Hello,

Help me out here. I really enjoyed the latest issue of Keyboard magazine featuring Kind of Blue. However, I must confess that--despite having what I consider to be a pretty good grasp of music theory, and despite years of reading about modes in books ranging from Andy LaVerne to "how to be a guitar god"--I just don't get the fuss over modes and modal playing.

I understand that there are seven modes, which consist of an arrangement of half and whole steps which produce a seven note scale (eight including the octave). And I understand that these seven modes can be derived from the seven degrees of a standard diatonic scale. In this sense, functionally, it seems to me that modes treat some degree other than the first of the traditional major or minor scale as the root (or I) position.

Does "modal playing," then, involve playing in one of these modes? If so, then given that the traditional major and minor scales are also modes (Ionaian and Aeolian, respectively), doesn't that make most music "modal"? (Excluding of course music that involves atonal, quartal, whole-tone, microtonal or other approaches.)

Or does modal playing involve playing chords (or implying chords through the melodic line) that includes notes from outside the stated key, such as playing notes from a Dmaj (Ionian) scale while in the key of C minor? If so, isn't this just another way of saying "accidental," like the tonal shifts you see in Rachmaninoff's "Prelude in C# Minor" or Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata"?

I've noticed something similar while writing with guitarists, some of whom tend to shift chord and fingering patterns to different positions regardless of the key (like Amaj7 to Dmaj7 to Cmaj7, even though C natural doesn't occur in the first chord). I always figured it hearkened back to Pete Townsend's advice for rock bands to "avoid the 3rd" because it keeps the major/minor tonality ambiguous and leaves more room for soloing.

I have a hard time understanding what's so revolutionary or new about modes. What am I missing?

Many thanks,

Richard

You might consider bringing this topic over to the Keyboard Corner. I'm sure it would start a spirited discussion over there.

Thanks, I'll try that. Despite being a long-time reader of Keyboard, this is my first post to the forums so I wasn't sure where best to post it.

Richard