Practical Modes : Ionian

Begin Your Modal Journey.

Welcome to the first course in our brand new course series, Practical Modes. In this epic series, we'll be taking a deep dive into every single one of the major scale modes, starting, in this course, with the Ionian.

Be sure to watch the full video introduction above! 

So, let's tackle the BIG question first... Why do we need to go into such epic detail with each and every mode? Well, in order to truly understand how the modes work, we need to consider each and every mode as a totally separate entity! Each mode offers us a new sound landscape, new chords and different scale sounds. Individual modes tend to be attributed to different styles, genres and moods, and the deeper your understanding of each mode, the more control you have over when and how you use them.

A mastery of the modes is so much more than just saying "I can play a Dorian scale" for example. It's about understanding how to create a soundscape, using that mode, and turn the root chord of that mode into the "home" of the track. To do this, we MUST tackle each mode individually, and this is our aim and mission across this awesome series.

In this course, we tackle the first mode of the major scale, which is the Ionian mode. This is the only place you should ever start your modal studies, as it lays the grounding and foundation for every mode after that.