Metal Modes

[shredmonster]

Yeah that pretty much sums it up. It just takes a lots of practice working with various chords, scales and such to do it on the fly when jamming.

But I always go for playing a little outside the box and then coming back in. Makes things more interesting because everything pretty much has been done already.

[Trev57]

Missunderstanding modes?!?

Either I am missunderstanding modes completely, or I am not following what you guys are saying. I understand the modes to be a major scale starting at a different note in the scale. Therefore, it is still just a major scale. If you move around the fretboard whilst soloing, then you will naturally use mutiple modes during a solo. I confess that most of my soloing is based upon a blues scale with an associated major (usually 3 semitones up from the blues route, so if playing in A blues I would associate C major). I read the magazine articles about how certain players use certain modes to give a different feel to the song, but when I try it, it is still the same major scale. What am I missing?

[VitaminG]

the notes may be the same, but it's the scale's relationship to the underlying chords that give each mode a distinct flavour. Not something you'll notice playing alone, you really need to play over a backing track to hear the differences.

Play a C Ionian scale (Cmaj) over a progression in the key of C.
Now play the same scale over a tune in the key of D (second tone of the C Major scale). Same notes, but the relationship of the notes to the D progression gives the notes a different feel. And although the notes are the same, the scale is now called D Dorian, to reflect the key the scale is being played in.
Try the same exercise over a G progression. This is the G mixolydian scale, same notes as before but starting on the 5th tone of the Cmaj scale.

That's a very simplistic view of it. Of course, not all modes will sound great over all progressions. You can use your ears to work out which mode works best with a particular song, or you can learn what type of progression Lydian sounds best with, compared to which sounds best for soloing in Phyrgian

Here's some reading that breaks it down some more: http://www.cyberfret.com/theory/modes/101/

[Trev57]

Thanks vitaminG, that fundamental explanation is missing from everything I have previously read about modes. I suspected it had to be something like this. As usual, the books and stuff overcomplicate everything.