Saturday 12 March 2011

Learn Guitar Scales : Amazing Solos Using The Dorian Mode

By Nick Dillon


Before understanding the Dorian mode, it is important to touch on the major scale or Ionian mode. The Dorian mode is derived from the major scale by simply starting on the second note and looping around, using the same steps or intervals. By doing this, we create a completely different set of sounding notes known as the Dorian mode. As you learn guitar scales you will likely use this mode to create great sounding guitar solos.

If we compare Dorian with the the major scale, we find that Dorian keeps the same notes except for a flattened third and flattened seventh interval. This makes the Dorian mode a minor scale, which will sound very different to the major scale.

As you learn guitar scales you will encounter the natural minor scale. The Dorian mode sounds very similar to the natural minor scale, with an important difference. Dorian uses a major sixth compared to the flattened sixth of the natural minor scale. This, suprisingly, has the effect of creating a much brighter sound.

As you learn guitar scales for soloing, you will likely start with the minor pentatonic scale. The Dorian mode is essentially the same scale with the addition of the major second and major sixth intervals. Being similar to the pentatonic scale, it is easy to create a bluesy sound by emphasising these notes in your solos. The addition of these two notes will add more flavour and diversity to your lead breaks, whilst maintaining the "bluesy" undertones from the common pentatonic notes.

The Dorian mode can be applied to many different styles of music. In rock music, as an example, Eric Clapton uses this mode in the classic "Cocaine", and Carlos Santana uses this mode often to solo with. There are many examples in popular music as well as jazz using this mode. As you progress with lead guitar and learn guitar scales, you will start to hear the different intervals and identify the modes in various songs.

The Dorian mode can be played over minor chords or seventh chords. Seventh chords tend to sound good because four out of the seven notes are common, making it hard to hit a "bad" note.

As you learn guitar scales and modes, keep an eye out for the Dorian mode. Using this mode will take your pentatonic solos to new heights giving them a more colourful and diverse sound. Without a doubt, you will be truly amazed at what the addition of just two notes to the minor pentatonic scale can really do for your guitar solos.




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