The harmonic modes

You've probably heard of them, but perhaps you don't really know what is sometimes called Greek or even Gregorian modes or, as we can call them today, simply, harmonic modes.

Musical modes, harmonic colors Let's see what they consist of, the important differences between these names and, most importantly, their uses when composing music and their role in academic music theory and harmony, in general.

What are modes in music?

The musical modes They are specific ways of organizing the notes and, therefore, they give rise to specific harmonic contexts, to each of them a peculiar sound, to sound colors, if you want to see it that way. A modal scale will typically use notes, separated by certain musical intervals, and will give greater importance to some of them, with the aim of achieving the specific sound or character of that specific harmonic mode. And the preferential use of chords that contain these characteristic notes will allow modally harmonizing or composing harmonic environments, musical passages, in short, that sound clearly in that specific way. But first, let's see where this modal practice, this way of making music, came from. Podcast episode dedicated to Modes

The Greek ways

The history of the modes is very ancient and, from the first documents that we preserve from classical Greece, for example, these special configurations of notes appear, these derived scales and chords that provided a specific sonority each of them, ideal to illustrate according to what musical themes, stories, ideas or moods. And, then, why is it not correct to call the harmonic modes that we use today Greek modes? Well, the main reason is that the Greek notes, by their definition, tuning and even number, do not match the equal temperament tuning that is mostly used today. Therefore, the music that we could compose following those precepts, if we were able to do so, would not sound the same way they were heard at that time to begin with.

The Gregorian or ecclesiastical modes

Some centuries later, during the Middle Ages, approximately, Western music evolved in convents and those inherited Greek modes ended up transforming into what became known as Gregorian modes. These modes, more similar to the current ones, do not generally coincide with what we usually do nowadays, since, although musical instruments and tunings improved over time, and, for example, the note Yeah It was added to the six previous ones that had been used until then. Even so, Gregorian chant and its compositions, in practice, do not exactly agree with the modern use we can make of the modes. Dissonances, norms and customs regarding how to write melodies and other factors caused the creation of a type of music that we can hardly equate to contemporary songs or modal instrumental pieces.

Modern harmonic modes

Once the equal tuning system was standardized as a reference for Western music and with the construction of greatly improved instruments, capable of precision and stability that in the past was impossible to achieve, what we know as modern modes was established.

KInd of Blue, by Miles Davis. Modal Jazz With them we can compose and express, in some way, very characteristic musical and emotional contexts and, for example, unlike the ancient modes, bring any of the keys to any tone, which we could call the modal center, by simply transposing it. modal contexts we are talking about. Thus, we can compose a song, instrumental piece or musical passage in C Major or Ionian, or C Dorian, or C Phrygian, or F# Lydian, … or any possible combination of tone and mode, according to our idea, taste or convenience.

What are the harmonic modes?

So, the most well-known and currently used modes correspond to those that emerge from the notes of the major scale. This is exactly how you hear it. The same notes of a major scale, ordered and executed in another way, give rise to the harmonic modes and the music that arises from their use produces the characteristic sound of each of them. Let's look at those 7 modes, their corresponding musical scales, their names and main characteristics.

Ionian mode

The Ionian scale is basically what we know today as the Major scale.

C Major or Ionian Scale Seen in another way: Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone

This is the interval pattern of the Ionian or Major scale.

Doric Mode

The Dorian scale is one that contains the same notes as the Ionian or Major but starting from the second.

Doric Scale of D Seen another way: Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone

This is the interval pattern of the Dorian scale, a minor scale.

Phrygian Mode

The Phrygian scale also arises, in the same way, from the third note of the Major scale.

Phrygian Scale of My Seen in another way: 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone

This is the interval pattern of the Phrygian scale, another minor scale.

Lydian mode

The Lydian scale arises from the Major scale, likewise, but starting from its fourth note.

Lydian Scale of F Seen another way: Tone – Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone

This is the interval pattern of the Lydian scale, a major scale.

Mixolydian mode

The Mixolydian scale follows the same logic and arises from starting a Major scale from the fifth note.

Mixolydian Scale of Sol Seen in another way: Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone

This is the interval pattern of the Mixolydian scale, another major scale.

Wind Mode

The Aeolian scale is what we commonly know as the natural minor scale.

Wind scale or natural minor of La Seen in another way: Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone

This is the interval pattern of the Aeolian scale.

Locrian Mode

The Locrian scale is the remaining combination of these same notes or, rather, musical intervals.

Locrian Scale of Yes Seen another way: 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone – 1/2Tone – Tone – Tone –Tone

This is the interval pattern of the Locrian scale, which gives rise to the most unstable and least used mode.

Using music modes

And, if we are using the same notes, how do we achieve those different modal sonorities? The answer to this question is simple: using them in a different way in each case. Each mode, in addition to the note that gives it its name, has another characteristic note that will be the most important and will be well present in both the melodies and the modal harmonies. That note will be the one that will function as the characteristic signal of each mode. The characteristic notes of the harmonic modes:

Ionian: (4) perfect fourthDoric: (6) major sixthPhrygian: (b2) minor secondLydia: (#4) augmented fourthMixolydian: (b7) minor seventhWind: (b6) minor sixthLocrian: (b5) diminished fifth Using these notes and avoiding giving importance to those of the relative Major scale, with which they share those same notes, is what will make it possible to hear that sonority, those cadences, those typical colors of each mode. The chords that we use to harmonize these melodies will follow the same idea and will give importance to the characteristic notes while avoiding or placing chords such as the major of the relative key in weak places. In short: if we want a song or instrumental to sound Dorian, for example, D Dorian, both the melody and the harmony will use D and B as main notes, while avoiding or using C as a passing note.

Conclusions

Modes are one of the possible ways to organize music. Just like the tonal system or more or less artificial alternatives for relating some sounds to others, this type of harmony generates a type of musical sensations, of atmospheres, of emotionality, if we want to see it that way, that the other compositional possibilities do not offer. Knowing the modes and being able to use them for our songs or instrumentals will give us more possibilities when it comes to creating and, in addition, will connect us with very ancient musical forms that, in some way, are in the ears, heads and hearts of millions of people without even knowing it. Using a harmonious mode is having a power of centuries at our service. We should not forget about them. #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_column_with_background { padding: 10px; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form_column:not(:first-child) { margin-left: 20px; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_paragraph { line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_segment_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_text_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_textarea_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_select_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_radio_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_checkbox_label, 3 .mailpoet_list_label, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date_label { display: block; font-weight: normal; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_text, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_textarea, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_select, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date_month, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date_day, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date_year, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_date { display :block; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_text, #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_textarea { width: 200px; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_checkbox { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_submit { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_divider { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_message { } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form_loading { width: 30px; text-align: center; line-height: normal; } #mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form_loading > span { width: 5px; height: 5px; background-color: #5b5b5b; }#mailpoet_form_3{border: 1px solid #fcb900;border-radius: 40px;text-align: center;}#mailpoet_form_3 form.mailpoet_form {padding: 20px;}#mailpoet_form_3{width: 70%;}#mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_message {margin : 0; padding: 0 20px;}#mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_paragraph.last {margin-bottom: 0} @media (max-width: 500px) {#mailpoet_form_3 {background-image: none;}} @media (min-width: 500px) { #mailpoet_form_3 .last .mailpoet_paragraph:last-child {margin-bottom: 0}} @media (max-width: 500px) {#mailpoet_form_3 .mailpoet_form_column:last-child .mailpoet_paragraph:last-child {margin-bottom: 0}} Please leave this field emptyDo you write songs or would you like to?

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