Theory · Advanced · 6 min
One Root, Two Modes
Play A Aeolian, then A Dorian, and hear what one changed note does.
How to play it
- A Aeolian: A B C D E F G A, starting at string 6 fret 5.
- A Dorian: the same, but play F sharp (string 4 fret 4) instead of F.
- Play both slowly and listen for the moment the sixth arrives.
What the coach checks: Pitch of each scale degree in order.
Tab player
Hear the line
Tap any number to hear it. Four clicks count you in.
100% is the goal tempo, 100 BPM. The speed presets climb from Learn to Goal about 10% at a time, and the practice slider below uses the same scale. Build a full ladder to your goal
Your practice room
Find each note
Single-note pitch feedback. Practice waits for each note; Play checks the sequence at your chosen tempo. This does not assess chord quality or fret buzz.
This checkpoint needs 100 BPM or faster and the required accuracy. Slower Play attempts still produce practice scores.
Exercise map · 16 targets
- 1. A2Bar 1 · beat 1 · string 6 · fret 5
- 2. B2Bar 1 · beat 1.5 · string 6 · fret 7
- 3. C3Bar 1 · beat 2 · string 6 · fret 8
- 4. D3Bar 1 · beat 2.5 · string 5 · fret 5
- 5. E3Bar 1 · beat 3 · string 5 · fret 7
- 6. F3Bar 1 · beat 3.5 · string 5 · fret 8
- 7. G3Bar 1 · beat 4 · string 4 · fret 5
- 8. A3Bar 1 · beat 4.5 · string 4 · fret 7
- 9. A2Bar 2 · beat 1 · string 6 · fret 5
- 10. B2Bar 2 · beat 1.5 · string 6 · fret 7
- 11. C3Bar 2 · beat 2 · string 6 · fret 8
- 12. D3Bar 2 · beat 2.5 · string 5 · fret 5
- 13. E3Bar 2 · beat 3 · string 5 · fret 7
- 14. F♯3Bar 2 · beat 3.5 · string 4 · fret 4
- 15. G3Bar 2 · beat 4 · string 4 · fret 5
- 16. A3Bar 2 · beat 4.5 · string 4 · fret 7
Chord names and stroke directions are visual guidance. Rhythm scoring measures attack timing.
Play one note at a time.
Tune first. Audio stays on this device.
Why this drill
Modes are easiest to hear against a fixed root. Aeolian and Dorian differ by a single note, the sixth, and that one note turns a dark minor sound into a brighter, warmer one.
Common mistakes
Stretching for F sharp on string 5
Fix: F sharp is also at string 5 fret 9, but reaching for it pulls the hand out of position. Take it on string 4 fret 4 with the first finger, as the drill does, and the hand stays at the fifth fret.
Running both scales without hearing the change
Fix: Stop on the sixth. Hold F in the first pass and F sharp in the second against a drone on A, from a backing track or a recorded open A string, and hear the color shift.
Thinking of A Dorian as G major from A
Fix: That finds the right notes but hides the sound. Hear A as home in both: Aeolian is A minor with F, Dorian is A minor with F sharp.
Tempo plan
100% is the goal tempo, 100 BPM. Each rung sits about 10% above the one before it, so every step up is one you can hold. The speed presets in the player above use the same rungs.
- Learn 75 BPM · 75%Say "flat six" on F and "six" on F sharp as you play them.
- Build 83 BPM · 83%Join the scales: the Dorian pass starts on the very next eighth after the Aeolian octave.
- Push 91 BPM · 91%Switch to Play · full check here. Two clean passes in a row earn the next rung.
- Goal 100 BPM · 100%Sixteen eighth notes, with the drop from the top A on string 4 back to the low A on string 6 landing cleanly. A pass at 80% accuracy or better clears the drill.
- Stretch 110 BPM · 110%Run a few passes here, then return to the goal. Time above the goal makes the goal feel settled.
Build a full ladder to your goal with holds and back-off sessions, starting from the tempo you can play today.
Make it music
Over an Am to D vamp, the D chord contains F sharp, so Dorian fits it note for note. Over Am to F, the F chord calls for Aeolian. Matching the sixth to the chord is how you pick the mode in real songs.
Variation
Run the same comparison from D, starting on string 5 fret 5: D Aeolian has B flat, D Dorian has B natural. One changed note, same lesson, new key.