Lesson #14: Derivative Modes in G (Guitar, Intermediate)

If you mastered the last thirteen lessons, get a harmonica in C and a harmonica in G, and you're good to go. Please stay, however, for more lessons. You can gloss over the redundancies, but there are few more chord shapes before you are "get a capo, and you're good to go" status. And we are a few keys away from truly understanding what you can do with the capo.

The G major diatonic scale (G A B C D E F# G) is the source of several other "scales," which are called modes:

G Ionian

G

A

B

C

D

E

F#

G

A Dorian

A

B

C

D

E

F#

G

A

B Phrygian

B

C

D

E

F#

G

A

B

C Lydian

C

D

E

F#

G

A

B

C

D Mixolydian

D

E

F#

G

A

B

C

D

E Aeolian

E

F#

G

A

B

C

D

E

F# Locrian

F#

G

A

B

C

D

E

F#

D Mixolydian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

Mode: D Mixolydian

Related Scale: G major diatonic

Notes: D E F# G A B C

Hollow Circles: D notes

Orange Circles: D major pentatonic (simple pattern)

Gray Circles: D Mixolydian

Example Chord Progression for Rhythm Guitar: D C G D

G Ionian Mode (Guitar, Intermediate)

A mode is just a certain way of expressing a scale. In this case, the G Ionian mode expresses the scale in the same way as the G major diatonic scale. Deeper theory aside, you can treat the Ionian mode and the major diatonic scale as one and the same.

With that stated, this larger pattern is basically an expansion of yesterday's simpler pattern. The hollow circles still represent the G note. This time, however, the orange circles merely represent the simple pentatonic pattern we discussed two days ago. The gray circles represent the fretboard-wide expansion of the scale - G's, A's, B's, C's, D's, E's, and F#'s.

G Major Diatonic (Guitar, Beginner)

Yesterday, we played with the G major pentatonic scale, which is made out of five notes - G, A, B, D, and E. Now, let's add two notes - C and F# - to the lineup to create the G major diatonic scale (dia = through, tonic = tones).

Adding to yesterday's pattern, this is a very simple pattern to use when playing lead lines in the Key of G. The hollow circles are the locations of the root note (G), the orange circles are part of the major pentatonic scale, and gray circles represent the rest of the scale (C and F#, or the Professor and Mary Ann, if you like).

When you memorize this pattern, be sure to jam with someone else in the Key of G major. Among other chords, these chords are often used in the Key of G: G, C, and D. While the other plays rhythm, experiment playing lead guitar with the G major diatonic scale!