What are Modes and how do we use them?
If we play a scale from any note to the octave of that note, we are playing a mode. Imagine the notes of the C Major Scale. They are C D E F G A B C. Playing these notes in this order is also called the Ionian Mode and the Ionian Mode is the 1st Mode.
If we play the same notes but now starting from D we will have the order D E F G A B C D. This is the 2nd Mode and it is called the Dorian Mode.
It’s important to notice that we haven’t altered any notes for each mode. We have just started on a different note each time. As there are 7 different notes in either a Major or a Minor Scale, there are 7 modes for each of these two scales.
Here are the 7 modes of the C Major Scale.
Ionian. C D E F G A B C
Dorian. D E F G A B C D
Phrygian. E F G A B C D E
Lydian. F G A B C D E F
Mixolydian. G A B C D E F G
Aeolian. A B C D E F G A
Locrian. B C D E F G A B
There is a lot of confusing information around about what modes are and how to use them. There is no need for long explanations. Modes are starting the same scale on different notes.
CHORDS from MODES.
Each mode fits to a particular chord. And each chord is constructed using the 1st 3rd & 5th of each mode.
So the chord on the Ionian Mode in the key of C Major uses the notes C E G. This is known as a triad because it has 3 different notes.
The chords on each mode are as follows.
1st 3rd 5th
Ionian. C E G Major Chord
Dorian. D F A Minor Chord
Phrygian. E G B Minor Chord
Lydian. F A C Major Chord
Mixolydian. G B D Major Chord
Aeolian. A C E Minor Chord
Locrian. B D F Diminished Chord
The order of these chords is the same in any key. The difference between one key and another is simply that one is higher or lower in pitch than the other.
KEYS.
The term Key also comes in for a lot of complex explanations, yet again it is pretty simple. Firstly only the Major or Minor Scales give us modes from which we can create chords. It is this creation of modes and chords that we mean when we use the word Key.
So an explanation of what we mean by Keys could be:
“A group of notes from which we can derive melody and harmony”
For Melody we mean the modes that we use for tunes, improvisation etc.
For Harmony we mean the 3 notes we use to create a chord on each mode.
Put the two together and you are playing in a Key. In fact almost all music we ever play in western music uses keys. So you are playing in various modes of a key almost all the time.
IMPROVISING using MODES.
To improvise you can use the same scale fingering all the time. What defines which mode is being used is the chord that is used for the accompaniment.
So when the C Major Chord is used in the key if C Major we are in the Ionian Mode. The D Minor is for the Dorian Mode and that is still within the key of C Major.
So use one scale fingering throughout but accent mostly the notes of each chord that is being played in your improvising. You can use the other notes that are in the scale but not in the chord, as passing notes in between the chord notes.
SUMMARY.
There are other extended chords we can use and many ways to expand this knowledge. But the basics remain that the modes and chords from the modes, are what we generally use for all western music.
To use this information fluently you will need to know a couple of Major Scale fingerings and the names of the notes of each chord, as well as where they are within the scale fingering.
You can use any scale fingering you like. The mode you are playing is defined by the chords used, not the scale fingering.
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