Thursday, February 17, 2011

Learn Guitar Scales: Using The Dorian Mode for Amazing Guitar Solos

By Nick Dillon


Before studying the Dorian mode it is important to understand the major scale. The Dorian mode is derived from the major scale by simply starting on its second note and keeping the same intervals or steps. By making the second note now the root note, we create a completely different set of sounding notes known as the Dorian mode. As you progress with lead guitar and learn guitar scales you will find this mode particularly useful for creating great sounding solos.

The Dorian mode is similar to the major scale with two important differences. The third is dropped a semitone as well as the seventh interval. This creates a significantly different sounding scale to that of the major scale even though they share many common notes.

As you learn guitar scales you will encounter the Aeolian mode. The Dorian mode is similar to the Aeolian mode or natural minor scale with one important difference. The Dorian mode uses a major sixth interval compared to the flattened sixth of the Aeolian. This one note difference actually makes Dorian sound much brighter.

As you learn guitar scales for soloing, you will probably start with the minor pentatonic scale. The Dorian mode is an extension of this scale. If we add a major second and major sixth to the minor pentatonic, we create the Dorian mode. Thus Dorian can give you a bluesy sound by emphasising the common pentatonic notes, namely the minor third and flattened seventh.

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 is often played over minor chords or seventh chords. Soloing over seventh chords tend to sound good because four out of the seven notes are included in the mode, making it difficult to hit a "wrong" note.

As you learn guitar scales and modes, be sure to study the Dorian mode. Using this mode will take your pentatonic solos and ramp them up a notch, giving them a more diverse and colourful sound. The addition of just two notes to the pentatonic scale can make a world of difference to your solos.




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