Modes,Harmonizing The Modes,Application in Popular Pop Music

## **Modes**

Variously referred to the ***"Greek Modes"***, **"Cruch Modes"**, or ***"Jazz Modes",*** the modes of the major scale have been used for centuries as compositional tools and more recently as a Popular source of melodic and harmonic variations for improvisers.the first step in being able to use modes effectively as a writer or player is to understand the structure.This chapter will show ho each mode is built and often you on overview of how modes are typically used in contemporary music.

The same principles may be applied to each chord of the harmonized C Major scale, resulting in mode based on each scale tone.Like scale harmonies, the modes occur in the same order in every major key, so after learning their names and formulas in the key of of C you cam transfer that knowledge to all of the other keys.

Each mode has a unique name that sets it apart from other scales.These names originated in ancient Greece(hence the name Greek Modes), were rediscovered in the Middle Ages, rearranged, and applied in sacred musical composition(hence the name Cruch Mode), and have been resurrected again by both modern classical and jazz musicians(hence the name Jazz Modes).While the original meaning of the name of each mode is obscure , modes are now commonly used by musicians all over the world.When speaking or writing the name of a specific mode, use the letter name of the note on which it is built followed by the appropirate modal name, as in "D Dorian" or "F Lydian".

### **The Name of the Modes**

***Ionian Mode: related to i7 (The Modal Name for The Major Scale)***

***Dorian Mode: related to ii7 (The Natural Minor mode with a raised 6th)***

***Phrygian Mode: related to iii7 (The Natural Minor Mode with a lowered 2nd)***

***Lydian Mode: related to IVM7 (The Major scale with a raised 4th or augmented 4th)***

***Mixolydian Mode: related to V7 (Major scale with a lowered 7th)***

***Aeolian Mode: related to vi7 (The Modal Name for The Natural minor scale)***

***Locrian Mode: related to vii7(b5) (The natural minor mode with a lowered 2nd and diminished 5th)***

## **Mode Construction**

In popular music,melodies are rarely heard apart from harmony.That is,vocals and solos are heard over a background of chords, so that the structures of chords and scale are intertwined.To understand how modes are built , it is important to understand the chord/scale relationship in two ways: the relationship of individual chords and scales to each other, and relationship of both chords and scales to a key.

First,look at the relationship of a C major seventh chord scale.The notes of the chord(the chord tones) are all present in the scale, and the scale also contains melodic notes(scale tones) between the chord tones that give the scale its smooth,stepwise structure.

Once the names of the modes and the order in which they occur are memorized,it is possible to write any mode in any key using the following method:

**Step 1: Determine the Major scale degree on which the mode is built.**

C Dorian, for example, is built on the second scale degree of Bb major.

**Step 2: Write the mode using the same key signature as the key from which it is derived.**

If C Dorian is the second mode of Bb Major , it can be written using the key signature of Bb major.

## **The Ionian Mode**

The Ionian mode is the modal name for the Major scale(C Major scale)

## **The Dorian Mode**

We know that the C major seventh chord is the I Chord in the key of C Major, so the root of the chord and the tonic of the scale are the same.We also know that the C Major scale harmony contains a number of the chords and that, for each of these, the root of the chord is not the same as the tonic of the scale---Dm7, for instance, is the ii7 chord in the key of C Major.

if the C major scale is played over a Dm7 chord without any regard for this difference, the listener hears two subtly competing tone centers; that is, the melody is revolving around C while the harmony is base on D.However, if the tone center of the melody is shifted to D without changing the structure of the C major scale, the result is a scale that perfectly matches the sound of Dm7 while keeping its relationship to the original key center intact.In other words, the notes of the C Major scale are unchanged, but the note that receives the most emphasis is now D. By shifting the tone center, but maintaining the original structure , we have created a ***Mode*** of the Major scale.

The Dorian Mode and its construction have already been discussed in the chapter on modes. In the context of minor scales, though, the Dorian mode is frequently used as a key-center scale with its own scale harmony, and, in certain styles such as rock, the Dorian mode is as common as natural minor.

The Dorian mode can be constructed in one of two ways. First,it can be built by applying the key signature of the parent major scale, as described in the chapter on modes.Second, the Dorian mode can be created by raising the sixth degree of the natural mjnor scale built on the same tonic.The first view shows the overall diatonic relationship of the modes, but the second view is more helpful in hearing the relationship of Dorian to the other minor scales, and it is the one used here.

In the Harmonic minor scale, the raised seventh degree changes the quality of the v chord from minor(v) to Major(V).in The Dorian scale, raising the Sixth degree of the natural minor scale has the same effect on the iv chord,changing the quality of that chord from a minor triad to a major triad(from iv to IV chord).Dorian scale harmony also differs from natural minor scale harmony in other ways.The most important difference is that the quality of the ii chord in Dorian harmony is minor rather than diminished,making it less dissonant and therefore more useful in chord progressions based mainly on major and minor triads.

## **Popular POP Triad Chord Progressions of the Dorian Mode**

Progression #1: Am(i)-D(IV)

Progression #2: Am(i)-C(III)-D(IV)

Progression #3:Am(i)-G(VII)-C(III)-D(IV)

Progression #4: Am(i)-G(VII)-D(IV)

Progression #5: Am(i)-C(III)-G(VII)-D(IV)

Progression #6: Am(i)-Em(v)-D(IV)

Progression #7: Am(i)-Em(v)-G(VII)-D(IV)

Progression #8: Am(i)-G(VII)-Em(v)-D(IV)

Progression #9: Am(i)-C(III)-Em(v)-D(IV)

## **Harmonizing The Dorian Mode in Sevenths**

The addition of sevenths to the scale harmony gives the IV Chord a Dominant Seventh quality and the ii chord a minor seventh quality.

The variations that occur in minor scale harmony between the natural minor scale and other minor scales make the task of identifying key centers by sight somewhat more difficult.For example, a dominant seventh chord may not always be a v chord, and a v chord may not always be a dominant seventh chord.More than ever, the ability to play or sing the root progression and identify the resolutions by sound is important.Especially in modal progressions, the sound of the chords may lead you to a much different idea of where the key center is than their appearance on paper.

## **Application of Modes**

While a full exploration of the applications of modes can only be undertaken through the study of composition or improvising, their use can be summarized in three basic ways

**1. As an elaboration of the "key center" approach**

As explained previously, each mode may be related to a specific chord of the harmonized major scale and used a source of melodies over that chord when it occurs in a diatonic progression.The result is a scale-oriented approach that combines the overall, unifying sound of the key center with a melodic focus on the root of each chord.This application works best when a particular chord lasts long enough for the scale to be developed melodically--for example, in a progression where the harmony lingers on the V7 chord for a while, allowing the Mixolydian mode to take shaple.If the chords are changing quickly , melodies based on individual modes simply don't have enough time to take on thier seperate identities; instead, basing melodies around the actual chord tones or on the overall key center becomes a more effecive approach.

**2. As "sounds" outside of particular diatonic relationships**

Chords are built in the same way regardless of where they are used in a scale harmony.

Cm7, for example, contains the same interval structure no matter whether it is used as the ii7 chord in Bb,the iii7 chord in Ab, or vi7 chord in Eb. However, the modes built on those scale degrees, C Dorian, C Phrygian, and C Aeolian, all have different structures.If these three modes are taken out of their diatonic contexts and lined up side by side, they may be seen as three different scales usable over minor seventh chord. In a piece of music containing an extended solo over Cm7 chord, the modes could be intermingled to create interesting melodies effects, keeping in min the fact that while they all "work" in theory, they may not always work in practice ---something that only the ear can judge.

To use modes in this way, it is helpful to group them according to their overall quality rather than by their diatonic scale position.This results in four categories based on four distinct chord types

Improvisers who take this approach of hearing the modes as "sounds" not directly related to a diatonic setting may use,for instance, the C Lydian Mode over C major seventh chord that is functioning as a I chord, with the result that the melody contains a raised fourth, creating a surprising , and hopefully interesting , variations in an otherwise standard phrase.

Another extremely common application of this approach is in blues, where all of the chords are typically dominant seventh chords, and the Mixolydian scale of each chord, regarded as the basic dominant seventh scale, can be used as a source of improvisation regardless of the particular function of that chord in the key.

A further extension of this idea is the use of a made as a sound not directly related to the chord structure itself. For example, when C Phrygian, a minor-sounding mode, is applied over a C major triad, the resultig melody resembles Spanish flamenco music.

**3. As a basis for altered scales**

By combining or altering the structures of the modes themselves, new melodic combinations can be developed. For example, a major scale with a raised fourth(derived from Lydian) combined with the flatted seventh(derived from Mixolydian) produces a scale known as ***"Lydian Dominant"*** or ***"Lydian Flat Seventh"*** , which is then commonly used as a twist on the standard dominant seventh scale sound. Using modes in this way depends on a through understanding of their basic structure so that the variations may be clearly seen and heard.

Modes have been the subject of a great many books on composition and improvisation, and writers and players have devoted a great deal of study to their use over the years. Modes may also be derived from the harmonies of other scales, although these subjects lie beyond the scope of this book.The complexity of modes lies not so much in their structure but in their various applications; this chapter is just an introduction to a fascinating and wide-ranging subject.

**Source: Harmony and Theory Book by Keith Wyatt and Carl Schroeder**