After watching this I went back to listen to Kind of Blue. It's like hearing a whole new sound when you know where to look. I never really understood Kind of Blue's implications till now. Even just scratching the bare surface, the hidden genius of Davis really opens up.
Sorry for the late reply. I was away on holiday for the last month. Yeah, I know what you mean. The more you learn about Miles, the more you can appreciate what a genius he actually was. And the sheer diversity of his playing is just stunning.
Walk That Bass Spot on. This is a very good video. I'm just curious, though, if you could briefly explain how modal jazz exactly differs from your standard chord progression? Aren't they still switching chords like in the earlier bepop and hard bop styles? Or is everything harmonically simplified through uses of the Dorian mode?
The key differences are as follows: 1. In modal harmony, because we are avoiding the Dominant chord (and tritone interval) there is no strong pull or drive to the tonic chord, like in Tonal harmony. So even though you are still using the same chords (Dm7, Em7, etc) they sound very different because they don't pull towards the tonic. 2. Modal harmony generally uses quartal voicings (chords built in 4ths), which makes it even more amiguous, while pure tonal harmony generally uses tertian voicings (chords built in 3rds). 3. 'Pure' modal jazz doesn't have written out chord progressions, and it's up to the rhythm section to play whatever chords they like. So the soloist only focuses on the scale (rather than the chords). (incidentally, there are also modal songs with written out chord progressions (i.e. songs without dominant chords), but I will cover these in a future video). So yes, both bebop and modal jazz use the same 'chords' (except for the absence of dominant chords in modal jazz). But they have a very different feel. - When you play bebop chords, you are playing a strict chord progression that sounds like it's moving towards the tonic chord. It sounds like you're playing individual chords. - When you are playing modal chords, your goal is to create a fluid harmonic framework in a particular key - so you're creating the sound of a whole key rather than individual chords. It's difficult to explain in words, but I'm hoping this makes some sense. Think of it this way. - If I play Dm7, G7, CMaj7 all built up in thirds - you hear each individual chord clearly and it moves logically to the next chord; each chord sounds like it should and wants to move to the next. - But if I play only white notes built up in 4ths. So like D-G-C and E-A-D and G-C-F, these are obviously from the key of CMaj (or a related mode) because they are all white notes, but they are not any obvious chord. You don't really register them as chord that must move logically to the tonic. Instead you only get a general soup of quasi-chord that sounds like they are all in the key of CMaj because of the lack of flats or sharps. You don't hear individual chords moving from one to the other anymore. You just hear the sound of 'CMaj', or 'D Dorian' (if you emphasise the D), etc. This allows the soloist to play anything he or she likes in the appropriate mode, without worrying about following any particular chord progression. Does that make any sense? Like I said, it's a little hard to describe in words.
Walk That Bass That's the best explanation I've come across, actually. Very insightful! That makes a lot of sense, since now that you mention it, on songs like "So What", you don't hear a lot of tonality-based progression. It starts with the familiar tension resolution pattern on the tonic, but then each solo drifts further away from their shifting keys. Davis himself also said that what he did on Kind of Blue was a response to the trite, straight-jacket harmony of bepop chords. Songs like Flamenco Sketches also seem to convey what you said about quasi-chords. Flamenco Sketches is, I believe, composed of borrowed keys substituting traditional white keys in D dorian or whatever they were improvising on. Subscribed, and looking forward to more videos!
Thank, Maxwell. And yep, that's exactly right. Modal Jazz was a reaction to Bebop. And interesting thought on Flamenco Sketches. I'll have to have yet another listen!
Wow... So much to unpack from 11:14 onward... I feel like this short video just unlocked an entirely new world of harmonic movement to explore that I'll spend the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years of my life trying to dissect.
This is LITERALLY the greatest explanation of modal jazz or modality I've found. You explain it in a way that I understand, and you don't talk at us, you talk to is about it. Thank you.
This is far and away the clearest explanation I've ever seen for modal vs. tonal harmony. I feel like so many other explanations focus too much on the wording of everything, but you just give a straightforward comparison to tonal harmony (something that everyone knows), and highlight the differences without dwelling on definitions. Absolutely wonderful work!
This sounds like it's largely a diatonic progression - mostly using the chords in E Major (as he states in the title). But using lots of nice passing chords and approach chords. I would watch my video on the circle progression - th-cam.com/video/e7En25foxgs/w-d-xo.html And my video on passing chords - th-cam.com/video/MlRF1zeODvw/w-d-xo.html Playing a Circle Progression with some nice chromatic passing chords can sound very nice, like a jazz ballad. It's a great sounding, simple and widely used chord progression. So I'd start there.
Such great information. No where else can I find such in-depth and clear teaching. Really appreciate your videos. The only thing else I could hope for would be exercises to really drill these videos into my head. I find that I soak up so much information through these videos but get kinda lost on how to implement them when it comes to actual playing. It would be great to have some homework so to speak. Perhaps even a link to some other youtube video or a common exercise that could be found via google. Just a suggestion. Keep up the great work!
Hi Soren. Thanks again for the comment. You're asking for homework? Well I never! Maybe I'll make a 'how to practice' video at some stage in the future. I'll see how I go. Personally, I think playing actual songs is much more interesting and useful than just playing scales or finger exercises. You obviously need the latter as a base, but I'm guessing if you can follow my videos you've probably done more than enough arpeggio runs and Hanon-esque finger exercises. In terms of good exercises to practice, try the following: 1. Playing a II-V-I (or some other common chord progression) in ever key going around the cycle of fifths. So for example, start with a II-V-I in D (Em7, A7, DMaj7) then a II-V-I in G (Am7, D7, GMaj7) then a II-V-I in C (Dm7, G7, CMaj7) and so on. Or alternately, moving down in semitones. a. Play the above II-V-I's with different chord voicings (Rootless chords, shell chords, bud powell voicings, two-handed/spread/open voicings) b. Then play the above II-V-I chords with your left hand and improvise with your right 2. Learn a Jazz Standard and learn to play it in every key. 3. Learn a Jazz Standard using two handed chord voicings which combine chords and melody...in every key 4. Practice Improvising over a Jazz Standard...yep, in every key 5. Try reharmonise a Jazz Standard 6. Try transcribe a solo or part of a solo - or at least find some licks that you like and try replicate them. 7. Play along with a song or a backing track Practicing Modal Jazz is a bit different, because there is no chord progression, but similar concepts apply. 1. Practice playing quartal chords in every mode. 2. Transcribe and replicate a modal solo 3. Learn a Modal Jazz Standard and learn to play it in every mode You've probably picked up on the pattern. Many Jazz songs change keys often and quickly and in odd ways (think Giant Steps and much of Wayne Shorter's stuff). The best way to be a competent jazz pianist and be able to play these songs well, is to be pretty comfortable in every key. Mind you, this is quite challenging and I'm certainly not competent in every key. And the best way to learn how to improvise is to listen to lots of jazz and try transcribe/replicate any solos/licks that you like. Is that sufficient homework for you? It's due by end of August. No extensions. :)
I would also suggest your Riff video. Riffs are a great exercise for hands and fingers and for getting really acquainted with the keyboard without being boring as are chords and scales.
I'm a self-taught musician and learning a bit more about modal jazz so I can better understand Kind of Blue and other favorite records. This is really helpful and clearly explained -- thanks!
MAN THIS IS THE PERFECT JAZZ TUTORIAL CHANNEL, OTHER CHANNEL MAKE U PAY N STUFF, BUT BIG UPS TO YOU FOR PUTTING OUT SUCH BEAUTIFUL LESSONS FOR FREE. LOVE FROM INDIA
This is immensely helpful, I also just found your website, will be sure to donate. This is hands down the best explanation of not just modal jazz, but other jazz related topics (refering to Your other videos) that I've ever encountered, it never clicked for me how to comp, or how to lead through chord changes up until the last few days, lo and behold - I can actually play what I've always heard in my head AND understand what I'm doing! As others already said - thank You so much!
Wow im playing modal music all these years spontaneously because i have no idea from harmony. Treating instruments as schematic phrases was the only thing i could do. Its so liberating to play this way
This is so enlightening! I've noticed in my own private noodlings/imrpovs/practices that my ear really favors lots of modal sounds with a bit of chromaticism as well. I just love learning the theory behind it all!
Thank you. For several years i have been trying to find out how and why functional and non-functional harmony/ tonal v modal jazz is different and you have it here in a nutshell, both theoretically and practically. Tim Richards for example is great but there is so much detail and you cant see the wood for the trees. Thanks for the wood - now i can see how beautiful the trees are!
Just phenomenal mate! A whole universe of possibilities opened up! Thank you so much for the wonderful instruction, I've been searching for this for quite a while. In most places I could just find bits and pieces but your videos just put it all together and reveal the big picture.
These are awesome lessons. It's very easy to make deep subjects like music theory seem incomprehensible, but you teach with a lot of clarity. I'm watching them all!
This is AMAZINGLY HELPFUL! WOW. THANKS BIG TIME. I never understood exactly WHY i love Bill Evans piano playing so much on the album 'BLUE' ... but I would always say....he uses chords differently and creates a melodic sequence that is so original....now I understand better what he was (is) doing.
Yeah, Bill Evans is pretty amazing. I'm hoping to make another video which dives a little deeper into some of Bill Evan's compositions - looking at non-diatonic non-functional modal(ish) chord progressions. But yeah, all his stuff is really unique and really beautiful. Thanks for the comment.
No worries, Laurie. It's my pleasure. I do enjoy hearing when people actually find these videos useful. Really makes me feel like the effort I put into them is worthwhile. And thanks for the donation, mate. Very much appreciated. Oh, and apologies for the late reply. I was on holidays for a few days.
very, very well done. many notes have been taken from this video. the graphics are always such a beneficial part of your videos. thank you & may God Bless you sir!
Fenomenal lesson, I started playing the piano recently and am very interested on improvisation in general, I feel that this lesson added a powerful tool to my kit
Excellent explanation. Clear as a bell! Now I want Miles!! Sid’s Ahead on Milestones is the start of it for Miles? It’s like Walkin’ too. Kind of Blue is a modal masterpiece!
Man, you are the Piano theory Yoda. How simple and surr it comes out in your examples. You should really build a school of your own. Seriously. I always feel Im learning something from your videos. Thank you!!!
*Subscribed!* Now I finally understand why there's so much talk about modes. Still, many modal songs like "So What?" have nice chords, but the chords are repeated too frequently. "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." So, "So What" is so boring. This video helps me to better understand complex harmony and to launch into complex harmony without the repetition. *THANK YOU!*
Excellent explication of modality versus tonality that I never have seen before. Great job. I really learn a lot from your videos! For me as a non professional it took a while before I could apply this stuff in my playing but I made a start!
Yeah, all these things take time. I eventually plan to make a lesson about how to reharmonise a tonal song as a modal song, but will need to find some spare time. Thanks for the comment.
15:16 through 15:36 I remembered those chords one summer's day, but not in quartals. The idea of giving quartal and tertian chords (with different notes) the same name is news to me.
at 15:32 you have BØ7 and G7 marked as "avoid" due to the presence of the B & F diatonic tritone. in the quartal section, the FMaj7 and CMaj7 both have B and F. what is it about the one other tone in these chords that makes the feeling of tension not enough to "avoid"? obviously there are no "rules" here, we're just listening to the feeling of tension. i don't get a ton of tension when playing those avoid chords and emphasizing the root.
Excellent presentation! When you label a D quartal chord as Dm7, how does that happen exactly? (or any of the other quartal chords at the table @ 14:44)
Very very cool video and nice explanations! However, i'm left with a question: In D Dorian, why are the quartal triads FBE and CFB candential and not avoid chords? Surely they got the character tone B but also have an F, and we want to avoid the tritone, isn't it?
error it seems. if the underlying chord only has one of the tritone notes & the melody has the other, that generally isn't an issue, as long as the second tritone tone isn't "held onto" for too long, as it begins to "blend in" with the harmony. but if a chord contains both tritone notes, played simultaneously, its generally "avoided". but im just a guy on youtube lol
Thanks for a great explanation on this subjects. thanks for sharing your knowledge , there is a lot of time put on learning all this, It is awesome that you can share it for free.
I love modal jazz and know it when I hear it but this was a great summary, thank you! I enjoyed your modal solo, would work well on a Billy Harper album
Great video. I just want to point out at 16 seconds in, in the section titled Modal Cadences, the chromatic approach chords displayed are Em7 Dflat m7 Dm7, but the Dflat m7 should be Eflat m7.
Hi Kaito. That's very kind of you to say. It's always nice to hear from people who are finding the lessons useful. Makes it worthwhile :) If you click the 'i' button (More Info button) at the top right hand corner of this video there is a card that reads 'Support this channel'. If you click on this it gives you the option of donating through TH-cam with a credit card. Alternatively, if you go to my website/blog (link in the description and below) there is a 'Make a Donation' button in the sidebar or on the 'Donate' page where you can donate through a Paypal account. walkthatbass.wordpress.com/donate/ Thanks for the comment, Kaito
And what scales to use with fourths in the left hand? I never know what to use with a d g for example? There works a, d and e pentatonics,...but there should be more scales no? Blocked there,...
I might be interpreting this wrong, but based on your example, I think that your picture-in-picture around 15:40 should be Em7->Ebm7->Dm7, rather than Dbm7. Albeit, in your example you play an Ab rather than a Bb, more consistent with Db than Eb, but the rest is definitely Eb.
Ah! Yep, you're right. I played Em7 | Ebm7 | Dm7. Though Dbm7 to Dm7 is also an approach chord - I just played the wrong thing. Oops. Sorry. Good find.
Pure joy. Loved your improvs. Thanks for the lesson Hope to see more stuff about more 'free' jazz, exotic scales (like hungarian, slendro, pelog, persian etc), harmonizing them if it's in your plan Btw, I don't mind being called a guy, cause I am, lol
Haha, Cheers. And yep, definitely. A video on Free Jazz in very much on the cards, I'm just planning the lesson now so it should be ready in a month or so. And I do plan to eventually get to some more exotic scales but that will be a while off :)
I have to say calling scales from other traditions 'exotic' is quite eurocentric or maybe even orientalist in some sense... study the scales in their proper context don't learn it from a 'western' musician that doesn't know the specific traditional vocabulary (so scale + ornamentation + phrasing)
possible typo? its said that Dorian, which is what [dm7] would be in this example, along with Lydian, have no real "avoid" notes. each main chord tone in dorian has a whole-tone separating them from the next tone. (ie; D-E... F-G... A-B... C-D, etc.) Dorian is unique, as its "palindromic", producing the same scale both ways. (ie; W-H-WWW-H-W reversed becomes W-H-WWW-H-W) avoid notes are typically described as half-steps ABOVE a chord tone, namely the quality 3rd. Lydian "fixes" this by shifting the 4 that is a half-step above 3, to #4.
In 'So What' there is no chord played at the beginning, so the melody suggests the tonic, because it's on the root. But there is a cadence to get to the dominant that was suggested by the melody. So it seems to me that this example of modal jazz puts the melody first, then the chords follow a rhythm base rather than a flow. Also 'So What' changes the root chord, but I think it transposes the whole thing to another mode right? So it's following tonality to a certain extent, but the chords are not directly tied to the melody freeing up both the timing of the chords, and the melody. I don't know if this is typical. 'Maiden Voyage' opening notes also play the root note in the opening phrase I think. But 'Maiden Voyage' sounds like only one chord but played more loosely. I hear just regular tonal chord changes in the sense that it feels normal, more normal than 'So What' which seems to have more tension when the root changes. I think part of it is because "Maiden Voyage''s melody leads to the root where 'So What' repeats the opening line more or less (I'm going from memory). Interesting.
Wow! You're a really great teacher here in youtube! I've been subscribed long enough to know that what makes you special among the others is your music theory explanation. And thats why i wanna ask, how do i start listening to jazz? Who, and what should i listen? And above all, i want to know where i could find info on the full jazz history dating from the "new orleans" times (i dont even k ow if thats accurate 😬) to present? Thank you...
Hi Gabriel, 1. So there are a couple Jazz History books on the market. I would recommend 'Jazz' by Scott DeVeaux & Gary Giddins. I think it's structured very well and gives lots of great examples - discussing both genres and artists and songs. There are other books like 'The History of Jazz' by Ted Gioia and 'The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to the 21st Century' by Joachim-Ernst Berendt which are also good resources, but I personally prefer the first one I mentioned. If you give me your email I can send you some resources (you can private message me). 2. I personally think there is a lot of value in listening to Jazz chronologically. That way you can get an appreciation of where it started and how it developed. It also helps acclimatise you to the vocabulary of Jazz so you don't get scared off when you reach Free Jazz (which scares any beginner). So start with New Orleans/Dixieland (Armstrong), to Swing (Basie, Ellington), to Bebop (Parker, Gillespie), to Cool (Baker, Mulligan), to Hard-bop (Silver, Blakey), to Modal (Davis, Coltrane), to Free (Coleman, Taylor), to Fusion (Davis, Shorter). The earlier subgenres of Jazz (New Orleans and Swing) are very listenable (they were the Pop music of the day) so that's a good place to start, before diving into the more esoteric stuff. 3. Thanks for the compliment and the comment :) Hope that helps and feel free to ask if you've got anymore questions.
So...what is it that makes something tonal/functional or modal? Is it the context given by the melody? Because, to me, it seems that any given seventh chord could be considered either the dominant or a modal chord. Is this why it is important to emphasize the character tones of whatever scale you're playing in modal harmony??
I know this comment is five years old but just in case you're still there or anyone else is curious :P What makes harmony tonal/functional vs modal has to do a lot with how the V is treated, and also whether the tonic is approached via a leading tone (as it's called). As he said in the video, when tonal music wants to "resolve" it usually goes V-I in some sense, which strongly emphasizes the idea that the I chord "is the I chord," the tonic is the tonic, etc. (If you're curious as to why, it's because the root note of the V chord, the fifth, is the same as the third harmonic of the tonic, so your ear detects a strong, physical relationship between them. If you listen to an overtone-rich harmonic sound, like a bowed low note on a double bass, you can actually hear the fifth if you listen closely.) The other thing that tonal music does is approach the tonic with a leading tone, which is generally the note a half-step below the tonic (even if you have to sharp it to make that happen, like in tonal minor key music). In modal jazz harmony, the I chord is generally approached "smoothly," in the sense that the notes of the previous chord move mostly by step into the notes of the I chord, but there's less concern with emphasizing the idea that the I chord "is the I chord" compared with tonal music. Going II-I makes a less strong statement in that regard than going V-I (the major second, normally the root note of the II chord, corresponds to the 9th harmonic of the tonic, so it's a more distant relationship). Furthermore, in modal jazz harmony you wouldn't go out of your way to create a leading tone to the tonic when approaching it-like, if you're in a mode where the seventh step is minor, you generally wouldn't sharp it if you were moving up to the tonic. (In traditional tonal minor key music you would even sharp the 6th in that context, too, which is even less likely in modal jazz.) The model jazz approach makes the I chord sound more ambiguous-it's not really clear from the chords alone whether the music is resolving or not when you hear the I chord treated that way-that does gives room to the melody to "fill in the missing context" and decide for itself what's going on harmonically. So, in modal jazz, I think what you say is reasonable-the underlying chords aren't giving much information, so the melody is free to make up for that. (A melody can imply chords even if it doesn't play them outright.) However, I wouldn't say the difference between tonal harmony and modal harmony is determined by the melody-it's kind of determined by both the chords and the melody, because both of them inform your overall sense of what the harmonic progression is "in full." With tonal harmony, though, the chords play a stronger role in determining the "overall harmony," which the melody has to accomodate, as he says in the video. Modal harmony gives more deference to the melody in that regard, with the chords taking more of a backseat. (As a side note, in truth, music, jazz or otherwise, doesn't /have/ to consist of a melody + chords-you can have just a melody with no accompaniment, multiple melodic lines playing together i.e. counterpoint, etc., and you can still talk about how the harmony works. As long as there is moving pitch, there is the implication of harmony, in any music. The classic sound of modal jazz does come a lot from the relationship between a melody and accompanying chords, though.) You're right that any given seventh chord could play a dominant function in tonal music or some sort of other role in modal jazz (or any number of other things). What determines its role is what happens around it. In traditional tonal music, V⁷-I makes for a strong resolution to the I (a "cadence"). However, V⁷-VI makes for a "deceptive cadence" that sounds as if it's going to resolve to the I but instead moves /away/ from it to a more distant chord (the VI) and even sets up the possibility of modulating to a new key. That's a simple example of how the function of a chord like V⁷ depends on the context even just in tonal music. In modal jazz, the melody does help a lot to tell you what chord is playing what role-like, if you just play Dm7 and Ebm7 back and forth, it's not exactly clear which one is the I chord or even if neither of them is, but the melody (and also the rhythm) can encourage your ear to hear things one way or another. I think the idea behind the character tones is that it's easy for modal music to sound either major or minor to people regardless of which mode you're in, because everyone is so used to hearing major and minor key music. The major and natural minor scales correspond to two of the Western modes (the Ionian and Aeolian), and all the modes actually share the same set of relative pitches (the white notes on the piano, i.e. they're diatonic). The only thing that distinguishes them is which note you treat as the root. So, in order to help the listener tell one mode from another (which determines which note they'll hear as the root), one thing you can do is emphasize the most distinctive intervals in each mode. In my opinion, this is somewhat subjective-like, the video encourages you to emphasize the major 6th in Dorian which is what sets it apart from the natural minor scale, but I think of the character of Dorian as coming from the /interplay/ between the major 6th and minor 3rd, because they make the upper part of the scale sound more "bright" and the lower part sound more "dusky" (in my opinion :P). Of course, you're free to come to other conclusions (all of the intervals make some contribution to its overall sound so I think you're free to choose for yourself which ones are most central-how you think about it will affect how you play). I honestly think the best way to learn the modes is to ignore the idea of major and minor completely and just spend a lot of time improvising in each one and trying to get a sense of the distinctive character of each compared to /all/ of the other modes. Studying music that takes the "melody determines the music" idea even farther than modal jazz, like Arabic or Indian classical music, can help you get used to the idea of hearing a mode "on its own terms" (you may even feel a little dissatisfied with the relatively paltry selection of modes in the Western diatonic tradition if you go far in those kinds of directions :P). Of course, when you're playing modal jazz, it's still important to take the chord progression into account-it's a vaguer framework than in older jazz styles but it is still a framework, and in some ways your role as a soloist is to choose what each chord is doing moment-to-moment, which in a way demands even more harmonic fluency from you than playing in a more tonal jazz style.
After watching this I went back to listen to Kind of Blue. It's like hearing a whole new sound when you know where to look. I never really understood Kind of Blue's implications till now. Even just scratching the bare surface, the hidden genius of Davis really opens up.
Sorry for the late reply. I was away on holiday for the last month.
Yeah, I know what you mean. The more you learn about Miles, the more you can appreciate what a genius he actually was. And the sheer diversity of his playing is just stunning.
Walk That Bass Spot on. This is a very good video. I'm just curious, though, if you could briefly explain how modal jazz exactly differs from your standard chord progression? Aren't they still switching chords like in the earlier bepop and hard bop styles? Or is everything harmonically simplified through uses of the Dorian mode?
The key differences are as follows:
1. In modal harmony, because we are avoiding the Dominant chord (and tritone interval) there is no strong pull or drive to the tonic chord, like in Tonal harmony. So even though you are still using the same chords (Dm7, Em7, etc) they sound very different because they don't pull towards the tonic.
2. Modal harmony generally uses quartal voicings (chords built in 4ths), which makes it even more amiguous, while pure tonal harmony generally uses tertian voicings (chords built in 3rds).
3. 'Pure' modal jazz doesn't have written out chord progressions, and it's up to the rhythm section to play whatever chords they like. So the soloist only focuses on the scale (rather than the chords). (incidentally, there are also modal songs with written out chord progressions (i.e. songs without dominant chords), but I will cover these in a future video).
So yes, both bebop and modal jazz use the same 'chords' (except for the absence of dominant chords in modal jazz). But they have a very different feel.
- When you play bebop chords, you are playing a strict chord progression that sounds like it's moving towards the tonic chord. It sounds like you're playing individual chords.
- When you are playing modal chords, your goal is to create a fluid harmonic framework in a particular key - so you're creating the sound of a whole key rather than individual chords.
It's difficult to explain in words, but I'm hoping this makes some sense.
Think of it this way.
- If I play Dm7, G7, CMaj7 all built up in thirds - you hear each individual chord clearly and it moves logically to the next chord; each chord sounds like it should and wants to move to the next.
- But if I play only white notes built up in 4ths. So like D-G-C and E-A-D and G-C-F, these are obviously from the key of CMaj (or a related mode) because they are all white notes, but they are not any obvious chord. You don't really register them as chord that must move logically to the tonic. Instead you only get a general soup of quasi-chord that sounds like they are all in the key of CMaj because of the lack of flats or sharps. You don't hear individual chords moving from one to the other anymore. You just hear the sound of 'CMaj', or 'D Dorian' (if you emphasise the D), etc.
This allows the soloist to play anything he or she likes in the appropriate mode, without worrying about following any particular chord progression.
Does that make any sense? Like I said, it's a little hard to describe in words.
Walk That Bass That's the best explanation I've come across, actually. Very insightful!
That makes a lot of sense, since now that you mention it, on songs like "So What", you don't hear a lot of tonality-based progression. It starts with the familiar tension resolution pattern on the tonic, but then each solo drifts further away from their shifting keys.
Davis himself also said that what he did on Kind of Blue was a response to the trite, straight-jacket harmony of bepop chords. Songs like Flamenco Sketches also seem to convey what you said about quasi-chords. Flamenco Sketches is, I believe, composed of borrowed keys substituting traditional white keys in D dorian or whatever they were improvising on.
Subscribed, and looking forward to more videos!
Thank, Maxwell. And yep, that's exactly right. Modal Jazz was a reaction to Bebop. And interesting thought on Flamenco Sketches. I'll have to have yet another listen!
By far the best explanation about what modal jazz is. Thank you.
this, I tried to understand it by reading some definition i found by googling modal jazz and i couldn't, but this video totally cleared it up.
Ditto.
Wow... So much to unpack from 11:14 onward... I feel like this short video just unlocked an entirely new world of harmonic movement to explore that I'll spend the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years of my life trying to dissect.
This is LITERALLY the greatest explanation of modal jazz or modality I've found. You explain it in a way that I understand, and you don't talk at us, you talk to is about it. Thank you.
I fully agree!
This is far and away the clearest explanation I've ever seen for modal vs. tonal harmony. I feel like so many other explanations focus too much on the wording of everything, but you just give a straightforward comparison to tonal harmony (something that everyone knows), and highlight the differences without dwelling on definitions. Absolutely wonderful work!
Commentary plus the slide , plus the playing - great combo for learning. The clearest tutorial on Modal I’ve found
you are the best jazz teacher on all of YT man ...people charge 4 this infos thanks so much
Thanks :)
This sounds like it's largely a diatonic progression - mostly using the chords in E Major (as he states in the title). But using lots of nice passing chords and approach chords.
I would watch my video on the circle progression - th-cam.com/video/e7En25foxgs/w-d-xo.html
And my video on passing chords - th-cam.com/video/MlRF1zeODvw/w-d-xo.html
Playing a Circle Progression with some nice chromatic passing chords can sound very nice, like a jazz ballad. It's a great sounding, simple and widely used chord progression. So I'd start there.
Such great information. No where else can I find such in-depth and clear teaching. Really appreciate your videos. The only thing else I could hope for would be exercises to really drill these videos into my head. I find that I soak up so much information through these videos but get kinda lost on how to implement them when it comes to actual playing. It would be great to have some homework so to speak. Perhaps even a link to some other youtube video or a common exercise that could be found via google. Just a suggestion. Keep up the great work!
Hi Soren. Thanks again for the comment. You're asking for homework? Well I never! Maybe I'll make a 'how to practice' video at some stage in the future. I'll see how I go. Personally, I think playing actual songs is much more interesting and useful than just playing scales or finger exercises. You obviously need the latter as a base, but I'm guessing if you can follow my videos you've probably done more than enough arpeggio runs and Hanon-esque finger exercises.
In terms of good exercises to practice, try the following:
1. Playing a II-V-I (or some other common chord progression) in ever key going around the cycle of fifths. So for example, start with a II-V-I in D (Em7, A7, DMaj7) then a II-V-I in G (Am7, D7, GMaj7) then a II-V-I in C (Dm7, G7, CMaj7) and so on. Or alternately, moving down in semitones.
a. Play the above II-V-I's with different chord voicings (Rootless chords, shell chords, bud powell voicings, two-handed/spread/open voicings)
b. Then play the above II-V-I chords with your left hand and improvise with your right
2. Learn a Jazz Standard and learn to play it in every key.
3. Learn a Jazz Standard using two handed chord voicings which combine chords and melody...in every key
4. Practice Improvising over a Jazz Standard...yep, in every key
5. Try reharmonise a Jazz Standard
6. Try transcribe a solo or part of a solo - or at least find some licks that you like and try replicate them.
7. Play along with a song or a backing track
Practicing Modal Jazz is a bit different, because there is no chord progression, but similar concepts apply.
1. Practice playing quartal chords in every mode.
2. Transcribe and replicate a modal solo
3. Learn a Modal Jazz Standard and learn to play it in every mode
You've probably picked up on the pattern. Many Jazz songs change keys often and quickly and in odd ways (think Giant Steps and much of Wayne Shorter's stuff). The best way to be a competent jazz pianist and be able to play these songs well, is to be pretty comfortable in every key. Mind you, this is quite challenging and I'm certainly not competent in every key. And the best way to learn how to improvise is to listen to lots of jazz and try transcribe/replicate any solos/licks that you like.
Is that sufficient homework for you? It's due by end of August. No extensions. :)
Thanks so much for all of that! That will keep me busy for a while for sure. I'll get to work right away! :p
I would also suggest your Riff video. Riffs are a great exercise for hands and fingers and for getting really acquainted with the keyboard without being boring as are chords and scales.
@@deonzoss I wonder how much have you improved in this 2 years
@@WalkThatBass Some people feel, like I do, the solo in the Zombies "She's Not There" is the first modal keyboard solo in pop - what do you reckon?
best explanation on modal jazz
This is so good, packed with info not one useless sentence
I'm a self-taught musician and learning a bit more about modal jazz so I can better understand Kind of Blue and other favorite records. This is really helpful and clearly explained -- thanks!
This is the first time I really understand Modal Jazz. Thank you for the excellent explanation.
An amazing lesson making the format of modal jazz so much clearer. Thank you.
MAN THIS IS THE PERFECT JAZZ TUTORIAL CHANNEL, OTHER CHANNEL MAKE U PAY N STUFF, BUT BIG UPS TO YOU FOR PUTTING OUT SUCH BEAUTIFUL LESSONS FOR FREE.
LOVE FROM INDIA
Thanks, mate. Greetings from Australia :)
This is immensely helpful, I also just found your website, will be sure to donate. This is hands down the best explanation of not just modal jazz, but other jazz related topics (refering to Your other videos) that I've ever encountered, it never clicked for me how to comp, or how to lead through chord changes up until the last few days, lo and behold - I can actually play what I've always heard in my head AND understand what I'm doing! As others already said - thank You so much!
Wow im playing modal music all these years spontaneously because i have no idea from harmony. Treating instruments as schematic phrases was the only thing i could do. Its so liberating to play this way
An amazingly clear and insightful explanation of modal harmony.
Your explanation is so clear and easy to understand, even for a beginner like me. Thank you so much!
No worries, Will. Thanks for the comment.
This video has changed my life...You explain it so clearly..thank you so much.
This is so enlightening! I've noticed in my own private noodlings/imrpovs/practices that my ear really favors lots of modal sounds with a bit of chromaticism as well. I just love learning the theory behind it all!
Thank you. For several years i have been trying to find out how and why functional and non-functional harmony/ tonal v modal jazz is different and you have it here in a nutshell, both theoretically and practically. Tim Richards for example is great but there is so much detail and you cant see the wood for the trees. Thanks for the wood - now i can see how beautiful the trees are!
excellent explanation. really liked your use of visual aides too.
Thanks, mate.
Very articulated english, great theory and examples. You're great & thank you. 5 stars.
best! i ever heard about modal harmony. all i need 4 a while
Just phenomenal mate! A whole universe of possibilities opened up! Thank you so much for the wonderful instruction, I've been searching for this for quite a while. In most places I could just find bits and pieces but your videos just put it all together and reveal the big picture.
These are awesome lessons. It's very easy to make deep subjects like music theory seem incomprehensible, but you teach with a lot of clarity. I'm watching them all!
Excellent presentation! Your explanations and examples helped me better understand the differences in tonal and modal harmony. Many kudos to you!
This is AMAZINGLY HELPFUL! WOW. THANKS BIG TIME. I never understood exactly WHY i love Bill Evans piano playing so much on the album 'BLUE' ... but I would always say....he uses chords differently and creates a melodic sequence that is so original....now I understand better what he was (is) doing.
Yeah, Bill Evans is pretty amazing. I'm hoping to make another video which dives a little deeper into some of Bill Evan's compositions - looking at non-diatonic non-functional modal(ish) chord progressions. But yeah, all his stuff is really unique and really beautiful. Thanks for the comment.
I'm a guitar and saxophone player, but I am very grateful. Thank you Sensei!
Thanks. This a great lesson on a complex subject.
Found myself here after a lecture on corporate strategy. This was very useful. Thank you
This was a great explanation, I could follow as someone who doesn't play music
Very well explained, I understood a lot more thanks to you. Will watch all your videos for sure.
Thanks, Adrien. Hope you like them.
Didn’t you say we should avoid playing a tritone in modal music!?! Then what is that G7? 🤔 2:58
you can not get a better explanation than that. THank you
Magnificent video. Thank you.
these videos are very well made! thank you ... i am learning a LOT about chords in a short time. As a jazz composer this is great.
No worries, Laurie. It's my pleasure. I do enjoy hearing when people actually find these videos useful. Really makes me feel like the effort I put into them is worthwhile.
And thanks for the donation, mate. Very much appreciated.
Oh, and apologies for the late reply. I was on holidays for a few days.
Very interesting interpretation. One can imagine the amount of time it takes analyse and express this theory in the way you have.
very, very well done. many notes have been taken from this video. the graphics are always such a beneficial part of your videos. thank you & may God Bless you sir!
Congratulation for this very clear tutorial. A great lesson. Enjoyed watching it !! Looking forward to watching your other videos.
Thanks, mate :)
Fenomenal lesson, I started playing the piano recently and am very interested on improvisation in general, I feel that this lesson added a powerful tool to my kit
Excellent explanation. Clear as a bell! Now I want Miles!!
Sid’s Ahead on Milestones is the start of it for Miles?
It’s like Walkin’ too. Kind of Blue is a modal masterpiece!
Man, you are the Piano theory Yoda.
How simple and surr it comes out in your examples.
You should really build a school of your own. Seriously. I always feel Im learning something from your videos.
Thank you!!!
Thanks, Umberto. Very nice of you to say. My pleasure.
Haha, thanks for the encouragement. I'm not sure I'm ready for my own school :)
Thanks so much for the video, it's pretty incredible that this knowledge is accessible to everyone
Thanks for making these videos, in a way it explains why a modal approach doesn't necessarily apply to pre-modal forms of jazz.
*Subscribed!* Now I finally understand why there's so much talk about modes. Still, many modal songs like "So What?" have nice chords, but the chords are repeated too frequently. "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." So, "So What" is so boring.
This video helps me to better understand complex harmony and to launch into complex harmony without the repetition. *THANK YOU!*
Wow, your explanation is great. Thank you so much!
You're a great at Teaching.. I reallly Enjoy your lessons ... i have learn a lot from you
Very helpful. I’m inspired to try composing in this genre.
Great vid, you cleared up a lot of questions I had.
Excellent explication of modality versus tonality that I never have seen before. Great job. I really learn a lot from your videos! For me as a non professional it took a while before I could apply this stuff in my playing but I made a start!
Yeah, all these things take time. I eventually plan to make a lesson about how to reharmonise a tonal song as a modal song, but will need to find some spare time. Thanks for the comment.
Yeah mate, this is a great video, really excellent explanations, thanks
15:16 through 15:36 I remembered those chords one summer's day, but not in quartals. The idea of giving quartal and tertian chords (with different notes) the same name is news to me.
Well explained!!🎉
Very well explained, thank you buddy!
at 15:32 you have BØ7 and G7 marked as "avoid" due to the presence of the B & F diatonic tritone. in the quartal section, the FMaj7 and CMaj7 both have B and F. what is it about the one other tone in these chords that makes the feeling of tension not enough to "avoid"? obviously there are no "rules" here, we're just listening to the feeling of tension. i don't get a ton of tension when playing those avoid chords and emphasizing the root.
I have the exact same doubt.
Very well done and explained. Thank you! Just the piano and voice could sound clearer, but hell, this is like a whole thesis of information.
Cheers mate. Yeah, playing around with the sound a bit with newer vids.
so informative and we explained!! thank you so much!! i hope good karma will pay you back in huge amounts.
thanks againn !!
AMAZING video. Thanks!! Very clearly explained 👌
Excellent presentation! When you label a D quartal chord as Dm7, how does that happen exactly? (or any of the other quartal chords at the table @ 14:44)
what a find! i loved your channel, your lessons are so clear and complete. thank you! s2
Congratulation! His classes are very important for my piano study....
Great tutorial! Enjoyed and learned a lot from it!
Very very cool video and nice explanations! However, i'm left with a question:
In D Dorian, why are the quartal triads FBE and CFB candential and not avoid chords? Surely they got the character tone B but also have an F, and we want to avoid the tritone, isn't it?
Yeah, same here. I don't get it. Maybe an error?
error it seems. if the underlying chord only has one of the tritone notes & the melody has the other, that generally isn't an issue, as long as the second tritone tone isn't "held onto" for too long, as it begins to "blend in" with the harmony.
but if a chord contains both tritone notes, played simultaneously, its generally "avoided".
but im just a guy on youtube lol
Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.
The best lessons...
Thanks, Wesley.
Thanks for a great explanation on this subjects. thanks for sharing your knowledge , there is a lot of time put on learning all this, It is awesome that you can share it for free.
Thanks for this great video. I understand modal harmony much better now. This is one I'll be coming back to frequently.
Great video. Thanks a lot. Could you also make videos about other modes like Lydian?
You have the best channel on music theory
Thanks, mate :)
I love modal jazz and know it when I hear it but this was a great summary, thank you! I enjoyed your modal solo, would work well on a Billy Harper album
Loved it, I think I finally get it. Thank you very much!
Great video. I just want to point out at 16 seconds in, in the section titled Modal Cadences, the chromatic approach chords displayed are Em7 Dflat m7 Dm7, but the Dflat m7 should be Eflat m7.
Brilliant. Thank you.
I feel like this is the really the video people should be seeing for modes. Like "why modes" way more than "what are modes".
Exactly the video I needed.
You're changing my life, how can i give you some money to help you to continue your work my friend?
Hi Kaito. That's very kind of you to say. It's always nice to hear from people who are finding the lessons useful. Makes it worthwhile :)
If you click the 'i' button (More Info button) at the top right hand corner of this video there is a card that reads 'Support this channel'. If you click on this it gives you the option of donating through TH-cam with a credit card.
Alternatively, if you go to my website/blog (link in the description and below) there is a 'Make a Donation' button in the sidebar or on the 'Donate' page where you can donate through a Paypal account.
walkthatbass.wordpress.com/donate/
Thanks for the comment, Kaito
THIS IS GOLD! Thanks!
wow. What a fantastic video. Thank you for the tutorial
No worries, Samir. Thanks for the comment.
wow well that was informative..probably will rewatch it a couple of times
This is a really helpful and understandable video. Amazing good job. Thanks sooooo much!!
I love your channel!!
Thank you so much for posting this
And what scales to use with fourths in the left hand? I never know what to use with a d g for example? There works a, d and e pentatonics,...but there should be more scales no? Blocked there,...
Thanks a ton! This is super helpful!
Thank you SO much.
NOW I get it! Thanks for the video
I might be interpreting this wrong, but based on your example, I think that your picture-in-picture around 15:40 should be Em7->Ebm7->Dm7, rather than Dbm7. Albeit, in your example you play an Ab rather than a Bb, more consistent with Db than Eb, but the rest is definitely Eb.
Ah! Yep, you're right. I played Em7 | Ebm7 | Dm7. Though Dbm7 to Dm7 is also an approach chord - I just played the wrong thing. Oops. Sorry. Good find.
Pure joy. Loved your improvs. Thanks for the lesson
Hope to see more stuff about more 'free' jazz, exotic scales (like hungarian, slendro, pelog, persian etc), harmonizing them if it's in your plan
Btw, I don't mind being called a guy, cause I am, lol
Haha, Cheers. And yep, definitely. A video on Free Jazz in very much on the cards, I'm just planning the lesson now so it should be ready in a month or so. And I do plan to eventually get to some more exotic scales but that will be a while off :)
I have to say calling scales from other traditions 'exotic' is quite eurocentric or maybe even orientalist in some sense... study the scales in their proper context don't learn it from a 'western' musician that doesn't know the specific traditional vocabulary (so scale + ornamentation + phrasing)
5:03 Anyone knows why in the Dm7 the avoid note is the 6th and no the 4th of the chord?
possible typo? its said that Dorian, which is what [dm7] would be in this example, along with Lydian, have no real "avoid" notes.
each main chord tone in dorian has a whole-tone separating them from the next tone. (ie; D-E... F-G... A-B... C-D, etc.)
Dorian is unique, as its "palindromic", producing the same scale both ways. (ie; W-H-WWW-H-W reversed becomes W-H-WWW-H-W)
avoid notes are typically described as half-steps ABOVE a chord tone, namely the quality 3rd. Lydian "fixes" this by shifting the 4 that is a half-step above 3, to #4.
The best. Keep rocking!
Well done man
Great lesson!
agree excellent explanation ty
How does one know what mode/scale should be played based on the chords ?
From D Dorian example, chord Am7 notes are ACDG and thus contains root note (D) in it. Why Am7 is not Tonic instead of Non Cadence chord?
In 'So What' there is no chord played at the beginning, so the melody suggests the tonic, because it's on the root. But there is a cadence to get to the dominant that was suggested by the melody. So it seems to me that this example of modal jazz puts the melody first, then the chords follow a rhythm base rather than a flow. Also 'So What' changes the root chord, but I think it transposes the whole thing to another mode right? So it's following tonality to a certain extent, but the chords are not directly tied to the melody freeing up both the timing of the chords, and the melody. I don't know if this is typical. 'Maiden Voyage' opening notes also play the root note in the opening phrase I think. But 'Maiden Voyage' sounds like only one chord but played more loosely. I hear just regular tonal chord changes in the sense that it feels normal, more normal than 'So What' which seems to have more tension when the root changes. I think part of it is because "Maiden Voyage''s melody leads to the root where 'So What' repeats the opening line more or less (I'm going from memory). Interesting.
Wow! You're a really great teacher here in youtube! I've been subscribed long enough to know that what makes you special among the others is your music theory explanation. And thats why i wanna ask, how do i start listening to jazz? Who, and what should i listen? And above all, i want to know where i could find info on the full jazz history dating from the "new orleans" times (i dont even k ow if thats accurate 😬) to present? Thank you...
Hi Gabriel,
1. So there are a couple Jazz History books on the market. I would recommend 'Jazz' by Scott DeVeaux & Gary Giddins. I think it's structured very well and gives lots of great examples - discussing both genres and artists and songs. There are other books like 'The History of Jazz' by Ted Gioia and 'The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to the 21st Century' by Joachim-Ernst Berendt which are also good resources, but I personally prefer the first one I mentioned. If you give me your email I can send you some resources (you can private message me).
2. I personally think there is a lot of value in listening to Jazz chronologically. That way you can get an appreciation of where it started and how it developed. It also helps acclimatise you to the vocabulary of Jazz so you don't get scared off when you reach Free Jazz (which scares any beginner). So start with New Orleans/Dixieland (Armstrong), to Swing (Basie, Ellington), to Bebop (Parker, Gillespie), to Cool (Baker, Mulligan), to Hard-bop (Silver, Blakey), to Modal (Davis, Coltrane), to Free (Coleman, Taylor), to Fusion (Davis, Shorter). The earlier subgenres of Jazz (New Orleans and Swing) are very listenable (they were the Pop music of the day) so that's a good place to start, before diving into the more esoteric stuff.
3. Thanks for the compliment and the comment :)
Hope that helps and feel free to ask if you've got anymore questions.
So...what is it that makes something tonal/functional or modal? Is it the context given by the melody? Because, to me, it seems that any given seventh chord could be considered either the dominant or a modal chord. Is this why it is important to emphasize the character tones of whatever scale you're playing in modal harmony??
I know this comment is five years old but just in case you're still there or anyone else is curious :P What makes harmony tonal/functional vs modal has to do a lot with how the V is treated, and also whether the tonic is approached via a leading tone (as it's called).
As he said in the video, when tonal music wants to "resolve" it usually goes V-I in some sense, which strongly emphasizes the idea that the I chord "is the I chord," the tonic is the tonic, etc. (If you're curious as to why, it's because the root note of the V chord, the fifth, is the same as the third harmonic of the tonic, so your ear detects a strong, physical relationship between them. If you listen to an overtone-rich harmonic sound, like a bowed low note on a double bass, you can actually hear the fifth if you listen closely.) The other thing that tonal music does is approach the tonic with a leading tone, which is generally the note a half-step below the tonic (even if you have to sharp it to make that happen, like in tonal minor key music).
In modal jazz harmony, the I chord is generally approached "smoothly," in the sense that the notes of the previous chord move mostly by step into the notes of the I chord, but there's less concern with emphasizing the idea that the I chord "is the I chord" compared with tonal music. Going II-I makes a less strong statement in that regard than going V-I (the major second, normally the root note of the II chord, corresponds to the 9th harmonic of the tonic, so it's a more distant relationship). Furthermore, in modal jazz harmony you wouldn't go out of your way to create a leading tone to the tonic when approaching it-like, if you're in a mode where the seventh step is minor, you generally wouldn't sharp it if you were moving up to the tonic. (In traditional tonal minor key music you would even sharp the 6th in that context, too, which is even less likely in modal jazz.)
The model jazz approach makes the I chord sound more ambiguous-it's not really clear from the chords alone whether the music is resolving or not when you hear the I chord treated that way-that does gives room to the melody to "fill in the missing context" and decide for itself what's going on harmonically. So, in modal jazz, I think what you say is reasonable-the underlying chords aren't giving much information, so the melody is free to make up for that. (A melody can imply chords even if it doesn't play them outright.) However, I wouldn't say the difference between tonal harmony and modal harmony is determined by the melody-it's kind of determined by both the chords and the melody, because both of them inform your overall sense of what the harmonic progression is "in full." With tonal harmony, though, the chords play a stronger role in determining the "overall harmony," which the melody has to accomodate, as he says in the video. Modal harmony gives more deference to the melody in that regard, with the chords taking more of a backseat.
(As a side note, in truth, music, jazz or otherwise, doesn't /have/ to consist of a melody + chords-you can have just a melody with no accompaniment, multiple melodic lines playing together i.e. counterpoint, etc., and you can still talk about how the harmony works. As long as there is moving pitch, there is the implication of harmony, in any music. The classic sound of modal jazz does come a lot from the relationship between a melody and accompanying chords, though.)
You're right that any given seventh chord could play a dominant function in tonal music or some sort of other role in modal jazz (or any number of other things). What determines its role is what happens around it. In traditional tonal music, V⁷-I makes for a strong resolution to the I (a "cadence"). However, V⁷-VI makes for a "deceptive cadence" that sounds as if it's going to resolve to the I but instead moves /away/ from it to a more distant chord (the VI) and even sets up the possibility of modulating to a new key. That's a simple example of how the function of a chord like V⁷ depends on the context even just in tonal music. In modal jazz, the melody does help a lot to tell you what chord is playing what role-like, if you just play Dm7 and Ebm7 back and forth, it's not exactly clear which one is the I chord or even if neither of them is, but the melody (and also the rhythm) can encourage your ear to hear things one way or another.
I think the idea behind the character tones is that it's easy for modal music to sound either major or minor to people regardless of which mode you're in, because everyone is so used to hearing major and minor key music. The major and natural minor scales correspond to two of the Western modes (the Ionian and Aeolian), and all the modes actually share the same set of relative pitches (the white notes on the piano, i.e. they're diatonic). The only thing that distinguishes them is which note you treat as the root. So, in order to help the listener tell one mode from another (which determines which note they'll hear as the root), one thing you can do is emphasize the most distinctive intervals in each mode.
In my opinion, this is somewhat subjective-like, the video encourages you to emphasize the major 6th in Dorian which is what sets it apart from the natural minor scale, but I think of the character of Dorian as coming from the /interplay/ between the major 6th and minor 3rd, because they make the upper part of the scale sound more "bright" and the lower part sound more "dusky" (in my opinion :P). Of course, you're free to come to other conclusions (all of the intervals make some contribution to its overall sound so I think you're free to choose for yourself which ones are most central-how you think about it will affect how you play). I honestly think the best way to learn the modes is to ignore the idea of major and minor completely and just spend a lot of time improvising in each one and trying to get a sense of the distinctive character of each compared to /all/ of the other modes.
Studying music that takes the "melody determines the music" idea even farther than modal jazz, like Arabic or Indian classical music, can help you get used to the idea of hearing a mode "on its own terms" (you may even feel a little dissatisfied with the relatively paltry selection of modes in the Western diatonic tradition if you go far in those kinds of directions :P). Of course, when you're playing modal jazz, it's still important to take the chord progression into account-it's a vaguer framework than in older jazz styles but it is still a framework, and in some ways your role as a soloist is to choose what each chord is doing moment-to-moment, which in a way demands even more harmonic fluency from you than playing in a more tonal jazz style.
quite excelent!