ZeyerGTR

Lately I've been working on internalizing and really being able to apply the modes of the harmonic minor. I can use in harmonic minor itself pretty well when called for, but hearing and effortlessly being able to apply, say the Locrian #6 isn't quite as natural and doesn't come up as much, but it's an interesting sound. The trick is hearing when to use that sound and then be able to apply it when needed without thought. That's the goal for any scale. To be able to have that sound at your disposal.

I use the major scale and it's modes pretty regularly, chromatic runs, major/minor pentatonic, blues scale, etc. It really depends on the song and the genre.

In terms of thought process, I really refer everything back to the major scale. What's #'d or flatted relative to the major scale? Dorian is b3, b7. Lydian is #4. Harmonic Minor is b3, b6. For me it's easier to remember, and utlimately it gets closer to hearing each note relative to what it's played over. What does a b3 sound like, for instance? In the end it's about playing melodies and phrases, not scales. Scales are the frame of reference to build off of, imho.