Take private lessons online with me! Trumpet, brass, theory, composition & arranging, improvisation, or whatever musical/life coaching you’d like to work on. More information at www.bradharrison.ca/lessons
Your videos go very fast. Just watching for the 3rd time, that bit, I didn't see before you listed the names of the scale. Because you go so fast I didn't catch everything. Sorry about that! When modes start getting more advanced and complex I do find it confusing. I think it takes time to really get it.😊🙏👍
@@BeeBwakka I think it still works. Just change what your first note is in scale and follow the same interval sequence even if you start on a black key. Just take a sec to map the octave and repeat.
This is the missing link that I have been looking for! This video now made Modes make sense. I’d keep asking things like “but Why is D Dorian?” And “can there be a C Dorian?” Id hear vaguely specific answer, or my favorite “well go over it later”. I personally have a hard time memorizing. However, if I can understand the logic or the “Why this is” then learning is easier. Thank you!
Thansk! Glad you enjoyed! I also made this for a slightly different perspective. Parallel Scales: Everything You Need To Know th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
Wow, I finally understand modes. Thank you so much! It's funny, I came up with a similar acronym: I Don't Play Live Music At Libraries. I think I'll combine yours and change it to I Don't Play Loud Music At Libraries, it makes more sense 😊
Finally I can understand something, and that because of your brilliant videos. I don’t know why is it hard to find your channel although I find it the most useful one
You're the first to guide me effectively in understanding how to identify modes in sheet music. Your step-by-step approach, specifically counting sharps or flats to find the original key and determining the starting note, made a significant difference for me! Unlike other videos that merely explain scale shifting and mode names, your method resonated with me. Additionally, I've been grappling with comprehending chord progressions, especially when they don't start on the tonic or involve variations like a vi played above or below the tonic. This difficulty is impacting my test performance, and despite watching multiple videos from various sources, I still struggle to grasp the listening segment. I'm reaching out for your guidance as lessons from other TH-camrs have been unsuccessful. Is
At first glance, I was thinking that there would be no difference in C major and C Ionian, but I think you're on to something. Tonal or functional harmony uses chords that move in a circular fashion by fourths or fifths. Model harmony avoids sounding functional by moving only a step or half-step laterally away from the root. Did you find any differences?
I think the best idea how to figure out what are the 7 modes build on C note is to group the Modes like relatives scales (Major - minor): 1) Ionian - Aeolian / Ionian will sound like C major scale / Aeolian will sound like C minor scale (will have 3 flats) 2) Lydian - Dorian / going down from C a perfect 4th is G, so Lydian will have 1 sharp, and will sound like G major scale / Dorian will sound like G minor scale ( 2 flats). 3) Mixolydian - Phrygian / going down from C a perfect 5th is F, so Mixolydian will have 1 flat, and will sound like F major scale / and Phrygian will sound like F minor scale ( 4 flats). 4) Locrian / going up a m2 (minor second) is D Flat, so Locrian will sound like D flat major scale (with 5 flats).
At the 2.00 minute mark you gave two examples of how to figure out which mode it was and why. There needs to be a more in-depth lesson covering more of these. I'm a beginner so I don't know how you know how many sharps or flats make a note but I feel this would be the key to work out the modes like you do.
Hey there! I did two videos on key signatures that should help you out there. Also check out my video major scales which are closely related. Good luck!
Very informative video, but The fifth mode of harmonic minor is usually called the “Phrygian Major” mode. Since it has the characteristics of the Phrygian with the flat 2, 6 and 7 and the 3 is natural so it’s a major sound thus “Phrygian Major”.
God DAMN... this is the clear, concise lesson I needed. I just wanted to know if starting a C scale from the second degree makes it C Dorian or D Dorian, and that's somehow really difficult info to find. THANK YOU! Subscribed!
I would also describe a collection of modes of the same scale as having the same CYCLICAL pattern of tones and semitones, while having different LINEAR patterns
You’re not wrong, but I don’t think most musicians think about it that way. A major scale is defined as TTSTTTS, but I’ve never once thought of dorian as TSTTTST, and I’ve never heard another musician describe a scale that way(except for diminished scales which are just TS or ST repeating). Dorian is mode 2 of a major scale, or a major scale with b3 and b7.
So, I gots five minutes to kill, had a rough day herding cats and just wanted to wash down those hair balls with a tall, cold Sasparilla, and this video pops up. Not only am I refreshed, but I is much smarter. Merci beaucoup.
Another very succinct and insightful video, thank you! Putting it into practice, is the root/bass part the most important signifier of a piece that is going into a different mode? For example, you're tootling along on guitar in bog standard C Major and you wanted to shift to Dorian, would you just play a D minor chord or the bass would play a D, then start playing melodic lines in C Major but just starting on a D note and it's as simple as that?
In a nutshell, short answer, yes. The bass will help dictate the use case. Playing d dorian, D to D all natural notes, will still feel like dorian, but if the bass is playing a C it will just feel like a tension on C major. The bass can really dictate function very powerfully. Other cues are also important, like that chord the rest of the band is voicing, but it’s hard to ignore the bass. Like, if piano plays C major triad and bass plays A, it’s Am7.
@@BradHarrison ah ok I think I understand now, thank you! Is the importance of the bass note what separates chords from inversions? Because I've previously thought that it shouldn't really matter what order the notes of a chord appear- they're all the same ingredients... But I now think that must be wrong and the bass informs the overall sound and feel of a chord/key/mode
The bottom note is what defines the inversion, but context matters for function. If you’re just inverting triads up the piano, it’s all going to sound like C major. But if you move from fully voiced out but root position C, to root position F, to C with G in the bass, that third chord is going to feel dominant(like a G sus add 6), not like tonic(C major), even though the notes are the same. Follow with regular G7 and then C and it will feel very cadential and final. Hope that helps!
@@BradHarrison yes I think that helps, thanks! There's quite a lot to get one's head around, but understanding the importance of the bass/starting note helps to put everything into context - especially your example of thinking about Cmaj with a bass A underneath it not as a major chord but as Am7 instead, that's really helpful
Okay, so G Dorian is just F Major on the second degree. I think I get it. I get it! The regular scales are one way to arrange notes by pitch; modes are another way to arrange notes by pitch but simply using regular scales and augmenting them.
I think you’ve got it. You may also enjoy my video on parallel scales. It’s about how you can modify a major scale to turn it into a bunch of other scales.
I'm learning this and some people said modes are useless unless we also use the signature chords that go with each of the mode. But that's also true for Ionian/Aeolian, right? If I use a garbage chord progression, it will be garbage. How do I know which chords should I highlight with each mode?
Can you help me please? I've been watching a lot of videos with modes and I don't know if this is wrong or if I'm missing something. The C major scale is 'C D E F G A B C' while the C Dorian scale is 'C D Eb F G A Bb C'. You're saying that it's 'D E F G A B C D' which is D dorian not C dorian. You offset the pattern of creating a major scale to get the different modes, not the note. So instead of W W H W W W H (major interval pattern), you would change the pattern by moving the beginning interval to the end. W H W W W H W W (Moved beginning W to end). You play the same root note but change the pattern. I noticed you mentioned at the beginning about how scales and the modes aren't the same, does that have something to do with my confusion? Thank you for your time and help!
I think you’ve basically got it. The Dorian scale is the second mode of the major scale, so yes the pattern does shift over one. DEFGABCD is D Dorian, 2nd mode of C major. CDEbFGABbC is C Dorian, second mode of Bb major. Scales are always named for their root/first note, and then the quality(major, minor, Dorian, Lydian, etc) tells you about all the other notes after it. My video on parallel scales might be useful too. It explains how to alter scales to create new scales(I.e lower the third and seventh to get Dorian), rather than the above method of using related scales(C major and D Dorian are the same scale starting in different places). You’ll get the same answer but some instances might make one method more appealing.
@@BradHarrison I think this question illustrates why the common D dorian, E phrygian etc. approach to teaching modes causes so much confusion. Everything just looks like C major, and focus is taken away from the fact that the pattern from the root has changed; this would be much more obvious if you fixed the root at C for the whole explanation, or made more of an explicit point of at least transposing D dorian back down to start at C. I think if you don't do this, at some point everyone asks "but why are any of these different to C major?". Your example of Frere Jacques wouldn't have worked if you changed the melody from C major to F lydian; it was crucial to change it from C major to *C* lydian to illustrate the fact that the modes actually sound unique.
Modes by definition relate to their “home” major scale. But I also made this video that some people might find helpful: Parallel Scales: Everything You Need To Know th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
@@BradHarrison Thanks for the reply. I think the ideas in the parallel scales video are much more useful when thinking about modes, particularly when ordering them from brightest to darkest. I actually think it's more useful to let go of the idea of the major scale being "home", and explain that the reason the diatonic modes are related is that they come from consecutive notes round the circle of fifths. In this sense, the Ionian is no more special than any of the other modes; it just happens to be pleasantly bright and therefore the most popular choice in Western music. For example, I'd say the Phrygian is "natural minor, with a flat 2" rather than "major, with a flat 2, 3, 6 and 7". It puts the Phrygian on the scale of slightly darker than natural minor, instead of being the major scale with a large and seemingly arbitrary selection of flattened notes. It helps reinforce the idea that the modes are a set of 7 scales and are all relative to each other, rather than the major scale + 6 others that come from it. I apologise for being disagreeable, but my own experience was confusion for years and years learning Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, before I saw a Reddit comment that explained how they are all in the circle of fifths. From there, a massive number of patterns emerge that made everything so much clearer: learning the modes, knowing when to use them, and even some notion of _why_ they are associated with certain emotions and feelings. I feel like the standard way of teaching modes really hides these patterns and makes them far more confusing; it would be like trying to learn times tables at school by listing them in a completely random order, rather than grouping them into 1*, 2*, 3* tables etc.
Totally agree that multiple approaches are useful. In my head, some modes are related to their home scale and some are altered major scales. Different ways to get the same answer. In a jazz context, modes relating to the home scale is crucial. In a ii-V-I all the modes relate to the one. I think it would way over complicate things to think of the scale in ii as major with lowered 3 and 7, V as major with lowered 7 and I as major, as if they’re three completely different things when they’re just three scales derived from the same tonality. It all just comes down to sound and communication. If I say Phrygian and you know what that means, it doesn’t really matter how you arrived there. But it is useful if we agree what notes are actually involved.
Is it a clever shortcut (or a bad case of laziness), to not bother thinking about natural minor scales or even key signatures at all? Since the relative minor of a key is the Aeolian mode, could one think of a piece that's usually described as being in a minor key as actually being in the relative major, but in the Aeolian mode? My guess though is that this potential shortcut comes undone if you want to make things more interesting by straying into harmonic or melodic minor scales...
Natural minor is aeolian mode and harmonic and melodic are alterations of that mode. But there are 5 other modes besides Ionian and aeolian. It’s not a shortcut, it’s a different thing. You can even apply modes to things like harmonic minor. It’s very common in jazz.
@@BradHarrison thanks for the explanation - I was trying to figure out the relationships between major keys and their relative minors, and if they really are that different as they share the same notes and even the same chords. I need to spend more time studying minor keys and modes!
Glad some things are coming together! By the way, the fact that some chords exist in more than one key is related to the concept of using a pivot chord elegantly and subtly change keys. Dm could be ii of C or iii of Bb or vi of F. Can be an interesting thing to explore.
Diatonic basically means “in the key”. So if you’re in the key of C major, moving diatonic would be moving stepwise along the notes of C major. You could also do that with other types of scales too(like modes). Pentatonics a just 5 note scales. They’re not really related to modes too much.
You bet! Also check this out: Parallel Scales: Everything You Need To Know in 5 Minutes th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html It’s another way to think of the same thing. Hopefully both will help with other make sense.
So if I understand this correctly modes are just using the same exact key signature you start on but instead of the root note you go up or down the scale starting a different note depending on what mode you're in. And modes I'm assuming are generally used for Harmony and to keep pieces interesting while playing in a specific scale and chord progression for an extended time?
Basically! They’re also useful for improvisation. And yeah very different sounds using different modes to creat emeodiids. The simpsons is in Lydian and gives a major but odd and off kilter feel.
@@BradHarrison thank you so much for clarifying. I was just watching your video and it made sense but for some reason my brain wanted to make it seem more complex than it is
@@BradHarrison Just a lot to mentally digest. I wish now I might have had the opportunity to learn music when I was young and my brain was a sponge. I watch your videos and to often catch the drift of what you are teaching.
@@BradHarrison I'd have to say , no not well , but can chord along with both hands in any key now. Practicing using alternate fingering for the 1,6, 4,5 . progression at the moment. I just started playing during covid. :) Keeps me out of trouble .
@robertacton1271 If you can already do that in just a few years of practice, I think you’re well on your way! In the mean time, you may enjoy checking out this… Why You Need to Learn Your Major Scales th-cam.com/video/kjlNF0QFTZ0/w-d-xo.html
Is it just me or do the dots look closer together the higher in pitch they are? I know they're not because I've paused the video and looked. But reading as if I was hearing the notes they are closer together. But they're not. I'm surely not the only one.
Assuming you know major scales, you just have to learn the names and starting degrees. Dorian is always the second mod of a major scale, Phrygian is always the third, etc.
This omits so much information about modes. Where they come from. They are derived from the pattern of steps that are the underpinnings of all the Western church modal music we know so well. Specifically, the pattern of whole and half steps that comprises the C Major scale, which are (Whole) and (Half) steps, in the pattern WWHWWWH for C Major. Repeat that pattern. WWHWWWHWWHWWWH. Where you start on this pattern determines what mode you are in. Start on the second step, and you have Dorian. That's WHWWWHW. Phrygian, is HWWWHWW. Etc. This is where the modes COME from. And they can be applied with any starting note. Dorian doesn't have to be in D. Phrygian doesn't have to be in E. Etc...
I covered most of what you mentioned explicitly in the video, including where modes come from and that they can be in any key. I covered the intervals of major scales in another video but I didn’t cover the intervals of modes here because I think they would be very confusing for most people, not to mention superfluous because it’s already implied in the first few moments of the video. You might enjoy my video on parallel scales which sort of intersects with these topics of intervals and scales.
@@BradHarrison To understand the shifting of the pattern of intervals is to understand where modes come from. It really helps, because with this knowledge you can figure out what the notes of a given mode and key are for yourself. Just as learning basic math gives you the ability to count for yourself and get the right answer.
Whatever works for you, but in my experience, people describe scales is being a mode(in the above video) or modification of a more familiar scale(below video). Parallel Scales th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
So do I understand this correctly if I say the following: "The mode that a piece of music uses is all about the first note in that song and the scale that is used" ?
I feel like the answer is no. I just can't grasp how I can find out what mode a song uses. Because of that I also can't grasp how I can choose a mode when I'm writing my own music.
It has to do with what the “home” chord or note of the piece is. If it centers on D but the key signature and most of the rest of the piece is no sharps or flats, that’s D Dorian.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't C Dorian begin on C, with a flat 3 and flat 7? You make it sound like it begins on D. What you have notated is actually D Dorian, E Phrygian, etc.
D Dorian is related to C. You could also call it the Dorian mode of C(in this case, C major is implied/understood) or the second mode of C. C Dorian is related to Bb, the second mode of Bb and yes it has flat 3 and 7. I also did a video on parallel scales that covers this. People sometimes get mixed up but I feel most musicians would recognize C Dorian as being different from the Dorian mode of C.
Yes. But a certain number of sharps or flats can be more than one scale. G major has one sharp(F#), always. F# is also the accidental ode A dorian, B Phrygian, etc. is that what you meant?
I searched the web and came up with a couple better: I don't particularly like modes a lot. - my favorite I drank pee last Monday and lived. - the funniest
Please help! Every single explanation of modes that I've watched breaks my brain in the following way: "This is the C-Major Scale. C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. Dorian mode means to start playing this scale using the 2nd degree as the tonic. D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D. Therefore, the C Dorian scale is C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb." WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F**K?!? 🙂 Seriously, I don't understand why C Dorian somehow does not mean "play the c major scale starting on the 2nd degree."
You name scales for their starting note. C Dorian is the second mode of Bb. C D Eb etc D Dorian is the second mode of C. c D E etc. F Dorian is the second mode of Eb. F G Ab. Etc
@@BradHarrison Wait, wait... so you're saying that C Dorian means whichever version of Dorian starts with a C? On one hand, that makes so much sense. On the other hand that seems much more complicated to remember and work out than simply saying start this scale on the X degree. I think the main source of confusion for me was, since everyone uses C Major as the example, when they say "D Dorian" it always just comes off as them emphasizing the new starting note. No one ever clarifies that D Dorian is the actual official name of this specific version of Dorian in contrast to A Dorian, E Dorian, etc. I think this must be so obvious to people who already understand it that they don't realize how explicitly this needs to be spelled out to a newcomer. Thank you so much!
I get it, but really, it’s just like any other scale. G major starts on G, E harmonic minor starts on E, A dorian starts on A, and C Lydian starts on C, but they’re all related to and derived from G major! This stuff is weird at first but the more you live with it, the easier it gets, and the more you realize that these weird systems usually endure because they’re actually less confusing than the alternative. Good luck and glad it’s making a bit more sense now!
@@BradHarrison I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to reply. You really helped me break through a serious barrier. I've also had a revelation about how this could have been explained to me for it to click far sooner. Most vids only show an example with one scale, then get hopelessly bogged down with intimidating talk about how to convert scales into different modes that just hurt my brain every time. I think there's a better way, and there's not a single vid I can find on TH-cam that does it like this: If the example showed two scales next to each other, such as C Major and E Major, then showed the process of shifting the tonic forward for both scales at the same time, saying something like, "Dorian Mode starts on the second degree of any scale, so C Major becomes D Dorian and E Major becomes F# Dorian." That simple side-by-side comparison would have cleared up years of confusion. I'd love to see a video that tried this approach!
Yup, that’s helpful. What I don’t get, is how modes affect chord progressions. Are I,IV, AND V, or other common chord choices based on the steps of the original scale (I.e. C major), or on the chosen mode? Maybe I should just sit down at the piano and figure it out 🤪
Most pieces stick around in one key for at least a while. So if the piece is in C major, the the chords, scales, and modes of the piece will mostly or entirely come from C major. IV of C, V of C, etc. You can improvise around most pop tunes using just one scale because all the chords from from one scale and pop tunes don’t tend to pick chords outside of the key they’re in. Does that help?
@BradHarrison I mean towards the end you said, this is B-flat harmonic minor, but you can start this on the 5th note, but there's no name for that..? I watched it again, and thought, so is it because it's minor, if you start on the 5th it's not called Mixolydian??? 🤔
At 4:20? I think you should watch again. I gave 5 names for that scale. But also, the fifth mode of a major scale(mixolydian) and the fifth mode of a harmonic minor scale are very different. Mixolydian is like a major scale with a b7. Fifth mode harmonic minor is like major with a b9, b6, and b7. Hope that helps!
@BradHarrison yes, so that's what I meant, it's not the same, if it's a minor scale. Starting on the 5th note is not called Mixolydian if the scale is minor. I know you called it a Murph...but I thought why is it not Mixolydian? I find modes confusing and complicated, maybe because I'm dyslexic? I 'll get it in the end. Thanks 🙏👍
@@BradHarrison I can't believe you misunderstood what I said. Do you honestly think that I am saying that all the modes have exactly the same intervals and sounds?? Don't you think that would be a mad thing to say??? I know all about modes, their structure and how they are built. It would seem to me to be almost unbearably obvious that what I am saying is that *modes and scales are the same thing* . *All modes are scales* . Look at my comment again. it says they are the same *thing* not they are all the same.
@khasab6124 This is a basic music theory channel. People get confused or take issue with basic things all the time! Anyway, in my experience the two terms are not used as exact synonyms, even if they are very closely related. “The second mode of the C major scale” is a phrase that makes sense but “the second scale of the C major mode” is not a phrase I’ve ever heard before and would probably cause confusion.
@@BradHarrison Exactly, it's not a phrase you've heard before because people don't use it. No one says the C major mode. You would refer to it as the Ionian mode. The Ionian mode is the major scale. You're using silly phrases that would be confusing if anybody's spoke like that but nobody does!! What people say, in a quite non-confusing way, is _the lydian scale or C lydian_ / _E Phrygian_ / _D Dorian_ _C Ionian_ etc! And they are scales by definition.
C major....if you want the Phrygian mode you ask yourself two questions 1] What degree is Phrygian? It is the 3rd degree 2] What major scale is C the third degree of? THIS VIDEO IS WRONG
Take private lessons online with me! Trumpet, brass, theory, composition & arranging, improvisation, or whatever musical/life coaching you’d like to work on. More information at www.bradharrison.ca/lessons
Your videos go very fast. Just watching for the 3rd time, that bit, I didn't see before you listed the names of the scale. Because you go so fast I didn't catch everything. Sorry about that! When modes start getting more advanced and complex I do find it confusing. I think it takes time to really get it.😊🙏👍
Moving the piano stool is genius! And I appreciate this has no background music over the wonderful narrator. Fantastic info.
I thought the running analogy was way better
Agreed
Too bad it only really works properly in the context of "white keys only"
@@BeeBwakka I think it still works. Just change what your first note is in scale and follow the same interval sequence even if you start on a black key. Just take a sec to map the octave and repeat.
I've watched several hours of videos about modes and this video is by far the shortest and best one I've seen.
Your are a saviour to us beginner musicians! Thank you so much!
Thank you for not only explaining what modes are, but why they matter (running e.g.) and how to practice them effectively.
This is the missing link that I have been looking for! This video now made Modes make sense. I’d keep asking things like “but Why is D Dorian?” And “can there be a C Dorian?” Id hear vaguely specific answer, or my favorite “well go over it later”. I personally have a hard time memorizing. However, if I can understand the logic or the “Why this is” then learning is easier. Thank you!
Great! So glad this helped connect the dots for you!
So well done. Never thought about modes like this video shows.
Thansk! Glad you enjoyed! I also made this for a slightly different perspective.
Parallel Scales: Everything You Need To Know
th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
please continue with these videos. You´re a master.
Thanks so much! Definitely planning to!
Wow, I finally understand modes. Thank you so much! It's funny, I came up with a similar acronym: I Don't Play Live Music At Libraries. I think I'll combine yours and change it to I Don't Play Loud Music At Libraries, it makes more sense 😊
Love it!
Finally I can understand something, and that because of your brilliant videos. I don’t know why is it hard to find your channel although I find it the most useful one
You're the first to guide me effectively in understanding how to identify modes in sheet music. Your step-by-step approach, specifically counting sharps or flats to find the original key and determining the starting note, made a significant difference for me! Unlike other videos that merely explain scale shifting and mode names, your method resonated with me. Additionally, I've been grappling with comprehending chord progressions, especially when they don't start on the tonic or involve variations like a vi played above or below the tonic. This difficulty is impacting my test performance, and despite watching multiple videos from various sources, I still struggle to grasp the listening segment. I'm reaching out for your guidance as lessons from other TH-camrs have been unsuccessful.
Is
Ear training is hard. Play, practice, test, repeat. Also, have you worked on this with your teacher?
missed a day in music theory. you saved my life.
Thank you for the video! This almost saved me from Failing Zone in my required Music Class!!!
Great Video, might want to talk about when modes are used I.E. difference between C major and C ionian (Functional harmony vs modal harmony)
At first glance, I was thinking that there would be no difference in C major and C Ionian, but I think you're on to something. Tonal or functional harmony uses chords that move in a circular fashion by fourths or fifths. Model harmony avoids sounding functional by moving only a step or half-step laterally away from the root. Did you find any differences?
Talking about how they are used is useful but strictly speaking they are the same thing relation wise to how they are formed.
YOU GIVE THE BEST LESSONS!
Thanks!!
hot damn! I just found your vids today and again and again puzzle pieces fell into their place.
Now i have to memorize and train on all of those.
This has made music theory soooo much easier to learn!! Thank you so much☺️
Very well put together. Thanks
Wow! Complete. High value!
Good teaching method 👍
Bless you. Bless you a thousand times!!!
I think the best idea how to figure out what are the 7 modes build on C note is to group the Modes like relatives scales (Major - minor):
1) Ionian - Aeolian / Ionian will sound like C major scale / Aeolian will sound like C minor scale (will have 3 flats)
2) Lydian - Dorian / going down from C a perfect 4th is G, so Lydian will have 1 sharp, and will sound like G major scale / Dorian will sound like G minor scale ( 2 flats).
3) Mixolydian - Phrygian / going down from C a perfect 5th is F, so Mixolydian will have 1 flat, and will sound like F major scale / and Phrygian will sound like F minor scale ( 4 flats).
4) Locrian / going up a m2 (minor second) is D Flat, so Locrian will sound like D flat major scale (with 5 flats).
I think you might enjoy this video: Modifying Scales to Make New Scales
th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
.... Maaaan... now I'm gonna have to play Frere Jacques on every mode to compare the sound. The curiosity is killing me! thank you for the example! :D
Do it! It’s a great exercise. Though, it’s only 6 notes so Ionian and mixolydian are the same in this case.
굉장히 쉽게 가르켜 주시네요 감사합니다
My pleasure!
You have the best videos and explanation!
Thanks so much!
At the 2.00 minute mark you gave two examples of how to figure out which mode it was and why. There needs to be a more in-depth lesson covering more of these.
I'm a beginner so I don't know how you know how many sharps or flats make a note but I feel this would be the key to work out the modes like you do.
Hey there! I did two videos on key signatures that should help you out there. Also check out my video major scales which are closely related. Good luck!
Very good explanation ! Helped understand music theory well !
Love your videos! keep them coming
You've saved me sir. Thank you so much. My music theory grade thanks you.
Excellent! That was definitely one of the goals here.
Great and informative video thx
Nice!! A bit draconian toward the end, but the video is a great introduction to modes. Thanks!
Your videos are brilliant!
Very informative lessons thank you keep it up
GREAT THANK YOU SIR 🙏🙏
🌹🌹🌹 LOVE FROM INDIA 🌹🌹🌹 - Shrirang Kshatriya, Musician Lonavala Mumbai Maharashtra India
great explanation on the modes . the most simple one .thumbs up
Very informative video, but The fifth mode of harmonic minor is usually called the “Phrygian Major” mode. Since it has the characteristics of the Phrygian with the flat 2, 6 and 7 and the 3 is natural so it’s a major sound thus “Phrygian Major”.
Some people call it that! But it has quite a few commonly used names….it depends who you ask.
it's usually called Phrygian Dominant
See? Some people call it Phrygian major, some same Phrygian dominant, the Freygish scale, dominant b2 b6….
;-)
Reminds me of this: xkcd.com/927/
🤯 only took me 20yrs to finally try to LEARN what this actually means!
Just starting to learn improvisation and have already shown myself quite adept with the Avoid Tone Scale
Yeah, very spicy harmony in that one. I’m very familiar.
Thank you so much.
God DAMN... this is the clear, concise lesson I needed. I just wanted to know if starting a C scale from the second degree makes it C Dorian or D Dorian, and that's somehow really difficult info to find. THANK YOU! Subscribed!
Excellent! Glad I could straighten that out for you. Welcome to the channel. ;-)
I would also describe a collection of modes of the same scale as having the same CYCLICAL pattern of tones and semitones, while having different LINEAR patterns
You’re not wrong, but I don’t think most musicians think about it that way. A major scale is defined as TTSTTTS, but I’ve never once thought of dorian as TSTTTST, and I’ve never heard another musician describe a scale that way(except for diminished scales which are just TS or ST repeating). Dorian is mode 2 of a major scale, or a major scale with b3 and b7.
This was a fantastic video !
Love the jokes. 😂 Great educator you are.
So, I gots five minutes to kill, had a rough day herding cats and just wanted to wash down those hair balls with a tall, cold Sasparilla, and this video pops up. Not only am I refreshed, but I is much smarter. Merci beaucoup.
Very helpful, you are amazing teacher!!
Thanks mate
thank you
Another very succinct and insightful video, thank you!
Putting it into practice, is the root/bass part the most important signifier of a piece that is going into a different mode? For example, you're tootling along on guitar in bog standard C Major and you wanted to shift to Dorian, would you just play a D minor chord or the bass would play a D, then start playing melodic lines in C Major but just starting on a D note and it's as simple as that?
In a nutshell, short answer, yes. The bass will help dictate the use case. Playing d dorian, D to D all natural notes, will still feel like dorian, but if the bass is playing a C it will just feel like a tension on C major. The bass can really dictate function very powerfully. Other cues are also important, like that chord the rest of the band is voicing, but it’s hard to ignore the bass. Like, if piano plays C major triad and bass plays A, it’s Am7.
@@BradHarrison ah ok I think I understand now, thank you! Is the importance of the bass note what separates chords from inversions? Because I've previously thought that it shouldn't really matter what order the notes of a chord appear- they're all the same ingredients... But I now think that must be wrong and the bass informs the overall sound and feel of a chord/key/mode
The bottom note is what defines the inversion, but context matters for function. If you’re just inverting triads up the piano, it’s all going to sound like C major. But if you move from fully voiced out but root position C, to root position F, to C with G in the bass, that third chord is going to feel dominant(like a G sus add 6), not like tonic(C major), even though the notes are the same. Follow with regular G7 and then C and it will feel very cadential and final. Hope that helps!
But yeah, I think you’ve got it!
@@BradHarrison yes I think that helps, thanks! There's quite a lot to get one's head around, but understanding the importance of the bass/starting note helps to put everything into context - especially your example of thinking about Cmaj with a bass A underneath it not as a major chord but as Am7 instead, that's really helpful
I prefer Nickelodeon mode.
lol.. Smart-ass...Love it!😁
Teacher. I’m ready for the 36th chamber now.
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
Great!
Locrian stands for "Losing your lunch"
Thanks
I left off on 2:21, gonna restart this. I have a basic idea of modes but I don’t know if it’s correct.
Okay, so G Dorian is just F Major on the second degree. I think I get it. I get it! The regular scales are one way to arrange notes by pitch; modes are another way to arrange notes by pitch but simply using regular scales and augmenting them.
I think you’ve got it. You may also enjoy my video on parallel scales. It’s about how you can modify a major scale to turn it into a bunch of other scales.
I'm learning this and some people said modes are useless unless we also use the signature chords that go with each of the mode. But that's also true for Ionian/Aeolian, right? If I use a garbage chord progression, it will be garbage. How do I know which chords should I highlight with each mode?
Muy buena clase! Y como funciona el intercambio modal?
Learn to play piano with my friends at Skoove: www.skoove.com/#a_aid=bradharrisonmusic
"The Murph" 😅
Can you help me please? I've been watching a lot of videos with modes and I don't know if this is wrong or if I'm missing something. The C major scale is 'C D E F G A B C' while the C Dorian scale is 'C D Eb F G A Bb C'. You're saying that it's 'D E F G A B C D' which is D dorian not C dorian. You offset the pattern of creating a major scale to get the different modes, not the note. So instead of W W H W W W H (major interval pattern), you would change the pattern by moving the beginning interval to the end. W H W W W H W W (Moved beginning W to end). You play the same root note but change the pattern. I noticed you mentioned at the beginning about how scales and the modes aren't the same, does that have something to do with my confusion? Thank you for your time and help!
I think you’ve basically got it. The Dorian scale is the second mode of the major scale, so yes the pattern does shift over one. DEFGABCD is D Dorian, 2nd mode of C major. CDEbFGABbC is C Dorian, second mode of Bb major.
Scales are always named for their root/first note, and then the quality(major, minor, Dorian, Lydian, etc) tells you about all the other notes after it.
My video on parallel scales might be useful too. It explains how to alter scales to create new scales(I.e lower the third and seventh to get Dorian), rather than the above method of using related scales(C major and D Dorian are the same scale starting in different places). You’ll get the same answer but some instances might make one method more appealing.
@@BradHarrison I think this question illustrates why the common D dorian, E phrygian etc. approach to teaching modes causes so much confusion. Everything just looks like C major, and focus is taken away from the fact that the pattern from the root has changed; this would be much more obvious if you fixed the root at C for the whole explanation, or made more of an explicit point of at least transposing D dorian back down to start at C. I think if you don't do this, at some point everyone asks "but why are any of these different to C major?". Your example of Frere Jacques wouldn't have worked if you changed the melody from C major to F lydian; it was crucial to change it from C major to *C* lydian to illustrate the fact that the modes actually sound unique.
Modes by definition relate to their “home” major scale. But I also made this video that some people might find helpful:
Parallel Scales: Everything You Need To Know
th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
@@BradHarrison Thanks for the reply. I think the ideas in the parallel scales video are much more useful when thinking about modes, particularly when ordering them from brightest to darkest. I actually think it's more useful to let go of the idea of the major scale being "home", and explain that the reason the diatonic modes are related is that they come from consecutive notes round the circle of fifths. In this sense, the Ionian is no more special than any of the other modes; it just happens to be pleasantly bright and therefore the most popular choice in Western music.
For example, I'd say the Phrygian is "natural minor, with a flat 2" rather than "major, with a flat 2, 3, 6 and 7". It puts the Phrygian on the scale of slightly darker than natural minor, instead of being the major scale with a large and seemingly arbitrary selection of flattened notes. It helps reinforce the idea that the modes are a set of 7 scales and are all relative to each other, rather than the major scale + 6 others that come from it.
I apologise for being disagreeable, but my own experience was confusion for years and years learning Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, before I saw a Reddit comment that explained how they are all in the circle of fifths. From there, a massive number of patterns emerge that made everything so much clearer: learning the modes, knowing when to use them, and even some notion of _why_ they are associated with certain emotions and feelings. I feel like the standard way of teaching modes really hides these patterns and makes them far more confusing; it would be like trying to learn times tables at school by listing them in a completely random order, rather than grouping them into 1*, 2*, 3* tables etc.
Totally agree that multiple approaches are useful. In my head, some modes are related to their home scale and some are altered major scales. Different ways to get the same answer.
In a jazz context, modes relating to the home scale is crucial. In a ii-V-I all the modes relate to the one. I think it would way over complicate things to think of the scale in ii as major with lowered 3 and 7, V as major with lowered 7 and I as major, as if they’re three completely different things when they’re just three scales derived from the same tonality.
It all just comes down to sound and communication. If I say Phrygian and you know what that means, it doesn’t really matter how you arrived there. But it is useful if we agree what notes are actually involved.
Could you play Frere Jacques in a different mode so that I can understand what you mean?
I was thinking of doing a video similar to that! Maybe sometime in the next few months!
How did you make those animations? What application did you use?
Basically it's a power point 🤔
Is it a clever shortcut (or a bad case of laziness), to not bother thinking about natural minor scales or even key signatures at all? Since the relative minor of a key is the Aeolian mode, could one think of a piece that's usually described as being in a minor key as actually being in the relative major, but in the Aeolian mode?
My guess though is that this potential shortcut comes undone if you want to make things more interesting by straying into harmonic or melodic minor scales...
Natural minor is aeolian mode and harmonic and melodic are alterations of that mode. But there are 5 other modes besides Ionian and aeolian. It’s not a shortcut, it’s a different thing. You can even apply modes to things like harmonic minor. It’s very common in jazz.
@@BradHarrison thanks for the explanation - I was trying to figure out the relationships between major keys and their relative minors, and if they really are that different as they share the same notes and even the same chords. I need to spend more time studying minor keys and modes!
Glad some things are coming together! By the way, the fact that some chords exist in more than one key is related to the concept of using a pivot chord elegantly and subtly change keys. Dm could be ii of C or iii of Bb or vi of F. Can be an interesting thing to explore.
What is a diatonic, pentatonic scales, etc? How they play into this?
Diatonic basically means “in the key”. So if you’re in the key of C major, moving diatonic would be moving stepwise along the notes of C major. You could also do that with other types of scales too(like modes). Pentatonics a just 5 note scales. They’re not really related to modes too much.
El video en español sería excelente!
Yeah ... I hate it when they move my chair
I thought all the dorian, lydian, mixolydian are different new scales, but they are just tonic-shifted scales
You bet! Also check this out: Parallel Scales: Everything You Need To Know in 5 Minutes
th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
It’s another way to think of the same thing. Hopefully both will help with other make sense.
So if I understand this correctly modes are just using the same exact key signature you start on but instead of the root note you go up or down the scale starting a different note depending on what mode you're in. And modes I'm assuming are generally used for Harmony and to keep pieces interesting while playing in a specific scale and chord progression for an extended time?
Basically! They’re also useful for improvisation. And yeah very different sounds using different modes to creat emeodiids. The simpsons is in Lydian and gives a major but odd and off kilter feel.
@@BradHarrison thank you so much for clarifying. I was just watching your video and it made sense but for some reason my brain wanted to make it seem more complex than it is
"I Don't Play Loud Music After Lunch" doesn't help to distinguish Lydian and Locrian. Actually LOud seems more like LOcrian.
Hopefully you can remember that lydian and mixolydian are right beside each other. Or just go with “I don’t play Lydian music after locrian”. ;-)
you should share these slides :)
you are giving me a head ache!
Sorry to hear it! What part is giving you trouble?
@@BradHarrison Just a lot to mentally digest. I wish now I might have had the opportunity to learn music when I was young and my brain was a sponge. I watch your videos and to often catch the drift of what you are teaching.
Yeah, it’s a lot of info. Do you know you major scales well? They’re really the foundation and framework for all this stuff.
@@BradHarrison I'd have to say , no not well , but can chord along with both hands in any key now. Practicing using alternate fingering for the 1,6, 4,5 . progression at the moment. I just started playing during covid. :) Keeps me out of trouble .
@robertacton1271 If you can already do that in just a few years of practice, I think you’re well on your way! In the mean time, you may enjoy checking out this…
Why You Need to Learn Your Major Scales
th-cam.com/video/kjlNF0QFTZ0/w-d-xo.html
Is it just me or do the dots look closer together the higher in pitch they are? I know they're not because I've paused the video and looked. But reading as if I was hearing the notes they are closer together. But they're not.
I'm surely not the only one.
Is there a logic or is it learning by rote?
Assuming you know major scales, you just have to learn the names and starting degrees. Dorian is always the second mod of a major scale, Phrygian is always the third, etc.
This omits so much information about modes. Where they come from. They are derived from the pattern of steps that are the underpinnings of all the Western church modal music we know so well. Specifically, the pattern of whole and half steps that comprises the C Major scale, which are (Whole) and (Half) steps, in the pattern WWHWWWH for C Major. Repeat that pattern. WWHWWWHWWHWWWH. Where you start on this pattern determines what mode you are in. Start on the second step, and you have Dorian. That's WHWWWHW. Phrygian, is HWWWHWW. Etc. This is where the modes COME from. And they can be applied with any starting note. Dorian doesn't have to be in D. Phrygian doesn't have to be in E. Etc...
I covered most of what you mentioned explicitly in the video, including where modes come from and that they can be in any key. I covered the intervals of major scales in another video but I didn’t cover the intervals of modes here because I think they would be very confusing for most people, not to mention superfluous because it’s already implied in the first few moments of the video. You might enjoy my video on parallel scales which sort of intersects with these topics of intervals and scales.
@@BradHarrison To understand the shifting of the pattern of intervals is to understand where modes come from. It really helps, because with this knowledge you can figure out what the notes of a given mode and key are for yourself. Just as learning basic math gives you the ability to count for yourself and get the right answer.
Whatever works for you, but in my experience, people describe scales is being a mode(in the above video) or modification of a more familiar scale(below video).
Parallel Scales
th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
So do I understand this correctly if I say the following: "The mode that a piece of music uses is all about the first note in that song and the scale that is used" ?
I feel like the answer is no. I just can't grasp how I can find out what mode a song uses. Because of that I also can't grasp how I can choose a mode when I'm writing my own music.
It has to do with what the “home” chord or note of the piece is. If it centers on D but the key signature and most of the rest of the piece is no sharps or flats, that’s D Dorian.
@@BradHarrison That makes me understand! Thanks so much😇
Excellent! Cheers!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't C Dorian begin on C, with a flat 3 and flat 7? You make it sound like it begins on D. What you have notated is actually D Dorian, E Phrygian, etc.
D Dorian is related to C. You could also call it the Dorian mode of C(in this case, C major is implied/understood) or the second mode of C.
C Dorian is related to Bb, the second mode of Bb and yes it has flat 3 and 7. I also did a video on parallel scales that covers this.
People sometimes get mixed up but I feel most musicians would recognize C Dorian as being different from the Dorian mode of C.
Thx for the clarification. Will find and watch the video you refer to.
A scale can be uniquely identified by the number of sharps or flats?!
Yes. But a certain number of sharps or flats can be more than one scale. G major has one sharp(F#), always. F# is also the accidental ode A dorian, B Phrygian, etc. is that what you meant?
Why do you need to know the modes though?
Composition and improvisation mostly. The 6th mode is also the link for minor scales from major scales.
I searched the web and came up with a couple better:
I don't particularly like modes a lot. - my favorite
I drank pee last Monday and lived. - the funniest
Please help! Every single explanation of modes that I've watched breaks my brain in the following way:
"This is the C-Major Scale. C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. Dorian mode means to start playing this scale using the 2nd degree as the tonic. D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D. Therefore, the C Dorian scale is C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb."
WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F**K?!? 🙂
Seriously, I don't understand why C Dorian somehow does not mean "play the c major scale starting on the 2nd degree."
You name scales for their starting note.
C Dorian is the second mode of Bb. C D Eb etc
D Dorian is the second mode of C. c D E etc.
F Dorian is the second mode of Eb. F G Ab. Etc
You might also find this helpful
Modifying the Major Scale to Make New Scales
th-cam.com/video/DpcBCYbVyxg/w-d-xo.html
@@BradHarrison Wait, wait... so you're saying that C Dorian means whichever version of Dorian starts with a C? On one hand, that makes so much sense. On the other hand that seems much more complicated to remember and work out than simply saying start this scale on the X degree. I think the main source of confusion for me was, since everyone uses C Major as the example, when they say "D Dorian" it always just comes off as them emphasizing the new starting note. No one ever clarifies that D Dorian is the actual official name of this specific version of Dorian in contrast to A Dorian, E Dorian, etc. I think this must be so obvious to people who already understand it that they don't realize how explicitly this needs to be spelled out to a newcomer. Thank you so much!
I get it, but really, it’s just like any other scale. G major starts on G, E harmonic minor starts on E, A dorian starts on A, and C Lydian starts on C, but they’re all related to and derived from G major! This stuff is weird at first but the more you live with it, the easier it gets, and the more you realize that these weird systems usually endure because they’re actually less confusing than the alternative. Good luck and glad it’s making a bit more sense now!
@@BradHarrison I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to reply. You really helped me break through a serious barrier. I've also had a revelation about how this could have been explained to me for it to click far sooner. Most vids only show an example with one scale, then get hopelessly bogged down with intimidating talk about how to convert scales into different modes that just hurt my brain every time. I think there's a better way, and there's not a single vid I can find on TH-cam that does it like this: If the example showed two scales next to each other, such as C Major and E Major, then showed the process of shifting the tonic forward for both scales at the same time, saying something like, "Dorian Mode starts on the second degree of any scale, so C Major becomes D Dorian and E Major becomes F# Dorian." That simple side-by-side comparison would have cleared up years of confusion. I'd love to see a video that tried this approach!
The CHURCH MODES
Sorry about this, at 2.18 you said three flats but there are four surely.
Low Bb and high Bb count as one flat. ;-)
Yup, that’s helpful. What I don’t get, is how modes affect chord progressions. Are I,IV, AND V, or other common chord choices based on the steps of the original scale (I.e. C major), or on the chosen mode? Maybe I should just sit down at the piano and figure it out 🤪
Most pieces stick around in one key for at least a while. So if the piece is in C major, the the chords, scales, and modes of the piece will mostly or entirely come from C major. IV of C, V of C, etc. You can improvise around most pop tunes using just one scale because all the chords from from one scale and pop tunes don’t tend to pick chords outside of the key they’re in. Does that help?
@@BradHarrison Thanks!
MY BRAIN
Is it going to be okay?
@@BradHarrison Yeah the topic's just very information dense haha
Yeah, it takes a while to sink in. Hang in there!
3:01 Тайм-код. Лады от ноты До.
If you start on the 5th note, it's called Mixolydian, so why did you say it doesn't have a name? Too confusing!?
?? What time code do you mean? I definitely covered mixolydian, several times.
@BradHarrison I mean towards the end you said, this is B-flat harmonic minor, but you can start this on the 5th note, but there's no name for that..? I watched it again, and thought, so is it because it's minor, if you start on the 5th it's not called Mixolydian??? 🤔
At 4:20? I think you should watch again. I gave 5 names for that scale. But also, the fifth mode of a major scale(mixolydian) and the fifth mode of a harmonic minor scale are very different. Mixolydian is like a major scale with a b7. Fifth mode harmonic minor is like major with a b9, b6, and b7. Hope that helps!
@BradHarrison yes, so that's what I meant, it's not the same, if it's a minor scale. Starting on the 5th note is not called Mixolydian if the scale is minor. I know you called it a Murph...but I thought why is it not Mixolydian? I find modes confusing and complicated, maybe because I'm dyslexic? I 'll get it in the end. Thanks 🙏👍
@BradHarrison it's called the Phrygian dominant scale, OR altered Phrygian, or Freygish scale! 😊👍
Understanding modes:
th-cam.com/video/C4gLi1hJVQs/w-d-xo.html
Haha. Pretty much!
They are exactly the same thing
Not really. C Ionian is all naturals. C Lydian has an F#. C Phrygian has Db,
Eb, Ab, and Bb. They’re all very different sounds.
@@BradHarrison I can't believe you misunderstood what I said. Do you honestly think that I am saying that all the modes have exactly the same intervals and sounds?? Don't you think that would be a mad thing to say??? I know all about modes, their structure and how they are built.
It would seem to me to be almost unbearably obvious that what I am saying is that *modes and scales are the same thing* . *All modes are scales* .
Look at my comment again. it says they are the same *thing* not they are all the same.
@khasab6124 This is a basic music theory channel. People get confused or take issue with basic things all the time!
Anyway, in my experience the two terms are not used as exact synonyms, even if they are very closely related. “The second mode of the C major scale” is a phrase that makes sense but “the second scale of the C major mode” is not a phrase I’ve ever heard before and would probably cause confusion.
@@BradHarrison Exactly, it's not a phrase you've heard before because people don't use it. No one says the C major mode. You would refer to it as the Ionian mode. The Ionian mode is the major scale.
You're using silly phrases that would be confusing if anybody's spoke like that but nobody does!!
What people say, in a quite non-confusing way, is _the lydian scale or C lydian_ / _E Phrygian_ / _D Dorian_ _C Ionian_ etc!
And they are scales by definition.
@@BradHarrison and as for people getting confused, the only person who got confused here, was you!!
C major....if you want the Phrygian mode you ask yourself two questions
1] What degree is Phrygian? It is the 3rd degree
2] What major scale is C the third degree of?
THIS VIDEO IS WRONG
C Phrygian is the third mode of Ab major. E Phrygian is the third mode of C major. What specific moment in the video do you think is wrong?
There are topics for which 5 minutes is simply not enough...
What else would have liked to see me cover?
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These random word bot comments are so very strange.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MARRY ME !