The concept of modes is very powerful. It will give us a variety of scales that are related to the Major scale. We already have studied one of these relationships, i.e. the major scale and its relative minor scale. As you should recall, when using the notes of a major scale, the sixth note can be used as the starting note for a different scale. The most basic example is using the notes of C major (all white keys on the keyboard) yet starting on the sixth note of that scale (letter "A") and creating the "A" natural minor scale (also all white keys).
Well, what about the other notes? Can we create scales by starting at other locations other than the sixth note? The answer is yes, yes, yes, we can, can, can. Not only can we do it, but the use of these additional scales are common and sometimes essential to certain styles of music. We will examine these scales this week. They are collectively referred to as "Modes" however I will use the term "Modes" and "Scales" interchangeably.
Often students find the study of modes confusing. We will study modes from two different view points:
Some may find one approach easier to understand than the other. Your choice. I like both but favor the Parallel approach.
Ionian mode is the same interval formula as the major scale we have been studying in this course. It is a rose by another name and sounds just as sweet. We will use our knowledge of the major scale interval formula as a basis for creating the relative modes.
Here is a text representation of the relative approach. Shown below is the interval formula for a major scale (two octaves). When using that interval formula and starting at various locations one can create the interval formula for any of the modes.
(major)
|-----------ionian-----------|
W W H W W W H | W W H W W W H
|-----------dorian-----------|
W W H W W W H | W W H W W W H
|----------phrygian----------|
W W H W W W H | W W H W W W H
|----------lydian------------|
W W H W W W H | W W H W W W H
|---------mixolydian---------|
W W H W W W H | W W H W W W H
|----------aeolian-----------|
W W H W W W H | W W H W W W H
|----------locrian-----------|
W W H W W W H | W W H W W W H
The most important point to grasp is that every major scale (whose modal name is "Ionian Mode") embodies one complete set of the modes. These modes are the "relative modes" of that major scale because they all come from the same key signature. One big happy family, how nice.
The Dorian mode is created by starting on the second note of a major scale and using that note as the tonic of a new scale. The interval structure for the Dorian mode is W-H-W-W-W-H-W.
|----------(major)-----------|
W W H W W W H W W H W W W H
|-----------dorian-----------|
It has a minor triad built on the first scale degree and it is a commonly used scale in Rock, Jazz and some Folk styles.
As a personal note, when I first started playing guitar, I worked out this scale by ear without knowing it's name. I knew it had a minor quality and I assumed that it must be the natural minor scale that I had heard about (it sure seemed 'natural' to me). I was surprised to find out that the natural minor scale was a little different from this scale that I had figured out by ear. The reason the dorian scale seemed so natural to me is that I was listening to a lot of music at that time which used the dorian scale.
There are two ways to look at the modes and their relationship to the major scales we have already learned. The first relationship we examine will be the "relative modes". The other relationship is the "parallel modes", discussed later. As noted above, the dorian scale can be created by starting on the second note of a major scale and using the notes of that "parent" major scale to create this new scale called dorian. This is called the relative dorian. As a specific example consider the C major scale. The second note of the scale is D, this note is used as the starting point for a D dorian scale. D dorian uses only the natural notes (white keys only) just as C major does. D dorian is the "relative dorian" of C major. The term "parent major scale" is commonly used in jazz education and it is used in the context of relative scales
The dorian scale is commonly used in a number of styles. The song "Moondance" by Van Morrison is largely dorian, "Oye Como Va" by Santana (written by Tito Puente) is dorian, "Scarboro Faire" is dorian, "Walking on the Sun" by Smash Mouth is mostly dorian. It has been a favorite sound in dance music for decades.
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The next mode is the Phrygian mode. The phrygian mode is created by starting on the third scale degree of a major scale. The resulting interval formula is H-W-W-W-H-W-W.
|----------(major)-----------|
W W H W W W H W W H W W W H
|--------phrygian--------|
Using the C major scale as the parent major scale, the relative phrygian begins on the note E. E phrygian is the relative phrygian of C major.
Phrygian is an important scale used in Spanish flamenco music. The half step between scale degrees one and two gives it a distinctive sound.
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The next mode is the Lydian mode. The lydian mode is created by starting on the fourth scale degree of a major scale. The resulting interval formula is W-W-W-H-W-W-H.
|----------(major)-----------|
W W H W W W H W W H W W W H
|-----------lydian-----------|
Using the C major scale as the parent major scale, the relative lydian begins on the note F. F lydian is the relative lydian of C major.
Lydian is commonly used in jazz as an alternative to the major scale. In situations where a major scale might be used many jazz improvisers will use lydian instead.
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The next mode is the Mixolydian mode. The mixolydian mode is created by starting on the fifth scale degree of a major scale. The resulting interval formula is W-W-H-W-W-H-W.
|----------(major)-----------|
W W H W W W H W W H W W W H
|--------mixolydian----------|
Using the C major scale as the parent major scale, the relative mixolydian begins on the note G. G mixolydian is the relative mixolydian of C major.
Mixolydian is one of the commonly used scales in Rock & Roll, Boogie Woogie, Funk and Soul. In fact you couldn't create the sounds of those styles without using mixolydian. Don't even try. If you want to play in these styles start practicing mixolydian scales, you can start with G mixolydian. It's all white keys. How convenient.
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Been there, done that... sort of.
The next mode is the Aeolian mode. The aeolian mode is created by starting on the sixth scale degree of a major scale. The resulting interval formula is W-H-W-W-H-W-W.
|----------(major)-----------|
W W H W W W H W W H W W W H
|----------aeolian-----------|
Using the C major scale as the parent major scale, the relative aeolian begins on the note A. A aeolian is the relative aeolian of C major.
Aeolian is very common, do you recognize the formula? It is identical to natural minor. Aeolian and natural minor are the same scale. Another name for one of the scales we already know.
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The next mode is the Locrian mode. The locrian mode is created by starting on the seventh scale degree of a major scale. The resulting interval formula is H-W-W-H-W-W-W.
|----------(major)-----------|
W W H W W W H W W H W W W H
|----------locrian-----------|
Using the C major scale as the parent major scale, the relative locrian begins on the note B. B locrian is the relative locrian of C major.
Probably the least commonly used of the modes, but it is used with the II chord in minor and the VII chord in major. A detailed discussion is beyond the mission of this course.
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The above phrase was suggested by a former student as a memory aid to remember the order of the names of the relative modes. The first letter of each word is the same first letter of the name of the modes
| If | Dora | Play's | Like | Me | All's | Lost |
| Ionian | Dorian | Phrygian | Lydian | Mixolydian | Aeolian | Locrian |
"What does it mean?", you ask. I dunno. But it's useful if you are having trouble remembering the names of the relative modes and their order.
WORKING YOUR WAY BACKWARD
Sometimes students get confused with the relative approach because they forget if they are coming or going. By that I mean they sometimes apply the wrong logic to finding the notes of a specific mode. For example, if you want to know the notes of F# dorian, you can use the relative mode view point to arrive at the answer. The Dorian mode is created by starting on the second note of a major scale, right? YES. If you want to find F# dorian we can't start with a F# major scale, we instead have to find the major scale whose second note is F#! How do we do that? With intervals! We go the same interval DOWN from F# that occurs between the first and second scale degree of a major scale. (remember dorian is created from the second note of the major scale).
This one is easy, right?
The interval from the first note to the second note of a major scale is a major second. So, if we go DOWN a major second from F# we will arrive at the tonic of a major scale that has the same notes as F# dorian. Do you see it on the keyboard in your mind? It is the note E. E major (which has 4 sharps) contains the same notes as F# dorian.
Let's do another one.
Let's say you heard that the lydian mode is used in jazz (psst - the lydian mode is frequently used in jazz) and you wanted to practice a lydian scale. Let's find the notes of G lydian. We have to use our knowledge of where lydian fits into the modal family (If(ionian) Dora(dorian) Plays(phrygian) Like(lydian)...that's the 4th word) OK, lydian can be created by starting on the 4th note of a major scale. Now we have to figure out what major scale has as its 4th note, the letter G. We do this by working our way back. The interval from the 1st note to the 4th note of a major scale is a perfect 4th. So we have to go DOWN a perfect 4th from G to find the tonic of the major scale that has the same notes as G lydian. A perfect 4th down from G is D. G lydian has the same notes as D major (but you start on G). G lydian is spelled G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G. It contains two sharps (F# and C#) just like D major.
With the addition of all of the modes we have vastly increased our scale choices but remember all of these modes are embedded within some major scale.
Hey, wait a minute, what about the harmonic and melodic scales? They didn't show up anywhere in the modal family. Yes, it is true they are not part of the traditional modal family.
Could we use harmonic or melodic minor as "parent scales" for a new modal system?
The answer is yes, jazz musicians do this all the time. But we won't do it in this class. It's a topic considered beyond the fundamentals. Many would say it's downright advanced.
In a previous week we compared a Minor scale to its Parallel major scale. We also can make a Parallel comparison between a major scale and any of the modes.
One system used in jazz education to describe the formula for modes is to make a parallel comparison with the major scale. We can compare any of the modes to a major scale and indicate with a sharp or a flat how the mode differs from the major scale. There is potential for some confusion with this system because the sharps or flats in the mode formulas may not result in a corresponding sharp or flat in a specific scale. An example will illustrate this idea. In this system a major scale is represented by the numbers 1 through 8. Remember the 8th note is really the tonic note (1st note) up one octave.
Major: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Let's look at a parallel comparison between lydian and major, rooted on F. We will compare F lydian and F major and see which notes are the same and which are different. From a previous section in this lecture you may recall that F lydian has the same notes as C major (all white keys, do you see it on the keyboard in your mind?) And of course everyone knows the notes of F major by now. It contains only one black key, Bb.
------ F major -------- F G A Bb C D E F F G A B C D E F ------ F Lydian -------
Only the 4th note is different. In lydian the note is one half step higher than in major ( B vs. Bb) Using this jazz system we say that the 4th is raised or sharped, even though it is not literally a sharp (and instead a natural) In this system the lydian scale is represented as follows:
Lydian: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 8
It is like a major scale with a sharped 4th scale degree. In many keys, the raised fourth scale degree is truly a sharp in other keys it is a natural (which was a flat in the parallel major scale)
A similar situation exists with the flat used in the system. Here is an example. G major and G mixolydian. How do they compare?
------ G major -------- G A B C D E F# G G A B C D E F G ---- G mixolydian -----
The 7th note of G mixolydian is one half step lower than the seventh note of G major. Using this system the formula for mixolydian is like this:
Mixolydian: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 8
Just like major except you "flat" the 7th. In G major the 7th is F# so when we lower that note one half step we are at the note F.
In this system the sharps and flats should be thought of as instructions to raise or lower by one half step a note (compared to the parallel major scale).
Here is the entire modal system using parallel comparisons:
Lydian 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 8 Major(ionian) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mixolydian 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 8 Dorian 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 8 Aeolian 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8 Phrygian 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8 Locrian 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 8
Do you remember Dora ("If Dora Plays ...")? Well Dora has a friend named Lydian Major. Really.
Here's a gimmick to help you remember the order of the parallel modes:
Lydia Major Met Dora At Phoenix Lake Lydian Major Mixolydian Dorian Aeolian Phrygian Locrian 1# 0 1b 2b 3b 4b 5b (-1b) (-1#) (-2#) (-3#) (-4#) (-5#)
A little explanation is in order. Assuming you know your major scales well, you can compare a mode against its parallel major scale. If that scale has one more sharp (or one less flat in keys that use flats) then it is Lydian. If the scale has two more flats (or two less sharps in keys that use sharps) then it is Dorian.
Here is an example. A scale rooted in C uses two flats (Bb and Eb), what mode is it? Well, first you need to know the key signature of the parallel major scale, C major. That's easy, no sharps or flats. The scale in question uses two flats, that's two more flats than the parallel major. Now using the gimmick phrase (starting on the word "major"), move two words to the right ("... Met Dora..."). It's C Dorian.
Another One. A scale rooted on G uses four flats (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db), what mode is it? The parallel major is G major, one sharp. The scale in question uses four flats. Hmmm, we seem to cross over from sharps to flats but that's OK. We just need to keep track of the total number of sharp and flat changes. In this case we remove the one sharp and add four flats. That is a total of five changes. Using the "Conspiracy at Phoenix Lake" phrase, simply move five words to the right starting from the word "Major" ("...Met Dora At Phoenix Lake."). It's G Locrian.
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When these formulas are translated into whole-steps and half-steps they result in the exact same formulas as the relative method. Well of course they do, we are looking at the same scales, just from a different vantage point.
Notice that I have placed the lydian scale on the top. I have done this because this organizes the modes in a logical order. As you go down the list each new mode is created by making one change to the previous mode. Let me go through the whole list demonstrating this point.
I find this information invaluable, I don't leave home without it.
Incidently, when you organize the modes as shown above with the lydian scale at the top of the heap you can understand why Jazz composer and theorist George Russell wrote a Jazz Theory text using Lydian as the parent scale (not Major). His book is titled "The Lydian Chromatic Concept to Tonal Organization". It's a pretty tough read but it contains alot of valuable information.
I think it is useful to further organize the modes into two basic categories: Major types and Minor types
The tonic chord (I chord) is the criteria for separating the modes into the two categories. The three modes whose tonic triad is major are the "Major type" modes, the other four are the "Minor types". The tonic chord is made up of three notes: the 1st, 3rd and 5th of the scale. A major triad is represented by the numbers 1 3 5. The Major types of modes are Lydian, Major, Mixolydian. A minor triad is represented by the numbers 1 b3 5. The Minor types are Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, and Locrian. Notice that the locrian mode's tonic triad is 1 b3 b5. This represents a diminished triad yet it is lumped in with the minor types, gee you didn't want locrian to be all alone did you?
Tonic Triad
_________________
| | |
Major types
Lydian 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 8
Major(ionian) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Mixolydian 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 8
Minor types
Dorian 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 8
Aeolian 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8
Phrygian 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8
Locrian 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 8
When playing in a major key an improviser might try either lydian or mixolydian instead of major. Likewise when playing in minor an improviser might play Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, or Locrian in addition to Harmonic and Melodic Minor (you always get more choices with minor). Where did Natural minor go? Do you see it. It's called Aeolian. Remember Natural minor and Aeolian are the same.
Does it seem that we keep learning new stuff that doesn't relate to the things we have already studied? There seems to be an endless stream of new things coming at you each week. Well, here is a chance to put some of your knowledge about key signatures to good use. You can use key signatures to help you find the notes of a mode. Think about the key of C major. No sharps or flats. To create C lydian we add one sharp, F#. This change of one sharp is true for all keys with a little twist. Lets say you want to know the notes for D lydian. D major is two sharps so you add one more. D lydian is three sharps. Easy, huh? It works for all of the modes if you know how much to change the key signature. If you have the circle of fifths handy it's a snap. Here's how it works:
Here are a couple of examples. If you want to know what the notes of G dorian are, you can start with the key signature of G major (one sharp, F#). The above instructions say to subtract two sharps but there is only one. What do we do? We subtract the one sharp and add one flat making a total of two changes. G dorian using one flat, Bb, the rest of the notes are natural.
Another example, suppose you want to know the notes of D phrygian. According to the instructions we start with the key signature of D major (2 sharps) and move four positions counterclockwise in the circle of fifths. This effectively subtracts the two sharps and adds two flats. The D phrygian scale uses two flats, Bb and Eb, the rest of the notes are natural. If you have the circle of fifths in your mind it is very easy to use this method.
One more time, here are all of the modes rooted on C.
The test for the Modes will show several correctly spelled Modes. You will select from the answer menu which of the modes is shown. You can use a relative or parallel approach. Let me give an example of both
1 2 3 If Dora Plays Ionian Dorian Phrygian ...Bingo!, its phrygian from the family of four flats. The answer is Phrygian.
as you add flats the modes change like this:
-1 0 1 2 3 4 5
Lydia Major Met Dora At Phoenix Lake
Lydian Major Mixolydian Dorian Aeolian Phrygian Locrian
So with four changes, this one is Phrygian.
Either way you will arrive at the correct answer: Phrygian. As an analogy, if you're going to San Francisco from my house you can take 101 or 280. They're different, but both get you to where you want to go. It's you're choice as to which direction you want to go with regard to modes, relative or parallel. Just drive the road carefully and you will get to the correct answer.
Remember, when the RELATIVES arrive the modal mantra is "If Dora Plays Like Me All's Lost", but in a PARALLEL universe the modal mantra is "Lydia Major Met Dora At Phoenix Lake".
I Love Gimmicks
Dogs Love Trucks
Other Reading:
Below is a sample from the tests for this week. This IS NOT the actual test but instead a short example from the test so that you can get an explanation of how to take it and the "look and feel". To take the real test you must go to the Quizzes area.
Examine the following scales, they are one of the following modes (in alphabetical order): Aeolian, Dorian, Ionian, Locrian, Lydian, Mixolydian, or Phrygian. Click on button to select the choice that is appropriate for each scale. Please note that the menu listing is in alphabetical order so as not to favor either a relative or parallel approach to arriving at the answers. Unfortunately it makes the menu order "unfriendly" to both. In other words the third mode is not the third menu choice, etc. All of the menus on this test are in alphabetical order.