Had a misadventure yesterday involving my Wolfhound, Marley, her lead, and another dog; no dogs were injured, but the human (me) suffered a nasty rope burn on his right hand, including one big white blister, and a couple of smaller ones to keep him company…
So no guitar for me last night or today, so thought I’d delve headlong into some theory for a little while; specifically modes. And what better way to do that than watching/ rewatching some of Justin’s PMT modules, as well as @Richard_close2u brilliant series on Modes.
So, I’ll often start with a blank piece of paper, taking notes, writing out the basics again; in this case , the major scale, the mode, the parent scale, diatonic triads, 7th chords, distinctive notes etc, and see what else I can glean from it, in addition to what I’m reading.
And boy, have I been reading a lot of cool stuff; with perhaps more knowledgeable eyes than say a year ago.
So, I’ve come across something very interesting, at least to me. I haven’t heard it mentioned anywhere, and am still at the point where I’m thinking, “ What else can I glean from this, and is there some potentially practical benefit here by looking at it this way?”. Wondering if @Richard_close2u can perhaps throw some light on this, critique it, pull it apart etc. It’s basically another path to answering the following 2 questions on the fly. This perspective is more about using knowledge about diatonic chords, chord construction, and intervals to get quick answers.
Q1. What are the notes in a particular mode ?
Q2. What is the relevant Parent Major Scale ?
A1. 7 Notes in any mode = I7 + II triad ( nomenclature up for improvement, but will suffice here)
( ie. The four 7th chord notes built off the tonic + the three triad notes built off the 2nd degree = 7 notes of the mode)
A2. Parent Key = 9 - Modes degree number. The resulting note on that degree is the tonic of the parent.
( ie 9 - the modes degree number when seen in series)
Example : D Mixolydian ( 5th degree mode)
D7 (II7) + Em (II triad) = DF#AC + EGB
= DEF#GABC ( D Mixolydian mode/scale
and,
9 - 5 = 4.
From above, 4th degree = G
Parent scale is G Major.
So, a couple of points/ caveats re ascertaining the chord tonalities, degrees etc
- Knowing the chord qualities built off the 7 degrees of the Major scale, including both triads and 7th chords; chords in a key basically. I suppose, if you’re looking at modes, it’s pretty much prerequisite knowledge.
- Knowing the type of 2nd degree in 1., in order to start building the triad. Eg. Is it a b2 or a 2.? It will always be one tone up from the tonic in every mode, except for Phrygian and Locrian, which both have b2 degrees. Given their more limited use, I think this is OK. Plus I’d put it under prerequisite knowledge anyway.
- Knowing the tonality/quality of the triad in 1. This can immediately be gleaned by simply looking at the tonality of root chord, then looking at the one above it. eg. For say Mixolydian, in the Major scale the 5 chord is Major, so the 6 ( in effect the 2nd in the mode, and the answer we’re after) must be minor.
- I’ve found that with some modes, with less sharps and flats etc, working the above out can be pretty quick anyway. However, for many other modes, I can quickly get into a bind, and need to nut it out on paper; thus taking me away from the guitar. This method may indeed be very helpful at those times.
I’d say if one has a pretty good working knowledge of chord construction, this can be a quickfire way to reveal the notes of any 7 note scale. Seems obvious now, but all those times I put myself in knots when working out major scale notes across any key; many are committed to memory now as ‘images’, but hey, it’s just the notes of the root Maj7 + 2nd minor triad.
Here’s a table of all the modes, and the chord qualities, pertinent to (1) above. I noticed the columns are offset by 1 to reflect the 1st and 2nd degrees. I love logical things.
Mode 7th Triad
Ionian Maj7 + min
Dorian min7 + min
Phrygian min7 + Maj
Lydian Maj7 + Maj
Mixo- Dom7 + min
Lydian
Aeolian min7 + dim
Locrian m7b5 + Maj
The whole process above might sound a bit dense, and given its a ‘new’ discovery for me, it perhaps could be put more succintly. Not 100% sure if it has full integrity yet either, but it appears so at this point.
In real terms however, the whole process is less than a minute, and often less the 30 seconds.
Cheers,
Shane