jazz modes

The harmonic minor scale is a captivating and versatile scale used in various musical genres, known for its distinctive sound due to the raised seventh degree compared to the natural minor scale.

By understanding both chords derived from this scale and the modes within it, you can create compelling harmonic progressions and melodic lines.

Here's an introduction on how to combine chords and modes derived from the harmonic minor scale, including a free PDF (or give what you want) with Tab / standard notation. 

Jazz improvisation starts with the right scales. Instead of learning everything at once, focusing on a few essential scales will help you understand harmony, navigate the fretboard, and start soloing with confidence.

In this lesson, you’ll discover the key scales every beginner guitarist should know to build a strong jazz foundation.

In this guitar lesson, we will explore the differences between five different Phrygian modes taken from the major, harmonic minor, melodic minor, harmonic major and double harmonic major scales.

In this theory lesson with diagrams and charts you will learn what's the difference between relative and parallel modes and how to play them on guitar.

Hexatonic scales are made of six notes, even if you can get them from any pentatonic scale (by adding one note) or diatonic scale (by removing one note).

The most popular are the blues scales (major, minor), the augmented scale, the whole-tone scale, the tritone scale and the Prometheus scale.

This guitar lesson with formula charts and diagrams covers them in details and will you help to better figure them out.

This infographic with guitar shapes show the main 6 minor scales used in jazz as :

• Minor pentatonic
• Minor blues
• Dorian mode
• Aeolian mode
• Melodic minor
• Harmonic minor

This guitar lesson sheds light on the different types of minor modes and scales that can be used in jazz music.

They are built with different combinations of intervals starting on different steps of several scales as the major scale, the melodic minor, the harmonic minor, the harmonic major, the pentatonic scale and the bebop scale. 

This lesson explains how to build drop 2 and drop 3 seventh chords from the harmonic minor scale.

This action which consists in stacking notes in interval of thirds starting on each tone of a scale is commonly called "harmonization".

What Scale To Choose For Improvising?

One of the most common question a beginner asks when he wants to start improvising on guitar is : Which scale to choose over which chords? However, there is a lot of scale and a lot of chord, it is easy to get lost. That's why it is important to make the relation between them, trying to understand what is the appropriate scale that fit the chord and vice versa. 

This guitar lesson provides the seventeen most important scales with shapes and formulas to know for improvising over the most used chord types in jazz music (major, minor, dominant and diminished).

Locrian Mode Cheat Sheet For Guitar 

The Locrian mode is the seventh mode of the major scale. It has a particular sound because of the b2, b3, b5, b6 and b7. It is probably the least used and the most misunderstood of all of the modes of the major scale. The Locrian mode is usually played over minor seventh flat ninth chords (m7b5).

The Aeolian mode is built with : root (1), minor second (b2), minor third (b3), perfect fourth (4), diminished fifth (b5), minor sixth (b6) and minor seventh (b7). 

locrian-mode-guitar-cheat-sheet.pdf (145.18 Ko)

Mixolydian Scale Guitar Cheat Sheet - PDF / JPEG

The Mixolydian mode, also called dominant scale is the fifth mode of the major scale. It is a major type scale. This is the mode to know when you want to play over dominant chords (not altered). The Mixolydian mode is widely used in jazz and blues music and one of the most important to master.

The Mixolydian mode is built with : root (1), second (2), third (3), perfect fourth (4), perfect fifth (5), sixth (6) and minor seventh (b7). 

mixolydian-mode-sheet-cheat-for-guitar.pdf (134.74 Ko)

Printable PDF / JPEG Dorian Mode Cheat Sheet

The Dorian mode is the second of the seven musical modes.It is a minor type scale because of its minor third (b3), often the first choice to play over minor chords and one of the most important scales to know.

The Dorian mode is built with a root (1), a second (2), minor third (b3), fourth (4), perfect fifth (5), sixth (6) and minor seventh (b7). 

dorian-mode-sheet-cheat-for-guitar.pdf (131.29 Ko)

Printable PDF / JPEG Ionian Mode Cheat Sheet

The Ionian mode (aka major scale) is the first of the seven musical modes. The other Greek modes are Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian modes. The Ionian mode has exactly the same notes as the major scale and surely the first scale to learn for a beginner musician. 

The major scale consists of a root (1), second (2), major third (3), fourth (4), fifth (5), sixth (6) and major seventh (7). 

major-scale-sheet-cheat.pdf (138.61 Ko)

In this lesson you will learn how to build, play and recognize each of the three types of minor blues scales.

This infographic provide guitar shapes that will help you to make the link between the seven modes of the major scale and their related drop 2 and drop 3 chords.