Lesson 6: *a' la Mode - Lydian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian,

[jem7vwh]

Lesson 6: Modes

To begin with, let's remember this will be written under the assumption of some basic knowledge (particularly the ability to create major and minor scales).

Modes
_____

If scales are patterns for arranging notes in the chromatic scale, then Modes are just lesser known patterns and manipulations of the Major and Minor scales. *The basic idea of a Mode is to augment the normal progression of either the major or minor scale. *In order to successfully and effectively manipulate the Major and Minor scales, we must obviously be quite familiar with them (hence the disclaimer at the top). *

The easiest way to explain a Mode is to say that it uses a Major or Minor scale and alters one or more of the spaces between pitches.

For instance, the Mixolydian mode is based on the Major scale. *The Mixolydian mode is identical to the Major scale with one exception. *There are two half steps between the 7 & 8 in the Mixolydian mode, instead of the usual half step. *Let's use the C Major scale as an example.
C Major = C D E F G A B C (note the half step between B & C)
C Mixolydian = C D E F A Bb C (see the two half steps between Bb & C?)

So in short, a Mixolydian mode is creating by lowering the 7 of the parallel major scale one half step. *

In other words, if I ask you, how do you find the A Mixolydian mode? *You'd say, "flat the 7th note in the A Major scale."

Let's see how that works

A major = A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A
so if we lower the 7th note one half step it becomes G
Thus, the A Mixolydian scale = A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A

Try this with other scales. *
* choose a note
* derive the major scale
* raise the 7th note of that scale one half step
* write the Mixolydian mode

Of course this is only one of many many many modes. *There are tons of different modes, some popular some not. *They can usually be divided into Modes which modify the major scale and modes which modify the minor. *Tomorrow look for the second part of this lesson where I will give basic directions on how to derive some of the other most popular modes.

OK, class dismissed! PRACTICE!!!!!!



(Edited by jem7vwh at 12:56 pm on April 7, 2001)

[shawn]

all this is really great except i think you misstated something and i dont want anyone to get confused ---- the mixolydian mode has a flat 7 as compared to the major scale, or ionian mode, and not a flat 6. *just clearing that up. *youre doing a great job jem7 ---- keep it up.

[Carlo]

I'm glad you brought this up...cuz i am really dumb when it comes theory. *Thanks

I have a few stupid questions.

Let's take the D major scale, for example:

D E F# G A B C# D

Now, is it possible to play an E Dorian pattern over a D chord progression to get a Dorian type of sound? Or will I still be playing in D major, since they both share the same notes?

If not, does it mean that the only way to get a Dorian tonality is through D dorian or E major, when playing over a D chord progression?

You might be covering this later in the lessons. *But i'll ask anyway

Thanks again.

[dwswift]

If you're playing an E Dorian scale 'pattern' over a D Major chord vamp you will get a D Major tonality (because you're still playing the same bunch of notes). *If you want to give your playing a flare, so it doesn't sound 'ionian' all the time, you could sharp the 4th of the D major scale (G to G#) and that would give you a Lydian tonality. Another option is to play D Mixolydian over a D Major vamp. *D Mixolydian is just like D Major except it has C instead of C#. *All these scales will sound 'correct' as long as you are only playing over a triad. *other considerations must be made when the 7th or any available tensions are added.

Similarily, if you are playing over a D Minor vamp you could play D Aeolian (natural minor), D Phrygian, D Dorian, D Harmonic Minor, or D Melodic Minor. *All scales would technically be correct. *Some will sound better than others depending on personal taste.

Of course there are a plethora of other scales that would work, but these are the basic ones.

*Note: the above is only applicable when playing over a single repeating chord or an ostinato phrase (riff) consisting of only a major/minor triad. *As soon as you start playing over a chord progression you have a lot more limitations to your blatant flailing :biggrin:

Good luck! *Hope I'm not stepping on anyone's territory, just trying to lend a helping hand.

[Carlo]

Thanks for the help

[jem7vwh]

Thanks for the correction. *Fixing it now
now onto Carlos's question
Yeah, what he said! *Yes, since E Dorian is the equivilent of D Major, the only difference will be what notes you accentuate and what it's played over. *This is another grey area in theory. *If you were playing over D, my immediate opinion would be that you were playing D Major. *However, if you were playing over F#, a key both D and E share, then I would look at which notes were accentuated. *If I saw a lot of D's I would tend to call that D Major over F#, however if the prominent note was E, I'd be more likely to say E Dorian. *So a scale is really affected by the tonality of what it's played with.

[dwswift]

jem7vwh, no offense, but I don't quite understand what you're saying. *If you were playing over an F# triad (F# A# C#) you would not want to play a D major scale. *If you examine a D major scale (D E F# G A B C#) You'll see that the two aren't very compatible. *The 5th of the D triad (A) would be a b3 over the F# chord. *

If you're playing over F# min chord (F# A C#) and you play a D Major scale pattern you would really be playing F# Phrygian. Technically (and we should be technical because that's the point of theory.) you should call it F# Phrygian and not D Major played over an F#min

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you... this is just my theoretical point of view. Also when you say that you'd look to see which notes are accented (i.e. if you see a lot of D's) are you refering to the melody of the tune or the chord tones?


(Edited by dwswift at 1:22 pm on April 7, 2001)


(Edited by dwswift at 1:24 pm on April 7, 2001)

[jem7vwh]

Hmm....well as much as I'd like to defend myself, I'm not really quite sure what I mean this morning. *For what it's worth, I see what you're saying and I believe it to be correct, I'm not sure however what it had to do with the original question posed by Carlos. *Perhaps I gave a bad example. *My point was that should the E Dorian mode be played over some mutually exclusive note, such as F#, then it would be tough to decide which it was. *I should have been more specific I suppose as an F# major chord has a number of components which create disonance with the D Major scale. *I was thinking in terms of playing over one droning note.

[Carlo]

Thanks for the help again guys

Great lessons!

[dwswift]

Okay jem7vwh, I'm starting to see what you're saying but I'll stick to my guns. *If you're playing over a F# pedal, you're still not going to be playing any form of D Major it's inversions other than F# phyrgian * Of course when you're just playing over one note there are so many scales to choose from almost nothing is going to sound 'wrong'. *All your options would have F# as the tonic though. *

[jem7vwh]

yup, that's more of what I was trying to say. *Sometimes the simplest of questions results in the most complex answers due to a complication between thoughts and words. *So, in summary D Major is only major over a D Major tonality, and is E Dorian over an E Major tonality. *Sorry for the all the interference in the thought signal folks

ALSO, a big thank you to Dwswift for reading along and helping correct the inevitable mistakes *I appreciate it.


(Edited by jem7vwh at 4:35 am on April 8, 2001)

[Coolstu]

Cannot thank you enough for the lessons, they have been of great help.

[jemsite]

[ultrazoneman]

hi
thanks for the lessons but i need more information like for example you only explained the mixolydian mode but what about the other scales could you explain them also (its because i dont know anything about modes)

another question which mode is used in metal songs


thanks a lot

[jem7vwh]

actually, there is no one mode used in metal songs.

Let's push this further

Yngwie Malmsteen is known for his use of Harmonic Minor. *Harmonic Minor is known for it's eerie or medieval sound.

Carlos Santana constantly, unendingly, and ceaselessly uses Dorian. *To his own amazement (and everyone else's pure boredom), this man has built a career on that one mode.

However, there are many others who manage to pull from many different modes and scales. *In the coming days, look for more in-depth coverage of each mode, this was just a beginning to help understand.

For a basic chart, I'll list modes and artists who frequently use them.

Major: *Alex Lifeson
Minor: *BB King
Pentatonic: *Kirk Hammett
Mixolydian: *Joe Satriani
Lydian: Steve Vai
Harmonic Minor: Yngwie J. Malmsteen
Dorian: *Carlos Santana
Locrian, Phrygian: *Practically nobody
Aeolian: *Flamenco and Spanish players.

These are some basic associations, but in the future we'll discuss how you can use any of these in a number of styles.