A simple way to practice music modes
I got overwhelmed by how many different modes and keys there were to practice. And so I ended up practicising nothing because I thought I had to do them all. I needed a simple bitesized approach to tackling these 96 (!) key-mode combinations.
Here is my simple approach.
- Go to random.org.
- Look for the random number generator panel.
- Generate a random number between 0 and 11. This is your key.
- Generate a random number between 1 and 7. This is your mode.
- Practice that scale up and down and all the fretboard for ten to fifteen minutes that day.
- Repeat this each day.
You have a 98.96% change of not doing the same scale two days in a row.
Number-to-key mapping:
| Number | Key |
|---|---|
| 0 | E |
| 1 | F |
| 2 | F#/Gb |
| 3 | G |
| 4 | G#/Ab |
| 5 | A |
| 6 | A#/Bb |
| 7 | B |
| 8 | C |
| 9 | C#/Db |
| 10 | D |
| 11 | D#/Eb |
Number-to-mode mapping:
| Number | Mode |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ionian |
| 2 | Dorian |
| 3 | Phrygian |
| 4 | Lydian |
| 5 | Mixolydian |
| 6 | Aeolian |
| 7 | Locrian |