Ionian Mode

7 Responses to "Ionian Mode"

1. richard vandyne says:

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   matt- i havent lost control yet but- i am studying the ionian scale and your advise is to learn this scale in three comfortable octaves in order to cover the fretboard-right? if i do this in all twelve keys i will have learned 36 scales-correct. if i complete all the modes given(7) thats 252 scales to complete this phase.if i do all the normal scales in a major and a minor keys thats another 429 scales and i havent touched half of what i have been subjected to. i could be looking at thousands of scales. my point is is all this necessary. i am 76 years old and i am not sure i have enough time to cover all this before i get to any real music. what should i do in this kind of a dilema. help!!!!!!!

   

   July 28, 2011 at 10:29 pm
   1. Matt Warnock says:

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      Here is the link to the article I was talking about.

      http://www.mattwarnockguitar.com/the-complete-guide-to-scales-and-modes-for-jazz-guitar

      

      July 29, 2011 at 1:05 pm
   2. b5 says:

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      Hi Richard, don’t despair!! Check out the major scale CAGED patterns – and quick google search will find them. They are a set of 5 scale shapes based around the popular “beginner chords”. Once you have these 5 patterns down you will be able to play ANY major scale (or basic mode – ionian, dorian etc) in any position.
      (Do the same for harmonic and melodic minor and with a little music theory knowledge, you will be able to play over nearly anything western music is likely to throw at you.)

      

      August 4, 2011 at 2:00 am
      1. Matt Warnock says:

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         b5: The CAGED system is a good way to learn scales for certain contexts, such as rock and pop, even blues, where the chords don’t move very fast, but it can get bogged down in jazz because we have to switch keys and move quickly with fast changes.

         If you can get it to work that’s great, but I’ve seen a lot of players try the CAGED system with jazz and they learn the scales and modes very quickly, like you said, but they get stuck when they apply it to a tune because the large shapes are tough to navigate quickly in that context.

         I would say that the CAGED system is definitely something that players of all genres should check out, learn and see how and when they can use it. But, if people are having trouble navigating changes, then smaller, one-octave and two-octave (combining two one-octave fingerings) can help them get around faster changes easier than CAGED.

         So both systems have their place, so checking them both out and seeing where they can be helpful is a good idea. If one doesn’t work for a certain situation go with the other and vice-versa.

         

         August 4, 2011 at 9:33 am
2. Matt Warnock says:

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   No way! :) you don’t need to learn many scales, only 1. If you look at the 1 octave fingerings they are all essentially the same fingering, with a slight adjustment for the 3rd string root because of the B string tune.

   So you just need to learn one fingering, start it on each string, 6-5-4-3 and you’re done.

   If you look at the two octave fingerings all you are doing is taking a 6th string root, one octave, and matching it with a 4th string root to produce a 2-octave scale.

   Same thing with the 5th string root and the 3rd string root.

   Tomorrow I am posting a detailed article on this approach, check it out, it’ll make more sense when you see the musical examples broken down more on paper.

   

   July 29, 2011 at 1:19 am
3. Theno says:

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   Ionian and fingerings on one and two octave are so great. That is very helpful my solo skill.
   I’m going to learn the next major scale mode. :)
   Thank you so much.
   Theno.

   

   October 26, 2011 at 6:50 am
   1. Matt Warnock says:

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      Thanks Theno, glad you dug the lesson, enjoy working on the modes!

      

      October 26, 2011 at 8:09 am