The ‘happiest’ sounding of the modes, the Ionian is identical to the major scale, so it’s highly likely you’re already playing it on guitar. However, things really come alive when you approach Ionian ...

Like its Lydian cousin, the Mixolydian mode deviates from the major scale by just one note – the major 7th, which is lowered by a semitone to become a minor 7th. It's a crucial difference that gives ...