My Introduction to Modes

[olly]

Here is a real rough guide to the different sounds of the modes.

The bass is just playing the E note in all examples.

Ionian

This is the first mode. The Ionian mode is the major scale as we know it.


Ionian

It sounds bright and happy.



Dorian

The second mode is Dorian. This has a much darker sound to it. The differences from this mode to the Ionian is that we have a flattened 3rd.

Dorian


Looking at it another way (which can make it even more difficult to understand), it contains all the notes of the D Major scale. The only difference is that we are not focussing the note on D but E. It does not sounds bright and cheerful like we would expect any major scale to, it sounds completely different from major.




Phrygian

Phrygian has an even darker sound to it. The difference between this and Ionian is that we are flattening the 2nd, 3rd and 6th note.

Phrygian

The E phygian scale contains all the same notes from the C Major scale. You can play these notes over the backing and as the focus is on E and not C it will not sound like C Major at all but E phygian.



Lydian

I like the fourth mode, Lydian, it has a great floaty feel to it. The difference between this and Ionian is that Lydian has a sharpened 4th.

Lydian

E Lydian contains the same notes as the B Major scale. With the focus on the E it sounds completely different from B Major



Mixolydian

The fifth mode of the major scale is Mixolydian. When comparing to the major scale (ionian) it has a flattened 7th.

Mixolydian

This has the same notes as A major and like before, playing the notes from the A major scale but using E as the focus point it will not sound like A major at all.



Aeolian

This is the same as the minor scale. It is built off the 6th note of the major scale. It has a flattened 3rd, and 6th.

Aeolian

The notes are the same as that of G major.



Locrian

The final mode is Locrian and it has a flattened 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th note. I find this one the toughest as it doesn't really sound too great in my opinion.

Locrian

Even though we are using the same notes that appear in F major, it really doesn't sound major at all with the focus being n the E!



I tend to think of the modes as either major or minor. So Ionian, Lydian and Mixolydian are all major sounding modes and Dorian, Phyrgian and Aeolian are minor sounding. Looking at them in this way there is only one differnt note.

What I mean by this is, for example, take Dorian. The only difference between E Minor (aeolian) and E Dorian is the sharpened 6th. So I could play the Minor pentatonic scale and chuck in the sharpened 6th and I am playing Dorian.

I find with modes it is all about emphasis. If I am playing a minor mode I want to emphasise the flattened 3rd note and the note that is different (i.e with Dorian, the #6th note). Likewise if I am playing a major mode I want to emphasise the 3rd note and the different note (ie with Lydian the #4th). These different notes bring out the mode.

I find it easy to hear the modes myself but ONLY in a situation like this where the bass is clearly defined. You are never going to find a song with just a droning bass note like this so application of modes within more general music is where I get stuck though I always listen out for these characteristics of the modal sounds that I have (hopefully) illustrated above.


Give it a whirl yourselves - here is the droning E backing to try out each of the modes to get your ear used to their flavours:

E Drone Backing Track





Please feel free to add any questions about this or correct any mistakes I may have made.

[Instructor]

Olly, great job. In regards to Dorian, I might have said that since Minor is a b6, so in raising that, a half step, you arrive at a Natural 6th. A #6 would be a half step past the Natural 6th, so I'd want to be careful in using "sharp", and I might say "raised by a half step".

Instructor

[olly]

Olly, great job. In regards to Dorian, I might have said that since Minor is a b6, so in raising that, a half step, you arrive at a Natural 6th. A #6 would be a half step past the Natural 6th, so I'd want to be careful in using "sharp", and I might say "raised by a half step".

Thanks Sean - good point here. I found modes so confusing when I first heard about them so the last thing I want to do is add to any confusion!

[polyal]

olly..thanks for that...will have a good listen

[olly]

olly..thanks for that...will have a good listen

No worries. Of course, as usual, it was kind of chucked together but hopefully it will help. Just shout with any questions/alterations etc!

[olly]

Here is another example. This is using all the modes of C Major.

The difference here is that we are going to be using the same notes each time but the bass will change. This will illustrate how emphasis can change the whole sound and feel of what you are playing.

The notes in C Major are C D E F G A B so you cannot get much simpler. Despite the fact that I am only playing with these notes, you will hear that each mode sounds different where the emphasis of the root note is changing, mainly thanks to the bass.


C Ionian

[mp3]/uploads/69dab60e3dca8120475a057c9481bf6c.mp3[/mp3]


This is the standard C Major scale - C D E F G A B


D Dorian

[mp3]/uploads/2e129eb803acb357d2d9da9dfc559e32.mp3[/mp3]

This is the same notes as C major except starting on D - D E F G A B C.

Notice how this really sounds more minor.


E Phrygian

[mp3]/uploads/1b1941a724e59ab46dc02bd0cf92bb20.mp3[/mp3]

We already had E Phrygian in the previous post. E F G A B C D - same notes as C Major but does it sound like C Major?



F Lydian

[mp3]/uploads/de62220d86e82a667ef6c6d145da196a.mp3[/mp3]

Notes are F G A B C D E. Same notes as C Major but just a different emphasis.



G Mixolydian

[mp3]/uploads/635f6f95341c0711f168420df1bb9429.mp3[/mp3]

Notes are G A B C D E F


A Aeolian

[mp3]/uploads/fea97ee79207774dc919830a09e09c96.mp3[/mp3]

Notes are A B C D E F G



I have not done B Locrian but the principle is the same.

[polyal]

the penny's dropped...thanks for that olly

could you use the chords instead of the bass drone??? ie C Dm Em F G etc

[olly]

Yep you could indeed. Though it would quickly sound tired with one chord repeating over and over.

This is where I get stuck!...

[polyal]

what sort of bass ( note wise ) if not a drone would be playing with each mode ??or as it got to be a
drone to give it the ' feel '

do bass players know about modes???

[olly]

I guess the most important aspect is highlighting the notes that are different from the major scale is most important. As long as it resolves to the droning note, there is no need for the drone, if that makes sense?

[zonshti]

I think it is not stressed enough that modes do not play a role in functional harmony, modes should be used in a modal context which can be a modal tune (for example So What by Miles Davis) or on modal vamps. many people confuse the true meaning of the modes with CST (chord scale theory)

[mrfrisky330]

If the bass is just playing one constant note and the guitar plays a major scale over it, that is not modal playing it is the 4th type of contrapuntal motion - no wonder people get confused!