Modes for Guitar Players by Jehannum
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Abstract I attempt to convey a basic understanding of the seven modern modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian). I assume the reader is familiar with notes, intervals, chords, major and minor scales (including their harmonisation), keys (including relative and parallel keys), accidentals, tonal and atonal music, resolution to a tonic, and functional harmony.
Glossary This glossary gives the meaning of terms intended in this document, not their formal or general definitions. modal adj. (of music) having the sound of a mode; conforming to mode theory mode n. a named set of notes with a given tonic note; one of the seven modern modes non-modal adj. (of music) tonal (key-based) or atonal; not relating to modes
What are modes? Modes can be thought of as scales used in a certain way to yield a ‘modal’ sound. The modal sound arises because modes contain intervals from their tonic note which are not found in the major or minor scales. To achieve the modal sound the composer must establish and maintain the modal tonic, sometimes against the natural tendency of harmonies to modulate to other tonics. Accidentals that deviate from the mode’s signature intervals may also nullify the modal sound. For these reasons, modal composition is more restrictive than composing in a key. In one form or another, modes were used from the ninth century through to the seventeenth century to notate and compose music. Early musical forms, such as plainchant, used unaccompanied melodies that resolved to a final tonic note. Later forms developed the use of harmony through polyphony but they were still centred on a single tonic chord. At the end of this period, new musical forms emerged in which harmony took the leading role. The tonal centre became more fluid. The mode system had neither the power nor flexibility needed to describe the new music, and was replaced by the system of keys. However, modal music retains a distinctive sound which composers may still wish to employ today. Contrast the fragility of modal music to the robustness of key-based music, where harmonic tension is often exploited by moving away from the tonic for extended periods. The ease of stepping from key to key on equally-tempered instruments (using the circle of fifths, for example) positively encourages changes of tonic, and accidentals may be freely employed without destroying the characteristic sound of the music.
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Deriving the notes of each mode All seven modes can be derived from the same sequence of intervals: W W H W W W H (W = whole tone, H = semitone). The seven possible starting points in this sequence each yield a different mode: Ionian Dorian Phrygian Lydian Mixolydian Aeolian Locrian
W W H W W W H
W H W W W H W
H W W W H W W
W W W H W W H
W W H W W H W
W H W W H W W
H W W H W W W
We can use these interval sequences to find the notes in any mode. For example, to find the notes of E Lydian, use the Lydian interval sequence (W W W H W W H) to count up in tones and semitones from E: E
F#
G#
A#
B
C#
D#
Why do modes sound different from each other even when they have the same notes? A piece of music in C Ionian (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) will sound different from a piece in D Dorian (D, E, F, G, A, B, C) even though it uses the same notes. This is because the sound does not depend only on which notes are used but also on how they are used and their position in the modal scale. The G in C Ionian is a fifth above its tonic, but the G in D Dorian is a fourth above its tonic. This gives the same note a different sound, feeling and function in the two modes. The same goes for all the other notes. This should not be surprising; music in a major key does not feel the same as music in the relative minor key, even though it is composed of the same notes.
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What do the modes sound like? A listener will, consciously or unconsciously, notice when a rising melody is different from the familiar ‘doh-re-mi’ of the major scale, or when there is a minor chord where a major was expected, or where there is no leading tone, and so on. Except for the Ionian and the Aeolian, modes have at least one ‘signature’ interval not found in the major or minor scale. These are the notes that give each mode its distinct flavour. The table below shows the intervals above the tonic in each mode. Major and natural minor scales are included for comparison. Intervals where the mode differs from the major or minor scale are bolded. Major Minor
1 1
2 2
3 b3
4 4
5 5
6 b6
7 b7
Ionian Dorian Phrygian Lydian Mixolydian Aeolian Locrian
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 b2 2 2 2 b2
3 b3 b3 3 3 b3 b3
4 4 4 #4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 5 5 b5
6 6 b6 6 6 b6 b6
7 b7 b7 7 b7 b7 b7
The Ionian has identical intervals to the major scale and sounds the same. The Dorian differs from the minor scale only by one interval, giving a subtle difference in sound. The Phrygian’s minor 2nd gives it a Spanish flavour. The Lydian’s augmented 4th gives it what some listeners describe as a bright, spiritual, or ethereal sound. It is one of the easiest modes to recognise by ear. The Mixolydian differs from the major scale because of its minor 7th degree. For some listeners this gives it a less formal sound. The Aeolian has identical intervals to the natural minor scale and sounds the same. The Locrian sounds particularly odd with its diminished tonic chord. A diminished tonic would not give any sense of resolution. There are very few well-known examples of Locrian music. It would be challenging to write music in this mode, and probably just as challenging to listen to it.
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How to demonstrate the modes on guitar To hear the sound of a mode you must maintain the tonic. One way to do this is to keep the tonic note droning while you play the other notes. An open string can be used for this purpose. Choose a mode and use the low E string to drone the tonic while playing modal notes on the other strings. The table below shows the notes in the seven modes with tonic E. E Ionian E Dorian E Phrygian E Lydian E Mixolydian E Aeolian E Locrian
E E E E E E E
F# F# F F# F# F# F
G# G G G# G# G G
A A A A# A A A
B B B B B B Bb
C# C# C C# C# C C
D# D D D# D D D
E E E E E E E
How is writing modal music different from writing tonal music? As we will see, modal music has no scope for functional harmony. This means that it generally creates a single mood and is limited to small-scale pieces or sections of a composition. The difficulty with composing modally is the weakness of the resolution to the tonic. Compare the key of C Major to the mode of C Lydian. They have just one note different: F natural in C Major, F# in C Lydian, but this is enough to make resolving difficult in the Lydian. In C Major the dominant chord G7 (G B D F) provides a very strong resolution to the tonic chord C (C E G). A listener will feel tension from the B note pulling to the tonic C a semitone away. The F note pulls down a semitone to E (the third of the tonic chord). Furthermore, the tritone between B and F has its own dissonant tension which is resolved after the cadence to the tonic chord. In C Lydian there is no G7 chord (because there is no F note), nor any other chord with equivalent strength of resolution to C. Unfortunately there is the D7 chord (D F# A C) which has a strong pull to the wrong tonic, G. Every mode shares its notes with a relative major key, so modal music has a tendency to draw its composer to the relative key via its dominant 7th. If this happens the modal sound is lost. Simply avoiding relative key resolutions will not solve the problem. It will make the music sound forced or awkward. Even if a resolution is not stated, unresolved tension can still imply it. If this is the case the harmony must be re-written from an earlier point to avoid the path to the key. One solution is to avoid harmonic progressions and use two-chord ‘vamps’ or single tonic chord drones instead. Another solution is to alter the modal scales to give them stronger resolutions but by doing so we are moving away from pure modal music. 5
An example of modal composition The following is an example of a tune in D Mixolydian. The Mixolydian mode helps to bring a folk music feel to the melody. The signature note of D Mixolydian is C, a minor 7th above the tonic, which is featured strongly in the composition.
The harmony is a two-chord vamp which mostly alternates between D Major and A Minor chords (with slight variations) until the final bar where it stays on D, giving a definite sense of resolution.
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How to not use modes Modes are a notorious source of confusion and error in the guitar playing world. Much of the information available on the internet is misleading or wrong. Many guitar players believe they are using modes correctly when they are not using modes at all. Here we discuss the most common misuses of modal terminology. 1. The Relative Mode Fallacy: “you can play a melody in any mode over any progression” Over a C-F-G (I-IV-V) chord progression some commentators claim that C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian and all the other relative modes are available as soloing options, facilitated by starting the melody on the tonic note of the chosen mode. In particular, they would advocate the use of C Ionian on the C chord, F Lydian over the F chord, and G Mixolydian over the G chord. This is wrong. The music, including its melody, is simply in the key of C Major. Whichever note is played first, it will still be in C because the harmony resolves to C Major. There is no use of modes here at all, and there is no modal sound. It is not possible to play a melody in any desired mode over any chord progression. If a chord progression is in a key then any melody played over that progression will also be in that key. A melody cannot change the tonic of the harmony. 2. The Parallel Mode Fallacy: “you can play modally over any harmony” If a harmony is in a key, the melody is also in that key. For example, over a chord progression which is in D Minor, a melody which uses the notes of D Dorian will not make the music modal. It would be better described as being in D Minor with accidentals to give a Dorian flavour. 3. The Modal Fretboard Fallacy: “modes are positions on the fretboard” Some texts contain fretboard diagrams with mode names at particular positions. These have been misinterpreted to mean that certain positions or patterns on the fretboard have mode names. This is particularly confusing and is as pointless as it is wrong.
Comments to: jehannum_2000@hotmail.com
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