Modes!

[John David]

Hey y'all.

 

I was inspired to write an easy primer to the musical modes.

 

I love the modes because knowing them and practicing them makes it easy for me to come up with riffs, jam along to other people, play fills more easily, and shift up and down the neck easily. Finally learning to enjoy playing scales (I think of it as a form of meditation) has made me more confident on the bass and has pushed me through a plateau in my playing ability. Playing through the modes is the most entertaining and effective way to play scales that I've yet come across.

 

Here it is: http://jkndrkn.livejournal.com/268331.html

 

There are probably tabbing and fingering mistakes in there since I wrote this up away from my bass, so please let me know if you find any!

 

I mention a mode exercise toward the end. I'd be happy to tab this out completely if anyone is curious.

[jeremy c]

Good work, John.

 

I recommend that you add both regular written music as well as note names for all the modes starting on C,

such as:

C Ionian C D E F G A B C

C Dorian C D Eb F G A Bb C

C Phrygian C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C

etc.

 

To anyone else, if you can't fill in the rest of the modes, make it your business to learn how. You have enough information on John David's page to do that.

[d halfnote]

Hevn't yet read your piece in full but one thing I always stress is that the easiest way to learn elements of music theory is to reduce everything to numbers, e.g., the major scale is [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8] rather than [C D E F G A B C] or [E F# G# A B C# D# E].

It's easier to recognize the patterns in things that way.

 

It's good to know the names of things---Mixolydian, submediant, etc.,---but that just puts another layer between the info & your mind.

 

Even more important, no matter how one decides to look at things, is to always pracrice everything you study completely before moving on. It's all to easy to comprehend what you read but not have it ingrained mentally for your practical use.

Hear those note relationships.

 

 

 

 

 

[Imogene]

...the easiest way to learn elements of music theory is to reduce everything to numbers, e.g., the major scale is [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8] rather than [C D E F G A B C] or [E F# G# A B C# D# E].

It's easier to recognize the patterns in things that way.

 

 

Sounds like the Nashville system. We all use it, even if we don't know it. It really helps to know it.

[Eric VB]

A mode, however, tells you about the position of all seven. This is very powerful, because if you know someone is playing in, say, A minor Aeolian, then you don't have to fumble and guess at which notes you could play along with them.

True. However, I've never run across anyone who would say it that way.

 

Most people I've met speak in terms of keys, as in, "this next song is in the key of C major" or "the key of A minor". "Minor" always refers to the relative minor (Aeolian mode). So key of C (major), key of A minor and A minor Aeolian would all refer to the same thing (at least in terms of which 7 notes fit the song).

 

You could say a song like "Can't Buy Me Love" starts on E minor Phrygian. (You may get some funny looks, though.) Most people I know might say it's "in the key of C, start on the three" in reference to Nashville numbers (3) or music theory (lower case Roman numeral "iii").

 

When modes are usually discussed, IMO, is when a particular mode is to be used throughout a song for every chord. For example, a song may be a typical 12-bar blues but the Mixolydian mode is used over every chord. Now the song can no longer be described as being in one key (although most will still say something like "it's in F" or "starting on F"). Nor can you say the song is entirely F Mixolydian, since it will change to Bb Mixolydian and later C Mixolydian.

[John David]

When modes are usually discussed, IMO, is when a particular mode is to be used throughout a song for every chord. For example, a song may be a typical 12-bar blues but the Mixolydian mode is used over every chord. Now the song can no longer be described as being in one key (although most will still say something like "it's in F" or "starting on F"). Nor can you say the song is entirely F Mixolydian, since it will change to Bb Mixolydian and later C Mixolydian.

 

Yeah. I guess because I've been working in a purely improv context lately, it's important to be able to quickly communicate your intentions to the group. Purely improv as in no chord progression planned ahead of time. In that setting, sticking to some kind of mode or scale through the whole piece is very valuable. You are completely right in observing that lots of styles allow or encourage (or require!) accidentals and that sticking to a fixed scale prevents you from reaching them.

[John David]

Hevn't yet read your piece in full but one thing I always stress is that the easiest way to learn elements of music theory is to reduce everything to numbers, e.g., the major scale is [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8] rather than [C D E F G A B C] or [E F# G# A B C# D# E].

 

That's very true. I do mention that point early on. When learning classical theory we used roman numerals to describe the chords built on a given major scale (I ii iii IV V vi vii) or melodic minor scale (i ii III vi V vi vii) for much the same reason.

[Bottom End]

Thanks for laying all this out; my practice regimen was gettign stale and now I have something new to practice.

Even more important, no matter how one decides to look at things, is to always pracrice everything you study completely before moving on. It's all to easy to comprehend what you read but not have it ingrained mentally for your practical use.

Hear those note relationships.

+1

 

 

 

[b5pilot]

Geeze, I really should learn this stuff ASAP!!!

[Eric VB]

I guess because I've been working in a purely improv context lately, it's important to be able to quickly communicate your intentions to the group. Purely improv as in no chord progression planned ahead of time. In that setting, sticking to some kind of mode or scale through the whole piece is very valuable.

Agreed. Is the default "no chord progression planned ahead of time" still "take it up a minor 3rd every time"?