Modes Made Easy Masterclass: Comprehensive

Introduction to Modes. 1) What does mode mean? 2) In a general sense, what does it mean to be playing in a mode?

1) mode means degree 2) When you are playing notes within a certain scale or chords within a certain key, but you are emphasizing a note (ie degree) that isn't the root note of that certain scale or a chord that isn't based on the root note (root degree) of the key

Practice. 1) List the starting notes and chords for all 7 modes in the key of G major. 2) If your playing in F# mixolydian, what major key is the mode derived from?

1) see picture 2) B major

Chord Theory: Notes in a chord. 1) How many notes compose a chord? 2) When making chords from the notes of the major scale, the notes that will compose a chord are the ____________, ____________, and ____________ degrees of the scale starting from the note that is to be the root of the chord. 3) Explain how intervals are used to determine what notes are used to compose a major, minor, and diminshed chord.

1) 3 different notes (ie, a triad) 2) Root, third, and fifth 3) This involves explain how chords are seen as stacked thirds. A "third" is an interval (ie a distance between two notes) of which there are two types - a "minor third" which is 1.5 steps, and a "major third" which is 2 steps. A major chord is a triad where the distance between the root and the third degree is a major third, and the distance between the third and fifth degree is a minor third. A minor chord is a triad where the distance between the root and the third degree is a minor third, and the distance between the third and fifth degree is a major third. A diminished chord is a triad where the distance between the root and the third degree is a minor third, and the distance between the third and fifth degree is also a minor third.

Chord Theory: Chords in a key. 1) How many chords can extracted from a major key? Explain. 2) How do you know if these chords are major, minor, or diminished? 3) To figure this out more quickly...What pattern will the chords of any major key always fall into?

1) 7 - one for every note of the scale. 2) By looking at the intervals between the root, third, and fifth of the chord. 3) 1 =major 2= minor 3= minor 4= major 5= major 6= minor 7= diminished

Types of Modes. 1) List the names of the 7 modes of the major scale For each, list which degree it is associated with, what chord number from the key it is associated with, and whether those chords are major or minor. 2) T/F: If your playing in C lydian, which is a major mode, you can just tell your friend your playing in C major. 3) T/F: If your playing in G Aeolian, which is a minor mode, you can just tell your friend your playing in G minor

1) See picture 2) False, he will assume your talking about C ionian - it is commonly understood that the plain major scale (eg C major scale) is analogous to the ionian mode, since it is assumed in playing any major scale one will emphasize the root or first degree, which is what ionian specifies. 3) True, he will assume your talking about G aeolian because it is understood that the aeolian mode is that is mode commonly renamed into its own "minor key"

Deciphering the Key Given Chords in the Progression. 1) Say your trying to figure out the key of a song. You know the chords of the progression and you notice that D minor and E minor are played one after the other. What key is this likely in? Explain. 2) Say your trying to figure out the key of a song. You know the chords of the progression and you notice that C major and D Major are played one after the other. What key is this likely in? Explain.

1) The song is likely in the key of C. We know this because we know in any (major) key, the 1st, 4th, and 5th chords are always major chords, the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th chords are always minor chords, and the 7th is diminished. So, knowing this, the only way to go from a minor chord to another minor chord without traveling more than a major second (one note away) to do so is to be going from the 2 chord to the three chord. This means that in this case the 1 chord, (which defines the key) would be C major. 2) The song is likely in the key of G. We know this because we know in any (major) key, the 1st, 4th, and 5th chords are always major chords, the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th chords are always minor chords, and the 7th is diminished. So, knowing this, the only way to go from a major chord to another major chord without traveling more than a major second (one note away) to do so is to be going from the 4 chord to the 5 chord. This means that in this case the 1 chord, (which defines the key) would be G major.

Chord Theory: Sevenths 1) T/F: Adding the seventh degree you are basically just adding another note and stacking another third. 2) What are the two types of seventh chords? How are they different intervallicaly? How do their qualities differ? 3) T/F: A C major seven chord is denoted as C7 4) Do the seventh chords integrate with the set pattern of major, minor, and diminished chords derived from any major key?

1) True 2) Major Sevenths and Dominant Sevenths When the distance between the fifth and seventh degrees of the chord is a major third (2 steps), you have a major seventh chord. When the distance between the fifth and seventh degrees of the chord is a minor third (1.5 steps), you have a dominant seventh chord. Major seventh chords sound more jazzy, while dominant seventh chords sound more bluesy. 3) False, that would be a C dominant seven chord. A C major seven chord would be denoted as Cmaj7. 4) Yes it falls in line with the major/minor patterns - adding the seventh to the major chords will give you a major seven chord and adding the seventh to minor chords will give you a dominant seven chord. In the case of the diminished chord, it will vary because the intervals between the fifth and the seventh will differ. If it's a minor third your adding, it becomes a "fully diminished" chord. If you add a major third, it becomes a "half diminished" chord. 1 =maj7 2= dom7 3= dom7 4= maj7 5= maj7 6= dom7 7= half diminished or fully diminished

Diatonic (major) Scale. 1) What is a "key" ? 2) What key is the major scale based upon? Why? 2) How is it possible to play the major scale, which in all sorts of keys other than C but still have it sound the same, just at a different (lower/higher) pitches? 3) What is a "key signature"? 4) With regard to these ideas, what is special about the notes of the major scale in the key of F?

1) When the harmonized notes within a major scale are expanded to form a group of harmonized chords, this group of chords is called a (major) key, and just like a group of notes in a major scale, the root note (1 chord in this case) signifies the key. 2) The C major scale. This is because it is the simplest, it has no sharps or flats. But more importantly, it is because the intervals that exist between the notes in the key of C when no sharps or flats are present are used as a basis for altering the notes of other major scales, in order to keep allow it to sound like doh, reh, meh, fah, soh, lah, teh, dah 3) Basically because of what is mentioned above. This is possible because some notes of the scale in other keys are altered (made into sharps and flats) in a way that preserves the intervals that occur in the major scale in C major - that is, half steps (minor second) between degrees 3 and 4 and also between 7 and 8. The result is the same relationship (ie distances) between notes and the same sound, just at a different starting point, so it sounds the same just higher or lower pitched than it does in C. 4) Because the notes of every key's major scale must be altered differently to preserve the intervallic pattern responsible for the sound of the major scale (ie, different notes have to be made into accidentals depending on what key your in) every key has a unique "signature" set of notes that need to be made into sharps or flats. This group of notes is a key's "signature" 5) B has to be changed to B flat

Chord Theory: Triads 1) What notes compose the major triads A, B, C, D, E, F, and G? Practice memorizing this with the following set: https://quizlet.com/300636558/major-triads-practice-set-flash-cards/?new 2) Once this information is memorized, how can it be used to quickly determine the notes that compose the analogous minor or diminished triads? 3) How do these ideas apply to major triads of chords based on accidental notes?

1) see table 2) See picture below table 3) you just sharp everything. If something was already sharped then sharping it pushes it into a prime note (eg. B# major chord would be B#, E, G)

Chord progressions and modes. 1) What are the most common chord progressions you hear in music? 2) In a general sense, what is the goal of modal playing? 3) The mode is defined by the ___________

1) the 1,4,5 progression 2) To draw the ear towards a particular chord within a key (or note within a major scale) that is not the 1 chord (or root note) of that key or scale. 3) Chord Progression

Connecting chords, modes, and keys. Assume the key of G. For the following progressions, determine the chords that would make up the progression and also determine the mode you would be playing in: a) 1,4,5 progression b) 2,3 progression c) 4,5,3 progression

a) G Ionian; Gmaj, Cmaj, Dmaj b) A Dorian; Am, Bm c) C Lydian; Cmaj, Dmaj, Bm