Country Guitar Scales – How to Use Modes to Instantly Create Amazing Country Solos (It’s Easy!)

If you are a regular reader of guitar magazines you are probably sick and tired of hearing about modes, everyone is talking about them, people say you should learn them but do you think you can find anyone who can tell you HOW to use them!

Modes… it’s all Greek to me (pun intended), actually if you take your time and let yourself get your head (as well as your fingers) around the basic concepts of modes and their application they are quite guitar friendly and certainly lots of fun.

Modes – a quick overview (for those who already know this stuff please talk amongst yourselves.)

The ancient Greeks had this neat idea that a scale could be subdivided (played) from any point within that scale to create a number of sub-scales all related to the original scale but each having it’s own unique underlying structure of tones and semitones thereby giving each sub-scale (mode) a unique sound,

flavor and mood.

Here’s what I mean…

C major scale (parent scale)

C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C

Playing this scale from the first degree of the parent scale is called the Ionian mode; in this instance the ‘C’ Ionian mode.

‘C’ Ionian mode = C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C

If I began on the second note of our parent scale (the note ‘D’) and continued alphabetically until I reached the letter ‘D’ again I would be playing the ‘D’ Dorian mode.

The Greeks called this scale beginning on the second degree the Dorian mode.

Parent scale beginning on the second note ‘D’ indicated as []

C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C – D

Creates the D” Dorian mode

‘D’ Dorian mode = D – E – F – G – A – B – C – D

Basically the idea is that each sub-scale (mode) has it’s own name, like this:

Scale from 1 – 1 is the Ionian mode;

2 – 2 = Dorian

3 – 3 = Phrygian

4 – 4 = Lydian

5 – 5 = Mixo-Lydian

6 – 6 = Aeolian

7 – 7 = Locrian

In each of these examples 2 – 2 refers to playing the original parent scale from the second note and continuing alphabetically until we arrive at a note of the scale name.

3 – 3 would refer to playing

E – F – G – A – B – C – D – E (‘E’ Phrygian)

4 – 4 would refer to playing

F – G – A – B – C – D – E – F (‘F’ Lydian)

Now let’s transfer our modes to the guitar fretboard for some interesting country pickin’.

I’m going to use the ‘A’ Aeolian mode to create a cool run that I’ll use in a country chord progression (see below).

Aeolian mode means start on the sixth note of the original parent scale.

‘A’ Aeolian mode = A – B – C – D – E – F – G – A

I’m going to play the notes of the mode in this order to create a melody:

A – B – C – B – A – G – F – E – D – C – B – G (Am chord)

Here’s one way you could play this melody on your guitar using hammer-on’s; pull-off’s and open strings to give it a country guitar ‘feel’.

step 1:

–5-h-7-h-8-p-7-p5———-

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A – B – C – B – A

step 2:

————0————-

–8-p-6——————

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G – F – E

step 3:

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———–0—————

–7-p-5——–0———-

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D – C – B – G

Notice how I broke this long run into tiny sections, the idea is to learn in groups of four to six notes sections. (six note maximum).

After you have practiced your run try this chord progression derived from the Aeolian mode, I think you will like it!

Am /// | G /// | Am /// | G /// |

I played some of the notes ascending then played the scale descending to create a simple (Aeolian) melody; try making your own melodies using this scale on your guitar.