Modal Confusion

Erm...I really know NOTHING about musical theory, could someone explain to me when to use each different mode?
I mean, over which chords etc..

seven notes in a major scale=seven chords, built by taking every other note:
in c major
CDEFGAB is the scale
CEG is your first chord, it's c major
DFA is the second, it's D minor
etc...
You use each scale on the chord that's built on it...
Or you can use another scale, depending on the sound you want to get in your improvisation.
Think in modes in terms of "sets of intervals" when you change your mode, the intervals between your notes change...
So, playing the major scale, and making the forth one half step higher makes you play a lydian scale...

So...wait (I'm sorry, I really am a musical dunce)
You play the notes of the scale from which the chord is derived, but if the chord can come from different scales, can you use either?
And do you just play the notes of the chord, or the whole scale?
(Sorry again :rolleyes: )

yes, it depends on the context of the song, and of the progression...
as for the notes, or the entire scale, it depends on what type of sound you are looking for... but you can do both

Ok, and once again, how do I know which Modes work over which scales/chords?

the chords built off the 1st and 4th degrees of the major scale are Major. So therefor the modes built starting on these scale degrees will also be Major. (ionian & lydian)

The chords built off the 2nd 3rd & 6th scale degrees are minor, so therefor these modes will also be minor in flavor (dorian, phrygian, & aoelian)

the 5 chord is dominant, so Mixolydian will also be Dom.

The 7th chord is a minor 7b5, so the mode built on the 7th degree (locrian) will also outline this sound.

so lets suppose your soloing off a D-7 vamp, the most common choice here would be to you's a dorian scale, but you could also use phrygian and aoelian for added color.

This is quite confusing stuff, it takes a lot of trial and error to understand, so be patient, and feel free to ask a lot of questions. The more explicit you can be with your questions the better we can help you out.
Ex; Why does xxx scale sound funny when played over xxx chord?

Thanks, you've been really helpful...:)
Nice to be able to ask someone

Hmmm. Okay - here's a really easy way to learn any mode. It is known as relative modal determination. However, there are some initial requirements:
1. You must know all seven positions when playing a major scale.

2. You must memorize the degree of each mode. Here are the definitions:
1st degree = Ionian
2nd degree = Dorian
3rd degree = Phrygian
4th degree = Lydian
5th degree = Mixolydian
6th degree = Aolean
7th degree = Locrian

3. You must memorize how the major scale is constructed, ie with intervals.

Here's the formula:
R = root : W = whole step : H = half step
Formula = R W W H W W W H R

So, to construct the C and E major scales you do the following:
R W W H W W W R R W W H W W W R
C D E F G A B C E F# G# A B C# D# E

Pretty easy eh!
OK, now this part may be confusing, but I'll try to elucidate.

Let's say that you want to construct the D Dorian Scale. Start by identifying the root note somewhere in the middle of the neck of the guitar. The number at the top of the virtual fretboard, below, indicates the fret number. The X's indicate the note associated with the scale. The R's indicate the Root.

3 4 5 6 7 8
E| | X | | X | |
B| | X | | X | X |
G| X | | X | R | |
D| X | X | | X | |
A| X | X | | X | |
E| | R | | X | |

Hopefully, you will recognize this particular pattern. Now to obtain the Dorian scale, let's locate the 2nd degree of the major scale formula. Remember, the formual is RWWHWWWH!
So, starting at the root, just count up to the 2nd degree.
1 2
R W

And we find that we have to move our entire scale pattern, above, DOWN the fretboard by one whole step! So, here's the D Dorian Scale:

1 2 3 4 5 6
E| | X | | X | |
B| | R | | X | X |
G| X | | X | X | |
D| X | X | | X | |
A| X | X | | R | |
E| | X | | X | |

Notice that the Root notes and position have changed, but the pattern has not! Now, the reason for knowing all seven positions is so you can link all of the different positions to form the scale over the length of the fretboard.

Let's try another, say D Lydian. Let's find the interval determination by counting the intervals from the root to the 4th degree (Lydian).
1 2 3 4
R W W H
And we find that we have to move our entire scale pattern DOWN the fretboard by two and a half steps!

Hope this helps out.

If you see the above explanation and the type is not monospaced, just line up the bars for the fretboard and it should make a whole lot more sense.