This note is what I called before “the characteristic note” of that particular mode, the note that gives the F Lydian mode its peculiar sound - its “Lydian-ness” - and the one that differentiates it from sounding like a major scale. If we compare the Ionian and Lydian modes for example, this is the difference in the intervals which make these modes:Īs we can see, these scales are almost identical except for one interval, the Augmented fourth in the F Lydian mode. To put it differently, the modes above share all the same notes, but since they start from a different degree of the major scale, each mode has a slightly different construction, and feel to it. The fact that among all modes, these two were chosen as the pillars of our system, resulted from a predominance in the use of these two scales from the Baroque Period onwards. The modes built on the notes of the C Major scale are the following:Īs we can see, the scales which are used the most in the Western musical system (the ones commonly called Major and Minor scales) are the modes built on the first and sixth degrees of a Major scale. Let’s start with a major scale, C for example. I have put the word Dominant in quotations because in the case of modes, the dominant is not always found on the 5th degree - like in any major scale for example - but it is the degree(s) which contain the characteristic note (the note that gives a certain mode its peculiar sound) that functions as a dominant. Just like any major or minor scale, a mode has a Tonic (a point of rest) and a “Dominant” (a point of tension which needs resolution). What is a mode in the first place?Ī mode is like a scale: It is a collection of pitches which have a certain relationship between each other.
In order to do so, we will have to build upon a previous knowledge of major and minor scales.īut let’s go in order.
In this article, we will look at a way to remember which notes make up a certain mode. They give us a great variety of harmonic choices, but it’s often difficult to remember the difference between one and the other. Modes are a great resource for both improvising and composing. + Bridge the worlds of theory, improvisation, and jazzy hip-hop, and improve your piano chops with Grammy-winner Kiefer in his course, Kiefer: Keys, Chords, & Beats.