Originally Posted by: Fret spiderthanxs i always forget those ones.

and yes ionion is what people refer to as the majour scale.

very simply to play c ionion play lots of c's in your song. this is over simplifyin it a bit. but its a start. u can also play e's amd g's and ocasionally b's.

Ionian is major (MAJOR). Just think of the intervals rather than the notes - WWHWWWH (W= whole tone or 2 frets, H = half tone or 1 fret) so C major (or ionian) would have the notes:

C D E F G A B C

C is maybe a bad example because it's the only key with no sharps or flats, but you get the idea.

D Dorian would be D E F G A B C D

E Phrygian would be E F G A B C D E

F Lydian would be F G A B C D E F

And so on - if you play a C Major scale but start on the second note (D), and extend it a note to get the 2nd octave, you're playing D Dorian. This is a big topic, and I suggest concentrating on Major & Minor (Ionian & Aeolian) and not going any further until you understand those...

playing loads of C's is just playing loads of C's... The E is the third and the G is the fifth, which make a major triad (Major chord tones), and the B is the seventh. Modes tie in with Diatonic Harmony, so I'd also suggest reading up on that...

**EDIT**

Having re-read the above, I should also point out that when people say 'D Dorian' they can either mean a dorian scale in D, or they can mean the second mode of D major, which would be E Dorian... :rolleyes:

Figured I should say it for completeness...