorian mode (start with the 2nd degree as the root): (Root) - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone - tone (to root)
Phrygian mode (start on 3): (Root) - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone (to root)
Lydian mode (start on 4) (Root) - tone - tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - semitone (to root)
... etc.
Same principle applies when you use the minor scales which alter the Aeolian mode):
Harmonic Minor: (Root) - tone - semitone - tone - tone - semitone - minor 3rd - semitone (to root)
Second mode: (Root) - semitone - tone - tone - semitone - minor 3rd - semitone - tone (to root)
Third mode: (Root) - tone - tone - semitone - minor 3rd - semitone - tone - semitone (to root)
... etc.
Actually, the Fifth mode is most used:
Third mode: (Root) - semitone - minor 3rd - semitone - tone - semitone - tone - tone (to root)
Can also do the same with jazz melodic minor, which different from classical is the same going upwards and downwards:
Melodic minor: (Root) - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - tone - semitone (to root)
Second mode: (Root) - semitone - tone - tone - tone - tone - semitone - tone (to root)
It's easier to hear than to write, but understanding this helped me learn them so I could use them more quickly.
The way I like to explain modes is that they're alternate perspectives on the same scale, like the same way the moon looks different depending on what time of day it is or where you're located in the world. And chords are just modes being played at the same time, and scales are modes being played note by note, but the modes produce the chords. Ionian makes a Maj7(9,11,13), Lydian augmented (3rd mode of melodic minor) generates Maj7#5(9, #11,13), etc.
By Jove I think I've got it! From 5'11" in, up to 7'30" and then 12' 55" to 13'43" is what I've been waiting for. Bravo! This is it! Thank you Mr. Beato. Kudos. Sincerely.
Great video!
As video says, there are two common ways to think about modes. One is parallel mode, where you keep your center note the same and change the notes you play. Other is relative mode where you keep the same notes but you move your center. In both cases you end up playing a different shape and get a different feel. Very common question I've had and others have had is given relative mode changes, what's really the difference? Three possible answers (at least) that can make it meaningful to say you are in a mode like D Dorian versus C Ionian or another mode from C Major note set:
Level 1: You work to make the note d your center note and try to get the feeling that the d note is your home.
Level 2: You play D Dorian over the Dmin chord or something similar with chord and scale combining to get a harmonic vibe that feels Dorian.
Level 3: You think of Dmin as your home chord while in D Dorian and you work to get flavors of cadences that treat Dmin as your home chord; you avoid dominant chord that would take you to Ionian tonic; you consider notes that are characteristic to D Dorian and emphasize them; you possibly avoid other chords that are too characteristic to other modes; you probably avoid root motion by fifths and fourths in favor root stepwise motion in your cadences back to Dmin.
Other methods exist but people have a good question when they ask what's the difference between C Ionian and D Dorian.
I knew Rick would be the first to innovate the VERY flawed legacy modal theory that had produced generations of confused music theory students. The aha moment is when Rick presses the point of using ONE TONIC and using interval formulas to achieve ALL the modes without having to change key OR move your left hand. (guitar etc) That is it. Rick cracked it. FINALLY I have seen hundreds of vids over the years and they all fall down the rabbit hole of "begin on next note in scale method" which adds milliseconds to "improvisational decision making" and they NEVER play all modes over the SAME DRONE without moving the top and bottom 1st last note. Would be nice to hear Rock whipping thru all the modes with the same drone. Like a whole video taking the intervals without changing key and running thru all the modes without moving the left hand. Best modes video to date!
Indian Pentatonic is one of my favourite Pentatonic scales.. 1 3 4 5 b7 (Mixolydian with the 2nd and 6th removed)
So.... I was taught modes this exact way, and although I committed this information to memory, I didn't fully understand it until I cross-referenced all the modes with common tonics (I probably screwed up the wording on that). What really opened up my understanding of modes was playing them back to back in order from most major to most minor:
Lydian (1-2-3-#4-5-6-7) (ex C-D-E-F#-G-A-B)
Ionian (1-2-3-4-5-6-7) (ex C-D-E-F-G-A-B)
Mixolydian (1-2-3-4-5-6-b7) (ex C-D-E-F-G-A-Bb)
Dorian (1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7) (ex C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb)
Aeolian (1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7) (ex C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb)
Phrygian (1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-b7) (ex C-Db-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb)
Locrian (1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7) (ex C-Db-Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb)
It was in arranging the modes in this way that helped me grasp the degree of happiness or sadness a mode possesses and allowed me to understand how to manipulate a mode to make it more happy or sad to reflect whatever mood I wished to portray. I hope that this may be helpful to other people.
That's a really cool idea Christopher cheers my man! I'm going to try that.
I so wished I could have learned this stuff decades ago. Thank you Rick from the bottom of my heart for your time and generosity in educating the thousands and thousands of so many of us self-taught guitar players. If I’m teaching someone guitar today, I’m starting them the C Major scale and a song like Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd as the melody is off of the relative A minor. C Major seems like a great place to start with no sharps. My grandpa knew this stuff in the 1970s! He was a professional banjo player and had a permanent gig at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Rochester, MN (also 70s). I recall him always mentioning the Circle of Fifths but never had any clue what he was talking about. I remember him saying in G Major that D could also be D7 but I had no idea that D was V and Mixolydian. I should have listened to Grandpa more or asked him more questions but I assumed his Skakeys Rag Time wouldn’t translate to the Van Halen licks I was trying to learn while locked up in my bedroom on. Saturday for 8 hours (ear to cassette - play, pause try and hack it out, rewind and repeat) - way before UA-cam. I also own all of your courses and have trouble determining which parts of it some of us older players need to focus on. Understanding that all modes are the same scale and which half steps and notes to focus on is so fantastic to learn. I now know if I’m writing in G Major when going to the IV chord C that I’m going to sneak in that F# which is so beautiful. Thank you sir!!!!
Many years ago, there was an article in Guitar for the Practicing Musician that gave a basic crash course in modes much in the same that you started this video. Over the years, and especially since I've been watching your videos, I've learned how to apply them.
Rick. I am not a musician. I was searching the tube for examples of guitar solos for my sixteen year old. I really appreciate how much music theory and teaching you do. I introduced my son to your site and he now wants to purchase your book. Thank you for making learning music engaging and correlating to modern music it really made a connection!
The keyboard is a gigantic help! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to educating the world.
I watched so many videos and tried to understand what modes are, this video finally made me realize how they work. It's way easier to see it with the Piano. Thank you 👍
I think the main mistake in teaching the modes is connecting C ionian right away with D dorian. Instead, compare C ionian with C dorian. People just get confused because they are the same notes. And once they get confused with that, it takes a really long time. Even half the music theory educators that did videos on the modes, I wonder if they actually get it or not.
I kindof agree, but feel like instead of starting with Dorian, start with Aeolian. Most every musician knows how to play in a minor key already and is familiar with how it feels. Show how A-minor shares the same notes as C-Major. Most guitar players know, for a minor key, you just shift the scale up 3 half steps. No need to remember which intervals to flat, no new patterns to learn. Now show G-Mixolydian by shifting up 5 half steps then jam over a G-major chord. D-Dorian, shift down a whole step then jam over a Dm chord. It maybe skips some of the theory, but allows one to play a mode and feel it without requiring understanding/memorizing all the intervals.
@@randajiThanks, I think it's important to mention like you did " now jam over .......... chord " We need to know what chord to jam over with this mode. Most guys leave that part out. I think Rick did leave that out here too.
Ionian is not the major scale and it doesn't sound anything like it, as so as the other modes. Modes cannot be expressed with 7 notes, otherwise you end up masking/spoiling the intervalic structure which comprises them and impart their characteristic sound.That's one of the misconceptions common and widely spread about the topic. Btw, to emphasize intervals while playing is definitely not modalism.
Unfortunately they don't my friend. Absolutely none of them.
If you look at each mode intervalically, you can get the same results. D dorian makes a min7(9,11,13) while C ionian makes a Maj7(9,11,13), same notes but still multiple perspectives to explore, but both work!
one of my favorite tricks is when rock songs written in aeolian that use IV (i.e. the minor scale's sixth chord) a lot, just, resolve to IV at the end, a great way of pulling out the lydian feeling without needing to use modal harmony anywhere
also love chord voicings that have semitones in them
I purchased the Ear Training Course after watching this video. Exactly what I have been looking for. It's very user friendly. Thank you for the program and for the sale!
Thanks for video. I saw this on my TV yesterday when it just came out. I really like the keyboard lighting up on bottom of screen. Great way to teach n to learn. .I'm no musician but play keyboard by ear and can figure out and play along any song with 1 hand lol. You're teaching an old dog new tricks now. Its gr8. Good 4U.
Thanks a lot.
Rick, everytime I watch your video's like this one I'm awed by your knowledge. You must have an external hard disk linked to your brain to have all this stuff at the tips of your fingers! Huge respect man !!
So well explained in quite a lucid manner. I could draw some equivalence with Indian ragas though they are different with regards to movement from one note to the other.
It's important to see the two sides of the coin with Modes. The Major Scales Modes, and The Modes as an Alteration of the Major Scale. With those we got the formulas to use in any key.. nicely explained Rick.
Your channel is great Rick. I bought myself and my dad your book. He plays clarinet and piano, jazz. I'll play any instrument in my hands whether I know how to play or not (brass, bass guitar, piano). Its about fun and you get to the point logically and fluently. Keep it up
Hey Rick, btw, do you know Robbie Ameen? He is a session drummer in NYC.
Just picked the beato book up and honestly its a wealth of knowledge coming from this man.. thanks Rick ! I'm picking up new things and I haven't even scratched the surface of the book
Aeolian : Elliott Smith "Evreything means nothing to me" chorus line ;) Mixolydian : Bowie/Nirvana : "The Man Who sold the World" bass/guitar ascending line before chorus ("Who knows?, not me?...") ;)
I didn't know you had a book. I picked up your mega bundle today to support the channel. I've learned so much already, I appreciate your videos, your teaching style, and how you wore your heart on your sleeve for EVH a lot.
Love the diminished...resolves over so many chords making it possible to move around and introduce so many different sounds.
Love it when Rick starts "noodling around" You can really feel the passion in his music !
Thank you so much
The way you showed the modes using all the white keys totally changed my understanding of the modes
The best video on modes that I've ever watched, i needed this thirty years ago. Thanks Rick
Great video ! I've been nothing but a ear musician all my life but you are ever so slightly gradually getting me pulled toward theory. Never thought it would happen but you make it interesting. Like a great teacher once said: if you're not interested then i have failed as a teacher. You're a mage Rick! Thank you
I discovered your channel this summer from a random UA-cam suggestion while watching the SpaceX splashdown. Your channel has gotten me on a Van Halen kick for the past 2 months. I'd heard of them before, obviously, but never really paid much attention to them (I was born in 1981 fwiw). Thanks to you and your channel, Rick, I've come to the conclusion Eddie Van Halen is the greatest rock guitarist of all time. I'm so glad I had a chance to discover and really appreciate this amazing talent before he died. Thank you!
Amazing addition, having the notes played on-screen. Thank you Rick, you are the man!
Love the visible keyboard addition. Absolutely necessary and brilliant to be able to see it.
If i would of never discovered Rick's channel my goals and moves would be dead id be dead but I just got the beato book(logically how don't you...) the most str8 forward way to learn just dont take too much at once little by little
While listening to the video, two things came to my head all the time: Eric Satie and The Köln Concert. I think, they might be great for practicing hearing modes. Thanks, Rick, great job!!
Rick you are a great talent that nobody outside of studios would have ever discovered without youtubes
RICK !!! Thanks for sharing your work ...
This video is really connecting some of the dots that scattered through my fragile little mind.
Thank you, Rick...for keeping on. I am a PROUD owner of The Beato Book, which I consider a little Treasure. You should recommend to all fans of the channel that they BUY the Beato Book. Just a thought. Mark. PS Also, I happily paid FULL PRICE for my copy.
I think of them as pentatonics + extensions.
Major Pentatonic: + 4/7 = Ionian, + #4/7 = Lydian, + 4/b7 = Mix
Minor Pentatonic: + 2/6 = Dorian, + b2/b6 = Phrygian, +2/b6 = Aeolian.
Locrean is kinda it’s own thing. B5 Minor Pentatonic + b2/b6.
Works for me. In my mind, it simplifies the common denominators. Might not be for everyone.
Ian McLean Very kind, thanks! Just a different approach. Maj and Min Pentatonics are just Maj6/9 and Min7sus arpeggios basically - We learn those at the very beginning. After that, it’s just 4s/7s, or 2s/6s. Lol. Super easy, and requires me to think a lot less. (Thinking = bad!) hah!
Just to clarify...are you using these formulas to identify the notes that are contained in a specific mode ( eg what are the notes of A dorian ?) or for some other purpose in the use of modes?
Maximuscottius I just use them as colors. Since pentatonics are literally innate to most guitarists, you get 5 of the 7 skeletal notes automatically. Then it’s just about adding the 2 “modal extensions.” You can use it for note identifying, or comping, or whatever.
Again, it’s a skeletal ergonomic approach. You don’t get the “modal sound” with a pentatonic. You get everything else, lol. Then you just add in the color needed for that sound.
For me it’s easier to think “minor + color” or “major + color” as opposed to fiddling with names and 7 note algorithms. Those are quicker for me.
@@liontone Sounds like something Guthrie Govan advocates.
Julien Valois Dobbie I’m in good company! Hah. It’s just a weird reverse engineering result of trying to teach students modes using application methods, and connecting it to stuff they already knew. I found that while they’ll understand it “on paper,” actually applying it over changes is completely different. This just eliminates a lot of flab in the process.
THANK YOU SIr for another BIG lesson! You have a very open heart and mind... and ear.
Thank you Rick. More importantly thank you to everyone in the comments. By reading them all , I have a really good understanding. Sometimes it just takes a different approach for me to get it through my thick scull. Thanx
Fabulous ! This is an excellent review of basic modes for those already familiar, and is a very useful way of looking at modes.
I always like to think of the white note modes in relation to the circle of fifths and key signatures. Eg E major has 4 sharps therfore the phrygian mode has 4 notes flattened relative to a major scale.
If you take F lydian as your starting point, then C major, G myxolidian, D dorian, etc (moving around the circle of fiths) then the modes get progressively darker, flattening one more scale degree with each step. First we lose the sharp 4, then we flatten the 7, then 7 and 3, then 7, 3 and 6, etc. You travel from lydian (brightest) to locrian (darkest) by flattering one scale degree at a time in the order 4,7,3,6,2,5.
Until you broke off into the different voicings, which is beyond my level at this time, I was finally able to grasp the idea that the modes reside within a scale set of notes. Recently, while practicing "two hands" for the major scales, I inadvertently started my right hand on E while starting the left hand on C, and I wondered which musical term applied to that right hand as it began on E, and now I know that it was Phrygian. Thanks.
FINALLY I know how I can use all modes. thank you, Rick.
Thankyou for the insight of playing modes Rick! You are an awesome teacher 💪
Thank you Rick for sharing your knowledge and for the way you present it. You have reinvigorated my lust for growth and learning in all aspects of song writing and production.
I am an admirer of both your work and the energy you emit. It is worth interupting my sleep to catch you live.
Ode Gold
Newcastle Australia
This was such an eye-opener. I have so much to learn. Thanks, Rick! Rest in peace, Eddie.
Everything I know about music and the music industry I learned from Rick Beato... and multiple viewings of Spinal Tap
I have found after studying modes for a while, it really helps to get familiar with what they SOUND like. What I do in my own original music, on piano I will pick a mode, build chords from the notes in that mode and solo over those chords using the same notes the chords are built from. You can get charts online that show for example a Dorian scale in whatever key you want on piano, or guitar. But I think it helps to HEAR what they sound like....for example Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel is a DORIAN sound. Fire on the mountain by the DEAD is MIxolydian. Get those intervals embedded in your brain. The only tricky mode is Lydian cause it seems to me you really need to use Lydian voiced chords to keep the Lydian vibe in the listeners ears. Otherwise it sounds too close to Ionian. Emphasize the sharp 4. Personally my favorite scales are from Melodic Minor!
Lots to take in on that and 5 mins from the end you brought it all together really nicely. Thanks Rick 🤘
This is so super clear! I'm 7 mins in and starting to get my head around the modes.
That was great Rick. Love the addition of the keyboard on screen. Wow. Fantastic! Great lesson. Thanks!
As an Electro-Mechanical Engineer I am not in any way qualified to teach music, but I have tried to with a few pupils. Before introducing Modes teach your pupil a two octave run of the Major scale, when they have done that get them to play one octave runs of the major scale, but starting from the 2nd note, 3rd note, 4th note, etc. once they can do that tell them about Modes. Getting them to play modes before you tell them about modes has worked better for me than telling them about modes and then trying to get the pupil to play them. It might well be a form of Kidology, but if it gets positive results it's acceptable.
For a brilliant example of "modes in motion," check out the crossover hit "Can't Fight the Moonlight," performed by LeAnn Rimes.
LeAnn sings basically the same notes each time through the melody, but it is set against a steadily rising series of modes - sometimes switching twice within one phrase. Not only does this build tension, but to those of us who understand the musical trick it's a demonstration of "what modes actually DO." The melody sounds and feels completely different in each setting. A genius arrangement. Check it out.
FYI: The transitions are brilliantly and strategically placed: the first at 0:51, but 1:18 is pure effin' magic. 2:25 steps through two modes in one measure. 2:36 does it again, mid-phrase. This is a progression that "simple key-changes" are not capable of. (Well, I guess that isn't quite true: the magic happens because the song changes key but LeAnn doesn't.)
Are you talking about the version of "Can't Fight the Moonlight" on the soundtrack of the movie "Coyote Ugly"?
The keyboard view is really great!
In working on my own music, I think of modes instead of chords. For example in a ii V I, I would just think of Dorian, Mixo, and Ionian, instead if working out 7th, dom 7th chords and what the possible extensions might be. When working from a modal perspective, all the possibilities are just so easy to “visualize”, for me, anyway. Add in the other scales and their modes in parallel, and it’s all there.
I'm sure I'm not alone here, but, somehow, even when you've known and have understood all of this for x amount of time.. It's just cathartic to hear it all explained.
Thanks for another great video, Rick!
thank you for all what you provide here in UA-cam . I'm following you from Middle east
love the new on screen keyboard format, Rick. Super helpful!
Me too Rick, Ive been watching all the EVH interviews. Ive been a VH freak since grade school . It was a hard knock in the gut. It really affected people. Guess we all have that VHbond. RIP Eddie
Thanks for the overhead keyboard view, I've been wishing for this for a long time!
The Parallel approach is what I’ve been missing. Super helpful
Agree. EVH passing is hitting in a different way than Bowie's passing. It was similar with Les Paul, but not the same as EVH. And I too have been watching numerous interview videos with Eddie & Alex. They are both so cool & humble...🎸🎼🎵🎶 Kinda like RB, cause what he has contributed to Music Instruction and Music Appreciation, is priceless...👍
Thank you for all your knowledge sharing, Rick! It's amazing what you do here.
I saw Eddie on 1984 at 13 and 86 on 5150 and OU812 next and Balance. Wish I saw Gary but it just didn’t happen. I have seen a few shows and it was A GREAT time for them. I’m sure it will finally get the recognition it deserves. Just wish Eddie could have seen it.
fantastic lesson brought the sounds of modes alive for me, thank you Rick
Anyone who has messed with an appalachian (or mountain) dulcimer gets this easily, since these are fretted diatonically not chromatically. A few artists have played these on mainstream albums, such as Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell and Rory Gallagher. Not an instrument that lends itself to key changes, though. Great video, thanks!
No matter how many times I watch these type videos by Rick I still always fail to ingest all the information that I need to know lol
Thanks for the video Rick
Nothing short of perfection. It cannot be done any better than this.
In Simplest term I can come up with is basically, You just play C major Scale over each degree of C Major scale.
C major scale is C-Dm-Em-F-G-Am-Bdim or I ii iii IV V vi vii*
if you are in a key of C, Play C Major scale over it and its Ionian 1st degree
If you are in a key of Dm Play C Major scale over it and its Dorian 2nd degree
Em and C Major scale over it will be Phyrgian 3rd degree
and if you are in a key of F, Play C Major scale over it then it will magically become Lydian the 4th degree
G and C major scale over it will be Mixolydian 5th degree
Am and play C major scale over it will be Aeolian the 6th degree
and lastly, When you are in Bdim, play C major scale over it, then it will become Locrian the 7th degree
This new series has my interests peaked...thanks Rick! Wonderful examples sir
I think of modes as pairs of stacked 4 note chords on the root and a tone above. C Ionian is Cmaj7 in left hand and Dmin7 in right. C Dorian is Cm7 in left and Dmin7 in right. Etc. Once I memorized these the relationship between modes and chords became clear.
Loved your lessons abouth the modes and the sound and meaning of the half steps ...great work
So much easier to understand on the piano, rather than a guitar neck. Thank you Rick!
The Beato Book is amazing, Highly recommnend!
Love Your Channel Rick... sharing with all my music minded friends!
Eddie passing was hard on a lot of us. I couldn't even touch my guitar for 2 days. It doesn't matter if you didn't know him on a personal level. Most people didn't. We felt like we did though because that's how much he meant to us. He shaped our lives as guitar players and inspired us.
Thanks for covering modes in the same key. The usual C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian thing tells the story - but the ear hears all the same notes, just ordered differently. Doing it in the same key gives the ear the context to grasp the concept.
. . . and by key, I really mean root note - obviously C Lydian is not in the key of C.
So kind of you to share this Rick. It's really helpful seeing the layout of the keys as you play and describe them. Oh, and I couldn't help thinking that the Dorian mode was the sound of Joni Mitchell :-)
Great video as always 👌 today i bought your Rick Beato book Bundle with 50%. You are the man 👍
That first bit of piano you are playing reminded me of a Prince song called the ladder off Around the world in the day, quite haunting and beautiful thanks for another great lesson.
the best Explainer of Modes is Jake Lizzio of Signals Music. Using the term "subset" is confusing. -- Its al about the "Tone Center". Then, when you talk about certain mode sounds, talk about how it makes you "Feel" and why -- e.g. Lydian is spacy and etheral becaus of the sharp 4th.
Thanks! I understand modes now. It has taken me a while. I never learned them in my childhood piano lessons. It all makes sense.
I love having the piano on the screen, definitely keep that!
At around 15:00, some really cool sounding chords. Unfortunately difficult to use those voicings on a guitar.
I'd like to learn how to know which notes can be left out without losing the "mood" of the chord or the chord progression.
Rick! Great video as always! Could you do a video expanding on this with melody writing over modes within a scale? Just you explaining these things is so much clearer than reading about it.
I'm thinking of a challenge:
For one video talk about all chords you use - diminished, half diminished, dominant, suspended etc etc, with only using names of the modes and intervals in them.
For example: Cdim7 would be C Locrian 1 3 5 b7 (or natural 6)
Thank you very much for this video, this is like the fifth one I've seen about modes and first one that talks about them as versions of the Major scale. Very helpful.
Man this stuff is dense. It's coming... slowly. Thanks Rick. Please keep it coming.
Thanks Rick. Great birthday present for me turning 68. I'd like to get a handle on the different types of minor scales.
This channel musical gold. I highly suggest the Beato book. Thank you Rick!
Off topic, finally bought the Beato Book! Wow this thing is awesome great job, can’t wait to dig in!
Very helpful with the visual component added. So much simpler to grasp on piano than guitar!
Watching this with the Beato book open on page 31.
Love your channel.