[?] Subscribe To This Site

Music Theories, the Modes.

At this site in the music theories section we'll look at an exiting concept in songwriting. Using different modes. Enjoy:)

Magical Modes

Yes, this title sounds a little whimsical, but modes really can inject some magic into your songs, so keep reading this music theory article.

The most basic explanation of a mode is to take a major scale, like the D major (D E F# G A B C#) and play through the scale from a different starting point. For example, instead of D E F# G A B C#, the second mode of the D major scale would be E F# G A B C# D.

I know what you’re thinking, So What? Well, let’s think of it in terms of chord progressions. If you went through Exercise 2 in the Chords section, you probably noticed a few patterns. First of all, the II, III, VI, and VII chords tended to work better as transitional chords and the I, IV, and V chords were solid, strong chords.

There are obviously exceptions to this, but for the most part, this is how it worked out. Well, if we take a progression that you came up with in the major scale and applied it to a different mode of that scale, you can end up with some very interesting and unique progressions.

music theories,

A Few Guidelines.

Going back to the D major scale, the second mode would start with E, but if you remember your chords, the E was a minor chord as opposed to the D major.

This leads to a minor tonality in the mode and effectively gives us an entirely new key and scale to work with. We’ve got the same notes and the same chords, but a different feeling. Now, let’s go back to the progressions I was talking about.

If we’re going to transfer them from a major or minor scale to a different mode, then try to transfer it to a scale that shares the overall tonality. The second mode of the major scale is minor, so try to use it with some of the minor progressions you came up with.

Same thing goes for major progressions and a major mode. Also, if you play around with modes, you’ll find that some just don’t work very well for some styles of music. music theories,

A List of Modes

Each note in the major scale has a mode associated with it. Here’s a list of the names, the starting note as it relates to the major scale in in parentheses:

Ionian (I): This is just another name for the major scale
Dorian (II): This minor mode has a minor 3rd and a minor 7th, good for rock/blues
Phrygian (III): Has all minor intervals except the 4th and 5th.
Lydian (IV): Major tonality. Only difference from the major scale is a sharp 4th.
Mixolydian (V): Major tonality. Only difference from the major scale is a flat 7th
Aeolian (VI): This is exactly the same as the minor scale we already learned about
Locrian (VII): Almost all minor intervals. Not commonly used.

The best way to understand modes is to play with them. You’ll find that some don’t fit your style of music and you’ll never touch them again. Others will open up a lot of new doors for you to explore in your songwriting. music theories, learn music theories

Exercise 1:

You’ve already done half of this one. Take some of the progressions you came up with last time and apply them to modes that fit their tonality.

Some will sound good from the beginning, but others may be lacking a little bit. Try changing a couple of the chords that don’t sound as good for others within the key and see how they work. At this point, you need to do a lot a testing for yourself to find what works well, but its worth it.

Exercise 2:

Remember Exercise 2 from the Keys/Scales section? Time to redo that with a bit of a twist.

Take a series of a few notes a create a little melody out of them. Don’t worry about how good or original the melody is. In fact, for the purposes of this exercise feel free to borrow from some of your favorite songs.

Got a short melody? Good. Now take the notes in the melody and determine what keys contain those notes. Okay, now either record yourself playing the melody or have a friend play it for you if you don’t have a recording device.

Go through all of the modes and chord progressions and try to find one that fits well with the melody. Once you’ve done that, try it again with a different melody. Go through this process a few times with various kinds of melodies and you’ll start to see that certain modes work well with certain types of melodies, which will help you when you’re writing your own songs.

After all, if you’ve compared a blues melody to a bunch of modes and found that some worked very well, then when it comes time to write a blues song, you’ll head back to that mode.

The one big thing to remember here, though, is to have fun. Spread these exercises out over a few days or weeks. And, if in the middle of these exercises you get a sudden burst of inspiration, then, by all means, follow it. music theories, learn music theories

More Songwriting Tips?

For more tips and juicy articles about songwriting, subscribe to my monthly songwriting-guide.com newsletter. This unique inbox offering is packed with information and 100% free. just sign up!

Return from Music Theories Modes to Music Theory main.