Originally Posted by: Lao_TzuSo your saying that if i was to write a new song.
i would say lets right it in the key of c and the style of the song would be in the pattern of lydian. would i be correct in saying that? also someone said maybe you, that once ive learnt the first pattern lets say ionion( u know what i mean). if i played that pattern for that song does that mean i stick to that pattern or can i change pattern? and when im in that key of c and i play the lydian scale do i just use the same pattern and change it to the right root note everytime a chord is mooved from one to the next?.
im just trying to work it out in my head.

If you are in the Key of C, you can play any C D E F G A or B note anywhere on the fretboard. Those will always be in the Key of C. If you've learn what guitar players learn as "mode patterns" then yes, you can play any of those patterns from the Key of C and still be in the Key of C.

If you know your mode patterns, take an evening and write down the names of the notes in each of those patterns and you see they all contain the same notes. For instanse, in the Key of C Major...

C Ionian = CDEFGABC
D Dorian = DEFGABCD
E Phrygian = EFGABCDE
F Lydian = FGABCDEF
G Mixolydian = GABCDEFG
A Aeolian = ABCDEFGA
B Locrian = BCDEFGAB
C Ioinian = CDEFGABC

So, if you've learned those patterns with a name attached to them...you can see that the name is ONLY there because of the name of the low note in pattern and "thinking" that's the Root.

But, in reality....any one of those notes could be a Root, and in turn, that throws the whole Name to Pattern idea off the table.

One of those scales could be ANY one of those scale. Because they ALL contain the exact same notes.

Now, as I explained in my document, you could be playing:

||: C | Am | F | G :||

Since this whole progession is in the Key of C Major....Musicians will do a couple of basic experiments with playing over this...but, they both achieve the same thing...

The simple way...ONLY play the notes that are in the Key of C, and use your ear to move through it landing on notes that are melodic to the chord progression.

The other way is, move melodically by consciously move to each Root scale for each chord, IOW moving to each Mode or scale that build the individual chord...Like:

C - play C Ionian
Am - play A Aeolian
F - play F Lydian
G - play G Mixolydian

This is a little more difficult and sometimes you're thinking more than just playing. But, it's good brain food so to speak. And, it'll help you understanding of things.

BUT, in reality both ways are the SAME thing...both use the same notes, and both try to follow the progression through some sort of movement...even though there's no movement deu to the same group of notes being playable over each chord.

ALWAYS though, the ear is right. Whether you plow over the chords playing to the chords, or you methodically move from scale to scale over the chords...it's what sounds good that is most important.

So, while one way might be easier than the other when playing...neither way is wrong, and neither way is right.

Hope that makes sense.