All right, first of all, you need to know these patterns for the modes. I have no idea why 90% of guitar teachers/articles insist on making you learn the patterns the old and unpractical ways as seen here:
|--7--|--1--|-----|--2--| -1st string
|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|
|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|
|--6--|-----|--7--|--1--|
|--3--|--4--|-----|--5--|
|-----|--1--|-----|--2--| -6th string
^
Root
There are several "horizontal" patterns that are much better suited for improvising than these classic "vertical" patters as seen above. I will list these here:
Ionian (Major):
|-----|-----|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|
|-----|-----|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|--1--|
|-----|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|
|-----|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|
|-----|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|
|-----|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|-----|
Dorian:
|-----|-----|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|--5--|
|-----|-----|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|--2--|
|-----|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|
|-----|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|-----|
|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|-----|
Phrygian:
|-----|-----|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|
|-----|-----|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|
|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|-----|
|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|-----|
Lydian:
|-----|-----|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|--6--|
|-----|-----|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|
|-----|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|-----|
|-----|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|-----|
Mixolydian:
|-----|-----|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|
|-----|-----|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|--5--|
|-----|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|
|-----|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|
|-----|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|-----|
|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|-----|
Aeolian (Natural Minor):
|-----|-----|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|--5--|
|-----|-----|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|
|-----|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|-----|
|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|-----|
|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|-----|
|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|-----|
Locrian:
|-----|-----|-----|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|
|-----|-----|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|-----|--6--|
|-----|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--6--|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--3--|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|-----|
|-----|-----|--7--|--1--|-----|--2--|-----|-----|
Now if you notice, the 1 is the root of the major scale. So in this case, if these were modes of the C Major Scale, starting with Ionian, Ionian would begin with C, the root. Dorian would begin with D, Phrygian would begin with E, etc.
These positions apply to any note.
Anyways, here's for the exercises, as quoted by my teacher (a little confusing at first, but really all you are doing is playing one mode pattern ascending, then sliding up an interval on the high e. Then you are descending on the next mode shape/pattern, etc :
"We are going to start in the key of Bb. Why? It's the center of the neck. Play Bb Ionian up and down until you can do it at a comfortable but fast speed while you are looking up at the ceiling. When you have that throw in C Dorian. At first just go down Ionian and up Dorian, then down Ionian again, up Dorian, etc. When you can do that with your eyeballs glued to the ceiling (or the tv, or anything other than your hands or the guitar) change directions and go up Ionian and down Dorian. Next, we're going to go down Bb Ionian, up C Dorian, down Bb Ionian again, and then up A Locrian, back down Bb Ionian, up C Dorian, repeat ad infinitum. You see the pattern. Next we go down Bb Ionian, up C Dorian, down D Phrygian, up C Dorian, down Bb Ionian, up A Locrian. Then tack on G Aeolian before Locrian, and then Eb Lydian after Phrygian, and finally F Mixolydian before Aeolian. So you end up in the same place inevitably, but forcing yourself to think backward and forward at the same time rather than always in one direction is very important. Once you are comfortable with starting down with Ionian and walking through the whole thing at a steady speed, start going up Ionian instead, reversing the process. Then do this same exercise starting on other modes. When you start with other modes, though, never pick the next one in the sequence. For example, if you do the entire exercise with Bb Ionian, don't do Bb Dorian the next time. If you let yourself get complaisant with patterns like that you miss out. Try skipping around instead, playing Bb Ionian the first time around and then maybe switching to B Mixolydian as your center mode the next time. You will always start this exercise on the mode of your key that starts with either B or Bb.
After you can play every key starting from it's mode in the center of the neck, you'll want to start working on two string patterns. This may seem like it's easier, but trust me, it's one of the hardest things you'll ever do with modes because unless you have memorized the intervals to the point of obscenity you're going to struggle. And if you memorized each mode as a six string pattern, you can kiss your patterns goodbye because they will be little help for this one. You are going to start on the last comfortably played fret (I usually start on the 21st fret on a 24
fret guitar.) Pick any mode you want to start with and play it down on just the high E and B while saying the mode names and the intervals outloud or silently to yourself if you're the shy or sane type. Then, you will play the next mode back up while saying the intervals to that new mode. Do this all the way to the end of the neck, then either walk it forward if you are comfortable with it, or start over at the end if you struggled. For example, say we started playing G# Phrygian (which puts us in the key of E), you would play on the high E - C# (21 fret) while saying Perfect Fourth, B (19 fret) while saying Minor Third, A (17 fret) while saying Minor Second and then move down to the B and play - G#(21 fret) while saying Root, F#(19 fret) while saying Minor Seventh, E(17 fret) while saying Minor Sixth. Then we will go up the last two strings of F# Dorian, which would go like this: on the B - D# (16 fret) while saying Major Sixth, E (17 fret) while saying Minor Seventh, F# (19 fret) while saying Root and then high E - G# (16 fret) while saying Major Second, A (17 fret) while saying Minor Third, B (19 fret) while saying Perfect Fourth. Go down the last two strings of E Ionian, then up D# Locrian, etc., etc., until you get to open E Ionian. And, as I said, when you are comfortable going down the neck, walk it up in the same way. You may also want to invert your intervals when you are going tonaly backward, as a working knowledge of inversions can be quite handy.
Of course, after you are comfortable with starting on one mode, switch to another to start. The great thing about this is, once you are comfortable with seeing the pattern within just the first two strings, you're gonna move down to G and B and do the same thing. But you can't cheat by playing what you were playing on the first two strings. You have to force yourself to look at it like you are playing the second and third line of the pattern for the mode because the name and intervals will change in context of the root falling on the low E. This is where you start to see what modes are really for, because you can't use the patterns that you were using when you were playing on the high E and B, but you will be playing the same patterns that you were playing on the high E and B, they will just be in a different context and have different associations. Move in groups of two all the way down to low E and A (or if you are like me, down to low E and low B). Then, do the same exercise with three strings, then four, then five. When you get to playing all six (or, like me, all seven) you should be seeing modes in a totally different way than when you started this exercise.
This final exercise is a stepping stone between practice and improvisation. Pick a random note anywhere on the neck, and then any random mode to any scale you are familiar with. Then pick a direction; up, down or both. Starting with the note you picked, and in the mode you picked, play two full strings in the direction you chose. Then, jump to another totally random place within the key you just put yourself in and play two more strings going either in the direction you chose before, or the opposite. The only limitations to this exercise are: you must stay in key and you must switch strings after every two string pattern (otherwise it would be pointless...) You don't have to switch positions every time you start a new pattern, and sometimes it is helpful not to, but you should make it a point to not stay within the same position for longer than two sets of strings (using this exercise in a single mode is helpful, and should be done, but if you mix the two exercises together you are more likely to go easy on yourself, which is bad.) Once you can do this exercise with relative speed using scales, start using the basic idea with your licks. It adds a lot of movement to solos and improvisation, and can breathe life into long dead sequences."
