8/13/2019 Music Modes Explained

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Music Modes Explained

 Notice how there are 7 modes, and they all ‘Connect’ together in order to create the scale.

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The 7 Modes in Music are:

Ionian

(!!"!!!!"# Ionian Mode is the same as the Ma$or %cale. %o when you hear some&ody

sing 'o!e!Mi!)a!%o!*a!Ti!'o

'orian

(!"!!!!"!# 'orian mode is most commonly heard in Celtic music and early +merican

ol- songs deried rom Irish melodies. %ongs written in 'orian mode sound somewhat sad, &ut

not as dar- as the +oelian %cale. Notice how 'orian is the second mode, and thereore starts onthe second note in the scale. +s a result, it has an unsettling cadence.

/hrygian

("!!!!"!!# /hrygian wor-s well with &oth 'orian and +oelian, &eing as they are allminor scales. Its common or musicians to utili0e this mode in order to create a sad eling, &ut

not as dar- as the traditional minor (+eolian# scale.

*ydian

(!!!"!!!"# *ydian mode is an Ionian scale &ut with the shar1 2th interal. heneer

you hear o ‘dream’ music or ‘lying’ music then you’re 1ro&a&ly hearing some ty1e o *ydian,

although sometimes the whole tone scale. This is mode is used alot in $a00, &ut that doesn’t meanyou can’t use in in you heay metal &and3

Mi4olydian

(!!"!!!"!# Mi4olydian is the ma$or scale &ut with the )lattened %eenth interal.

5ou’ll hear this mode +*6T in &lues 1laying, es1ecially since &lues constantly changes -eys,and utili0es that &7th interal. 1lay this mode u1 and down and recogni0e how it wants to moe,

and change -eys.

+oelian

(!"!!!"!!# +eolian mode the minor -ey. The interals o +eolian mode creates a ery

sad, dar- eel. %o you’re 1ro&a&ly thin-ing.. ait There’s a ma$or -ey +N' a minor -ey 5e13

 &ut understand that 1laying a C +oelian is N6T in the same -ey as 1laying in C Ma$or. 8ecausethin-: +oelian is the si4th scale degree, so + +oelian is in the same -ey as C Ionian, &ecause +

is the si4th note a C scale (C!'!9!)!!+#

*ocrian

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("!!!"!!!# *ocrian mode is a ery ;uir-y sounding scale. It’s &ased o o a

diminished scale, where there’s an unsettling tritone inoled. To write a song, or a solo in a

*ocrian scale would &e ery strange although its &een done. truth is, may&e that’s the 9<+CTsound you’re loo-ing or.

So what’s the W and H’s stand for?

stands or ‘hole %te1’ and " stands or ‘"al %te1’. + hal ste1 in music is sim1ly going

rom one note to the ne4t. (94am1le: C to C= or 9 to )# + whole ste1 in music is sim1ly $um1ing

two hal ste1s (94am1le: C to ', or 9 to )=#. %o i you loo- at the uitar &elow, then you’llnotice that the notes in music go u1 +!+=!8!C!C=!'!'=!9!)!)=!!=!+

%o the way I wrote it out a&oe the 1icture is in all hal ste1s. To ma-e a whole ste1, sim1ly s-i1one note.