So you may have heard of the modes or simply put, the other shapes of the major scale. You likely have learned the minor scale (or the aeolian mode) which is the 6th mode in the major scale. You likely have learnt songs that is in a major key and a minor key. These two scales are useful for improvising over chords in these scales and they are great for figuring out songs in these keys.

You may have heard that modes are simply the major scale starting on a different note in the major scale which may make you think that learning them is really pointless.
But you could not be further wrong. For there are many uses for the modes that go beyond simply as an extension of the major scale (which of course is useful on it’s own). This means that thinking to yourself “why learn those modes and the name of them? Just think c major) is a mistake because thinking that way destroys your ability to do things in ways which require a different way of thinking.
Do you think it is just major and minor songs in the world? Although these are the most common songs, there are by no means the only possibility. Is Ionian and Aeolian the only possible flavours you can have your solos in? Absolutely not. So here are some uses for modes.

The relative use- gives you complete freedom over the neck
The most obvious and first use I would suggest experimenting with is learning the modes to take the major and minor solo you are wanting to write or improvise and give you the means to use all places on the guitar this way.
This however is what makes many people think “well why not just see E phrygian as C major” well this is not the quickest way to visualise all 7 major scale patterns.

The parallel use- allows you to write different flavour songs and solos
Think you can write a chord progression in a major key or minor key? Well you can also write a chord progression in a modal key. For example instead of writing a progression in C major you can write something in C Lydian. This is the exact same key but a different mode. But now you may be thinking “well why not just think G Ionian” because the root of the key is not G, it is C.
The perceived root when you play in G Ionian and C Lydian is completely different even though the chords in the scales are the same. When you play in C ionian and C Lydian, although the root is the same, what chords are in these scales are different which creates an entirely different flavour.
In this case Lydian is a bright sounding mode which sounds very different from the Ionian scale which is obvious when you play the modes in the same key. Imagine playing Steve Vai or Joe Satriani songs in Ionian instead of Lydian. It would sound entirely different and nothing like them

This applies to soloing also. The modes have a different level of brightness or darkness which means that writing a song and solo in this way means that the emotions and the feel of the song is entirely different. Locrian is a dark sounding mode whereas Lydian is a bright sounding mode. The others are between these extremes. You can switch modes as you go along when you want a different feel!

So what do you do from here?
1) Stop thinking of the modes as merely extensions of the major scale. There are many more creative ways to use these modes.
2) Experiment with the relative way of using modes to get mileage of the guitar neck regardless of whether you are in a major key or a minor key or modal key.
3) Experiment with the parallel use of modes. You will have a much better time creating and you will never run out of ideas. Especially as this applies to modes of every single scale.

About the author: Jake Willmot is a guitar teacher in Exmouth and has been playing guitar ever since he was 12. He remembers when he was listening to the bands that his parents listened to such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and even many solo guitarists that got him into rock guitar playing. Don’t think that it is too late for you if you are not a 12 year old kid, Jake Willmot would be the first one to tell you that.