Modes

Hi!

Today, I'm gonna start a new topic...

Modes!

In order to get a feeling for what they are, where they come from... Wikipedia is a good start: Modes

I will dedicate time for each mode of the Major scale (they are many modes...):

Ionian

Dorian

Phrygian

Lydian

Mixolydian

Aeolian

Locrian

 

A way to understand Modes, is to see them as different scales. A scale is the organisation of the notes with known intervals. For example the Major scale which is also the first mode "Ionian" has: 1,1,1/2,1,1,1,1/2 where 1 is a whole step and 1/2 is a half step. Because of this organisation, the major scale sounds the way it does... Play in C, it's all the white keys of a piano. C,D,E,F,G,A,B. There, you may notice that there is a black key between each white notes except between E,F and B,C(octave). These are your half steps.

In order to grasp the modes, it is useful to seperate them from their parent scale... A good way to HEAR the modes is to start with the same Tonic.

What is a parent scale, you may ask? well, Modes are constructed from a root scale. The modes indicated above are derived from the Major scale. Modes can be derived from a minor scale (which itself is the Aeolian mode of a major scale), harmonic minor scale or melodic minor scale...

 

more to follow...

 

Ear Training

What's new! I decided to start a blog about music...

What I see as important to become a good all-rounder musician...

The topic of today!? Ear-Training...

I came to realise that all-in-all ear-training is THE most important skill for a musician.
What does that actually mean?
Being able to follow along a chord progression in your head, knowing where you are in a song, knowing what to improvise by recognizing the harmonic structure(s)...

There are tons of good resources on the web but it's actually down to you!

Sit down with your instrument and listen! The piano is a recommended instrument as all the notes are laying in front of you...

Start playing a major scale and slowly go through the intervals. How do they sound like? Which mood do they put you in...

Start building chords or triads: Major triads, minor triads, augmented triads and diminished triads. Listen carefully for their sounds and which emotions are involved...Start building more complex chords adding extentions: 7, 9, 11, 13... The 9^th is my favorite "color" you can add as an extention. The 13th is also a nice color in the realm of minor harmonies...

Please comment, add your thoughts!