Guitar modes are one of the first things you want to get accustomed with when you are starting to play the guitar. They can easily seem confusing, and knowing where to start can help save you from a lot of trouble. Learning the different guitar modes can be simple and fun with these simple beginner tips.

Know the Guitar Modes

There are seven different guitar modes. Occasionally guitar modes are referred to as the modal scales or modal styles, so keep this in mind when listening to guitar lessons or browsing for tips online.

The seven guitar modes are:

• Ionian mode
• Dorian mode
• Phyrigian mode
• Lydian mode
• Mixolydian mode
• Aeolian mode
• Locrian mode

Classical guitarist Matt D’Netto has written a comprehensive guide to guitar modes. This information package also has great scale patterns to help you understand how each mode is played on the guitar.

Essentially, the easiest way to understand guitar modes is by understanding that they are patterns that play each scale a little differently. You can pick a major scale, such as A major, and start it from each note on the scale and you’d have played all the seven guitar modes.

For instance, the A major scale goes like this: A B C# D E F# G# A

If you wanted to play it in the Dorian mode, you’d play it by changing your root note to B. So the scale for Dorian mode goes: B C# D E F# G# A B

For Phyrigian mode the starting note would be the third and the mode goes: C# D E F# G# A B

As you might have figured out, the list continues in the similar fashion. The Lydian mode starts with the fourth note, Mixolydian mode with the fifth, Aeolian with the sixth and Locrian with the seventh.

Best Mode for Beginners

Although all of the modes are relatively straightforward, some of them are easier and more useful to learn as you start playing the guitar. The Ionian mode starts from the first note of the major scale, so it is naturally the same as each of the major scales. This makes it one of the easiest to remember.

In addition, the Aeolian mode is the natural minor scale, making it very simple to learn together with the Ionian scale. You should start with these two and practice them until you are comfortable.

Once you are comfortable with the two modes, you can move onto the Dorian mode. The Aeolian and Dorian mode only differ by one note, so you won’t have trouble mastering the new mode.

After that, the Phyrigian mode will come naturally, as it only differs from the Aeolian mode by one note.

Finally, you can master the Mixolydian mode, since you only need to change one note in the progression to the Ionian mode.

The Lydian and Locrian modes are the most demanding of all the guitar modes and you shouldn’t learn them until you’ve gotten a hang of all the others.

Practice Regularly

You definitely need to practice playing the guitar modes a lot in order to master them. The Pro Lick series can be a great way to enhance your playing and see how to use the different modes in action.

In addition, you should also practice the modes on top of backing tracks. Backing tracks can help you make better use of the sound and to understand how the modes work in connection with the music. Check out Coffee Break Grooves for basic guitar backing tracks.

Learning to play the guitar isn’t as difficult as many people think. Although it takes some time and effort, it is possible to teach yourself basic guitar skills in just a few weeks. If you want to learn to play the guitar quickly and well, here are a few tips to help you get started.

Buy a Good Guitar

First, it is crucial that you have the right guitar to start with. There are huge differences when it comes to guitars and having the wrong type of guitar can put you off from playing altogether.

The Andertons Music Co. has a great article regarding beginner guitars. Whether you are looking for electric guitars or acoustic guitars the buying guide on the website can be helpful in making sure you go with the right model.

Learn to Read Notes

Before you start jamming, you should get a hang off reading musical notes. Most guitar music is written in tabs and understanding tabs is a great way to learn to play guitar. You’ll soon be able to catch notes by just listening to songs, but at the start, the ability to read notes can help your learning process a lot.

You should just focus on the basic chords first and then move on to harder ones as you progress. Finding guitar tabs online is simple, as websites like Tabulous.co.uk provide you plenty of songs to play with.

Play Regularly

Once you have the basic chords under control, you can start playing simple songs. Songs like Pearl Jam’s ‘Last Kiss’ or Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Doors’ are great beginner songs. The key thing is to play and practice regularly. You would ideally want to play at least 20 minutes each day. This might sound like a lot, but don’t let it fool you. You can learn to play guitar even while you watch TV or hang out with friends! You could even play while you browse the web. The key thing is to practice the chord positions regularly, so that your fingers get used to the positions. Finger exercises and regular playing is crucial for mastering the guitar.

Do keep in mind that you shouldn’t pick too many songs to your repertoire right from the start. It can get confusing and you won’t progress as quickly, if you just keep jumping from one song to another.

Consider Guitar Lessons

Naturally, you can also boost your learning experience with online guitar lessons and books about guitar playing. You can find guitar lessons for complete beginners or you can take lessons to improve your guitar playing skills.

Through guitar lessons, you are also able to immerse yourself into different genres of music. You shouldn’t just stick to one genre, as understanding different styles can enhance your playing a lot. For instance, if you want to be a great metal guitarist, you want to know how blues guitar works.

The above tips will help you teach yourself guitar in no time. The key is to just stick to playing regularly, even if you feel like you aren’t progressing! As long as you keep practicing, you’ll soon play notes and even songs without having to pay that much attention to what you are doing.

Most new guitar players mistakenly think you can just pick up the guitar and start playing as you wish.

They don’t think about warming up their fingers before playing sessions, even though warming up your fingers and arm muscles can prevent injuries and even improve your technique.

Before you get started with your guitar lessons, try to do these simple finger and guitar exercises first.

Why it is Essential?

Before we look at some of the best warm up exercises, it is important to understand why you need to do them before playing. One of the important things is your guitar playing technique can improve if you warm up before playing. One of the reasons this happens is you remove unnecessary tension from your fingers and from your whole body. Your fingers will be more relaxed and therefore, it’s easier to play correctly.

Even more importantly, proper exercises before guitar lessons can prevent injuries from occurring.  For example, numerous guitarists suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and some even require surgery to cope with it. Luckily, there are ways to prevent it and keep the symptoms at bay and this is best achieved by warming up beforehand.

Start with Stretching

Before you pick your guitar, you should start by doing a few stretches with your fingers and your arms. In fact, it isn’t just your guitar playing arm that you need to worry about. If you play guitar sitting down for long periods, you might end up with back pains. Therefore, you want to do a few easy stretches throughout your upper body to ensure you are relaxed and ready to go.

The Guitar and Bass website has some great stretch ideas. On top of these ideas on the website, you could also do the following:

• Lower back stretch: sit on a chair and slowly fold your upper body between your knees. Try to touch the floor with your knuckles and keep your back straight during the exercise. Hold the position for 20 seconds and slowly get back up. Repeat a few times.
• Finger push-ups: put your fingertips against each other (a bit like an evil scientist!) and gently push them against each other for a few seconds. Repeat for a few times.

Slowly Start Playing

Once you’ve relaxed your body with a few stretches, you should do a few simple guitar exercises before you continue with the actual guitar lessons. It is a good idea to play some slower songs or do some freestyling first. This ensures your fingers are properly warmed-up before you pick up the speed and play the more difficult licks.

You could use basic chord progression to warm up or even pick some simple songs to play. If you are into blues music, the Traditional Music website has plenty of chords and tabs available for guitarists.

It doesn’t matter what you play during your warm up session, which should last about 15 minutes. The key is to ensure you don’t play too fast and that you slowly increase the difficulty to your fingers. Once you’ve done your warm up, you can continue to your guitar lessons!

Whether you are looking for guitar lessons as a complete beginner or a seasoned player, at Pro Music Tutor we have something for you. These are five of our favourite online guitar series that can give you a handle of the basics and command of more complicated licks.

1. Acoustic Series 1

Our acoustic series 1 with the amazing Micky Moody is one of our most popular downloads.

The legendary Whitesnake guitarist will show you the best techniques for playing the acoustic guitar. The focus is on understanding different tunings and how you can use them as a building block as you continue to learn to play guitar better. Micky will explore tunings and techniques in relation to a variety of genres from blues to rock’n’roll.

2. Jazz Rock Series 1

Once you have the pentatonic scale sorted, you might want to try something a bit different with it. This Jazz Rock series 1 with Jerry Crozier Cole is perfect for understanding jazz flavoured rock better and to take your use of the pentatonic scale to the next level.

You’ll be able to learn licks and new chord progression and spice up your guitar playing and set you on the path to becoming a great solo jazz guitarist.

3. Rock Series 1

Jerry also has a great Rock Series 1 out for anyone who loves to learn to play the guitar. If you are interested in playing in a band and want to improve your skills, then this series is perfect for you. You will learn all the basics in the first few lessons and move on to chords and notes that are more advanced towards the end of the series.

It is great for anyone who is just starting out, but will provide enough of a challenge for guitarists that have all the basics covered already. Of course, as we are talking about proper rock, you’ll also learn about distortion and volume control during these guitar lessons.

4. Blues Experience Series 1

Learning from the legends is a great way to immerse yourself in guitar music and when it comes to blues music, you want to be learning from Innes Sibun. The Blues Experience Series 1 with Innes is a fantastic way to understand blues music and all the different styles within this genre.

After these online guitar lessons, you’ll be able to master different licks and how to best transpose and mix them with other genres or styles. Again, the first lessons are going to teach you all the basics, with more complicated combinations of notes and licks following later in the series.

5. Pentatonic Brutality Series 1

Finally, if you are all about hard-core rock and metal music, then you don’t want to miss the Pentatonic Brutality Series 1. Your teacher, Jamie Hunt, will teach you all about that classic metal sound by showing you the connection with traditional blues music. You’ll be able to create the classic, heart stomping metal sound by utilising the blues scale.

If you are just learning, this series might prove to be a bit tricky. You should consider taking a few basic online guitar lessons first. But if you feel you have the basics covered, this a great series to take your guitar playing to the next level.