These Two Modes Will Make Your Bass Lines Better: Dorian and Mixolydian
Once you get beyond the beginner level of bass, it’s time to step up your knowledge of music theory. Learning the modes is a big part of that.
Knowing the vocabulary is important so that you can “speak music” and communicate with other players, but modes are also highly valuable in terms of creativity, building bass lines, and recognizing when other bass players have used a particular sound to write a part.
If you’re wondering which modes to learn first for funk bass, I’d start with Mixolydian and Dorian. Mixolydian gives you a major sound with a bluesy flat 7, and Dorian gives you a minor sound with a natural 6. Both are incredibly useful for writing grooves, playing over vamps, and recognizing sounds you’ve already heard in classic bass lines.
But before we get into those two funky modes, let’s make sure the foundation is solid.
Beginner Music Theory For Bass Players
The beginner level of music theory involves learning your major and minor scales and triads.
This means that you should be able to play a major scale starting on any note and a minor scale starting on any note. Usually, you learn the four-fret-span shapes for these scales so that you can play them in a single position without having to shift.
Before we start talking about modes, spend a little time getting these scale shapes under your fingers.
Watch the lesson: Scale shapes on bass
Once you’ve gotten comfortable playing them in a particular place, for instance, a C Major scale, then you should be able to move them around the fretboard, starting on any note. Next, try learning another shape for these scales, such as the five-fret-span version.
It’s important to be able to do the same thing with triads. Know how to build major and minor triads, move them around the fretboard, and for added fun, learn a few different shapes so that you can play a triad starting with your index finger, middle finger, or pinky.
Triads are where scales start turning into real bass lines.
Watch the lesson: Triads on the fretboard
A great way to test your theory knowledge is to give yourself mini quizzes and find musical ways to play scales.
Use the mini quiz below by picking one option from each section and playing that combination on bass.
This will help you learn the notes on your neck, force you to find scales and triads using different fingering shapes, and discover these shapes around the bass fretboard.
Build Your Own Mini Theory Quiz
Pick one option from each section, then play that combination on bass.
1. Choose a root note
2. Choose a scale or triad shape
3. Choose a starting string
Intermediate Music Theory For Bass Players
Once you’re comfortable with your basic major and minor scales and triads, it’s time to expand both your theory and fretboard knowledge.
When it comes to building chords, that usually involves adding extensions, such as the 7th. In doing so, you can start to build four-note chords using the root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th scale degrees.
This will help you build dominant chords, major seventh chords, and minor seventh chords so that you can pretty much follow any basic chord chart in the world of pop and rock music.
When you understand dominant 7 chords, you can start using those chord tones to build funkier, more musical bass lines.
Once you’re comfortable hearing those chord tones, modes give you another way to organize the notes and colors around them.
Watch the lesson: Building funky bass lines with dominant chords
Why Are The Modes So Popular When Learning Music Theory?
There’s a lot of emphasis placed on learning the modes. It’s something that gets discussed in music schools, private lessons, theory books, and YouTube videos because, in a way, they are very clear-cut.
There are seven modes, each of which has a distinct name, and each mode starts on a distinct note of the scale.
When we’re in a particular key, let’s say C Major, we can play a different mode starting on each note of the scale.
| Mode | Starts On | Basic Sound |
|---|---|---|
| C Ionian | C | Major |
| D Dorian | D | Minor with a natural 6 |
| E Phrygian | E | Dark minor |
| F Lydian | F | Bright major |
| G Mixolydian | G | Major with a flat 7 |
| A Aeolian | A | Natural minor |
| B Locrian | B | Diminished |
For each of these modes, we can essentially play up the scale using the same notes in the key of C Major, but starting and ending on a different scale degree.
For example, if we start and end on D, we get D Dorian. It uses the same notes as C Major, but because D feels like home base, the sound changes.
That’s the important part. Modes are not just major scales starting on different notes. They each have a sound. Some sound more major, others sound more minor, and some have a darker, brighter, bluesier, or more unstable character.
But here’s the good news: just because there are seven modes does not mean you need to use all seven right away.
Focus On The Most Common Major Modes
Clearly, the most common major mode is Ionian. This is just the fancy Greek name for the major scale, and you probably know it already. Great, one down.
The second major mode I would prioritize is Mixolydian. Mixolydian is essentially the major scale, but with a minor, or flattened, 7th.
Mixolydian formula: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, flat 7
That flat 7 is a big deal. It gives the scale a bluesy, funky sound, and it works great for playing over dominant 7 chords.
Mixolydian is built on scale degree 5 when you’re playing in a home key.
So, in the key of C Major, G Mixolydian uses the notes:
G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G
But frankly, you can think of Mixolydian any time you’re playing over a dominant chord like E7, A7, G7, or B7 in a 12-bar blues.
This mode is also perfect for creating funky bass lines and kicking off jam sessions.
This is where Mixolydian becomes really useful for groove building, dominant chords, and jam-session bass lines.
Watch the lesson: Using Mixolydian for funky bass lines
Focus On The Most Common Minor Modes
Next up, the two most important minor modes.
We’ve got Aeolian, which again is just the fancy Greek name for the natural minor scale. If you already know your minor scale, you already have this sound under your fingers.
Then, we’ve got the Dorian mode. Dorian is really just your minor scale, but with a natural 6 instead of a flat 6.
Dorian formula: 1, 2, flat 3, 4, 5, 6, flat 7
It sounds minor because of the flat 3 and flat 7, but the natural 6 gives it a different character. It feels a little brighter, a little funkier, and a little less dark than the natural minor scale. Dorian is built on the second scale degree of the home key.
So, in the key of C Major, D Dorian uses the notes:
D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D
Dorian shows up a lot over minor 7 chords and minor grooves. If you’re playing over Dm7, for example, D Dorian gives you that minor sound with a little extra lift from the natural 6.
If the progression moves from Dm7 to G7, you can think Dorian on the Dm7, then shift your ear toward a dominant sound on the G7.
This is where Dorian gives a minor groove a slightly different color.
Watch the lesson: Using Dorian for minor grooves
The Two Funky Modes For Bass
Not all modes are created equal.
Sure, we want to learn all seven modes eventually, but when it comes to really making music and writing bass lines, we can get a lot of mileage out of just a few.
And as we get into funk bass playing, Mixolydian and Dorian are the two modes that we’re really working with.
Mixolydian gives you that dominant, bluesy, major sound. Dorian gives you that minor-but-not-too-dark sound.
It’s amazing how many funk bass lines are derived from just these two sounds.
Some of my favorites include:
“Good Times” by Chic (with Bernard Edwards on bass)
“Cissy Strut” by The Meters (featuring George Porter Jr. on bass)
“Fire” by The Ohio Players (with Marshall “Rock” Jones on bass)
“Lost My Treble Long Ago” by Vulfpeck (thanks to the extra funky Joe Dart)
Pretty much any James Brown song with Bootsy Collins holding it down!
This brings everything back to real funk vocabulary, which is the point of learning this stuff in the first place. We are not studying modes just to memorize names. We are studying them so we can recognize sounds, make better choices, and build bass lines that feel good.
Watch the lesson: Putting these sounds into real funk vocabulary
Start With the Sounds You’ll Actually Use
As you can see, learning the modes can be an essential part of your musical journey, but it’s good to know what to prioritize.
Start with the basic major and minor sounds, Ionian and Aeolian. Then spend extra time with the two funky modes, Mixolydian and Dorian.
You’d be surprised by how much music you can make when you use them as inspiration for building your own grooves on bass.
If you want help putting these sounds under your fingers, check out my lesson materials, Patreon resources, books, or private lessons. Sometimes the quickest way to understand theory is to put it into a groove, play it slowly, and hear how it works in real music.