Category

Know Your Modes

06.03.10

Know Your Modes – Lydian Know Your Modes | (0)
Character The Lydian Mode is one of the three major modes (along with the Mixolydian and the good old major scale Ionian). The Mixolydian is bluesy and rock 'n' roll, the Ionian simple and easy, but the Lydian is sweet and dreamy. That dreamy character I think comes from the lack of a dominant seventh chord on the fifth - instead we get a major seventh chord which has less of a pull toward the tonic. There is also the sharp fourth, which can add an uneasiness to a major chord. Try playing a C chord with an F sharp or an ...
10.18.09

Know Your Modes – Aeolian Know Your Modes | (0)
One of my favourite modes is the aeolian. To me, every mode and scale has its own character and associations, and it's important for a songwriter to know them all. True, you could cheat and have someone else master keys for you, but using automatic tools wont help you develop the songwriting pallette needed to be a truly talented songwriter. Character The Aeolian mode is also known as the minor scale. Or rather, it is in pop music. When a classical musician says 'A minor', they don't quite mean the same thing as the popular musician. If you want to be technical, ...
08.17.09

Know Your Modes – The Mixolydian Chords and harmony, Know Your Modes | (3)
Character The Mixolydian is a mode I associate with country, blues, heavy rock and the Beatles. It isn't the only scale used in those styles, and it isn't limited to those styles, but with it's dominant seventh tonic chord and the emphasis on the seventh note of the scale, it always conjures up images of old fashioned, American rock. It's a beer drinking, gibson chugging, guitar twangin' mode (or at least, that's how it feel to me). Construction The mixolydian mode is almost the same as the 'normal' major scale, except that the seventh note is flattened by one semitone. So in C ...