For teachers and students: a way of understanding the 7 natural modes that focuses on what they sound like and how they function instead of where they come from. Beginner jazz improvisation students especially can be confused by complex traditional ways of talking about modes. Try this instead.

NOTES:
1. If you are just starting out in jazz improvisation, don't just look at each chord in a song and think you can just use a different mode for each chord. In theory you can, and in a complicated way professional players do do that, but in reality for you it won't achieve what you want. That apporach won't sound very good, especially for new players. Check out my key centre, major blues, and minor bebop videos for effective solutions to get you sounding good from the start and to start the transition to chord changes.

2. Modalstyle improvising involves using a mode or modes against a single chord that lasts for a relatively long time (say 4 bars or more, but often much longer). Jazz players soling through chord changes use fragments of modes kind of but are not just shifting from mode to mode.

3. Practice playing all 7 modes starting from the same root note. If you don't have that much time, then at least major scale, Mixolydian, and Dorian. They will have the biggest payoff in the longer term.

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Photo of Freddie Hubbard: Tom Marcello Webster, New York, USA, CC BYSA 2.0.

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