This blog serves to answer another widely asked question about Modes. What are modes?
I define them as “The use of a scale through the displacement of its tonal centre to another note within the scale”
The historic use of the word “mode” has referred to different things dependant on times, places, interpretations, and the meaning of the word “mode” has actually changed and evolved throughout the development of what can now be identified as established, modern-day music theory. Historically, they were originally applied to Church (or “sacred”) music and as such can sometimes be found actually pre-fixed with additional adjectives such as “Church Modes”, “Ecclesiastical Modes”, “Plagal modes” and some other names. Throughout history, some of these names have been used to refer to different aspects of a modes usage more than an actual difference in the mode itself. Currently they are considered as the use of a scale through the displacement of its tonal centre to another note within the scale, and this is the way in which I’ve defined them at the beginning of this article. Any seven note scale has seven potential tonal centres. Where each of these notes of a scale can be used in this way, music which utilises this idea is commonly referred to as a “modal”.
Modes only apply to “asymmetric” scales. Symmetrical scales do not have modes because of the manner in which they are obtained and identified. An example of this would be the whole tone scale which can only be displaced once because of the symmetry of the interval pattern which is used to generate it. The whole tone scale interval pattern is simply a succession of tones which completes itself across 6 notes. Because of this symmetry, both of the Whole Tone Scale’s “modes” are invervallically identical and as such, there is no necessity to identify them separately.
Major Scale Modes:
|
Scale Degree Name |
Mode |
|
|
|
|
1, Tonic |
Ionian (Major scale) |
|
2, Supertonic |
Dorian |
|
3, Mediant |
Phrygian |
|
4, SubDominant |
Lydian |
|
5, Dominant |
Mixolydian |
|
6, SubMediant |
Aeolian (Natural Minor) |
|
7, Leading Note |
Locrian |
A good article going into the modes of the major scale can be found here:
http://paul-clark.com/pages/tutorial/9-diatonics-modes.pdf
Harmonic Major Scale Modes:
1, Harmonic Major
2, Dorian b5 (“Dorian Diminished”)
3, Phrygian b4
4, Lydian Minor
5, Mixolydian b9 (or b2)
6, (Currently, I’ve not devised a “proper” name for this one – It’s a kind of “strange altered Phrygian/ Locrian hybrid thing”)
7, Locrian b7
Melodic Minor Scale Modes:
In this case, the Melodic Minor Scale that I’ve used is built from a consistent interval pattern (which can be considered as the major scale using minor 3rd instead of major 3rd). This is not the traditional "classical" melodic minor scale which is different in its ascending form from its descending form.
1, Melodic minor
2, Dorian b9 (b2) or (Phrygian with a natural 6th)
3, Lydian Augmented (Lydian #5)
4, Lydian Dominant (Lydian b7) (overtone scale)
5, Mixolydian b6 (also sometimes called the "Hindu scale")
6, Aeolian b5 (or Locrian #2/ Locrian #9)
7, Superlocrian (altered scale)
Harmonic Minor Scale Modes:
1, Harmonic minor
2, Dorian b9 b13 (or b2 b6) or Locrian (with major 6th/ natural 6th
3, Ionian #5 (Ionian augmented) or Major with augmented 5th (not "Harmonic Major")
4, Dorian #11 (or #4)
5, Mixolydian b9 b13 (or b2 b6) “Phrygian Major” (sometimes called “Phrygian Dominant”)
6, Lydian #9 (#2)
7, Superlocrian b7 (Altered Diminished)
I'm not too convinced by "Phrygian Dominant", but I've sometimes seen it labelled as such so I've included it here.
Modes, named with “altered” intervals relative to the major scale (which is the manner in which they are presented here for simplicity in presentation) I'm not 100% keen on. This system of labelling implies too much alteration from a hypothetical “default” position, which isn’t necessarily a clear, accurate, or appropriate reflection of these interval patterns. Once learned, I feel that they are much better understood (from a practical application point of view) on their own merits, without thinking too much in terms of raised or lowered intervals (or sharpened or flattened intervals), relative to a scale which is essential just being used as a reference point, and exclusively for labelling purposes. What causes problems (discussing music theory in this way) is the manner in which truth can actually generate confusion. It's the difference between truth and fact which is the basis of many misconceptions in music theory. Major, harmonic major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales are all built from interval patterns (although the "classical" melodic minor scale introduces a new level of complication, in that it has a different interval pattern in it's descending form from the retrograde of the ascending version, simultaneously compromising any static, reliable, or hard and fast "rules" regarding it's harmonisation). Where these interval patterns (for the respective scales) may be used to build chords on each of these scale tones extending beyond the triad into extensions of the 7th, 9th etc, to describe them all in relativity to the major scale is where a lot of misunderstanding and misconceptions about harmony are generated. This is worth being aware of when studying scales, modes, and harmony. See the article on my website www.nikharrison.com under lessons and articles called: “A Consideration of the Theoretical Language of Music”.
