If you want to change the blending mode of a fill or stroke, select the object, and then select the fill or stroke in the Appearance panel.
You can isolate the blending mode to a targeted layer or group in order to leave objects beneath unaffected. To do this, select the target icon to the right of a group or layer in the Layers panel that contains an object using a blending mode. In the Transparency panel, select Isolate Blending. (If the Isolate Blending option isn’t visible, select Show Options from the Transparency panel menu.)
For a video on working with blending modes, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0055.