CHAPTER 4
PURE MODES

Down to the real stuff – Modes. This chapter is related to Pure modes, Chapter 5 deals with Altered modes. Read on to learn the distinct differences between the two. Understanding this is the most fundamental aspect of modes and their relationship to basic musical theory. Modes have traditionally been shrouded in mystery for a few reasons, foremost of which is the incredibly diverse explanations given by educators in the past, many of them vague and inconclusive. It seems the authors of these particular tutorials explain their interpretation of modes, which is fine for them, but generally makes little or no sense to anyone else. Too rarely are the explanations rooted in basic musical theory, rather they are based on the authors personal "system" of theory. Whether this is because of a lack of understanding on the authors behalf or a deeper conspiracy contrived to sell more books or magazines is highly debatable. Whatever the reason let’s hope you don’t believe the same of this lesson once you’ve worked through it. Basically, the following explanation is the only one I can reasonably expect readers to understand. First of all, let’s get two points clear. The term Modes should only refer to Pure Modes, these are scales that derive their notes directly from the notes of a Major scale. Modes that are alterations of other scales are known as Altered modes. Both of these statements are quite simple, yet they are often misrepresented. Throughout this lesson we will be dealing with Pure modes. There are 7 Pure modes, they are named thus:

Now read the following carefully.

Modes share the same notes as the major scale they are relative to, they are simply rooted on different notes within that major scale. The following shows the scale tones of a major scale and the mode that is created by rooting to each tone:

(The names of the modes are derived from the Greek musical system, though neither the modern application nor concept of modes corresponds to the Greek theory).

Here is the C Major scale with the formula described above:

Therefore, if you rooted the C Major scale to the Ist tone (C) you would have the

C Ionian mode, commonly called the C Major scale. If you rooted the scale to the 2nd tone (D) you’d have the D Dorian mode:

Note that this is simply the C Major scale starting and ending (rooted) on D.

If you rooted the C Major scale to it’s 3rd tone (E) you’d have the E Phrygian mode:

Note that this is simply the C Major scale starting and ending (rooted) on E.

Here are the 7 pure modes directly relative to the C Major scale:

Don’t try to think too far ahead just yet (i.e. But what use are these modes?), just follow the principles as they are explained. If you can understand how the result is achieved, you’ll be better able to put modes into practical use.

Another example we’ll discuss is the the 7 modes of the Bb Major scale.

What are the notes of the Bb Major scale?

So the pure modes of the Bb Major scale are as follows:

Take a close look at the full lists of the two examples (7 modes of C Major and Bb Major)

and look for the pattern. If you’re still unsure re-read the section that precedes them and study the lists again.

If you think you have it, go on to the next section.

On the following page you’ll find a list of all 12 Major scales. You should already be able to build these quickly in your head but they are printed here for ease of referral throughout the lesson.

Using the above scales you can construct all of the 84 pure modes.

Firstly, write out one of the scales and list it’s scale tone numbers (1-8) underneath. Then, using the following formula, write out each mode and it’s name.

That’s how modes are related and that’s the simple theory behind them. We will be coming back to this newfound knowledge shortly but, first, we must study an alternative method of determining the notes of any given mode. If you have an intimate knowledge of major scales you can work out the notes of any mode using the theory just explained. However, not everyone is that familiar with the notes of the major scales.

The following method utilizes formulas which are applied to the major scale sharing the same root note as the mode to be determined, in the same manner as chords are determined with formulas.

Firstly, the formula for each mode:

Write out the major scale that shares the same root note as the mode you wish to work out. For instance, let’s work out the D Aeolian mode. The first step is to write out the D Major scale and it’s scale tone numbers:

The formula for the Aeolian mode is:

Apply that formula to the D Major scale and you have the following:

The F# becomes F natural by way of the b3 in the formula. the B becomes Bb by way of the b6 in the formula, the C# becomes C natural by way of the b7 in the formula.

Another way to work out this mode (D Aeolian) is to, firstly, see which scale tone the Aeolian mode is based on by referring back to the very first formula mentioned in this lesson:

The Aeolian mode is based on the 6th scale tone. If D is the root of the mode we are working with, then D is the 6th tone of a Major scale. Refer to the list of the 12 Major scales and find the one that has D as it’s 6th tone. Got it? It is, of course, the F Major scale. Therefore, thinking back to the original explanation, the D Aeolian mode uses the same notes as the F Major scale (F G A Bb C D E F) but rooted to the D (D E F G A Bb C D). The identical result to our first determination of the D Aeolian mode.

The former method is more often simpler but that depends on your familiarity with the major scales. Having said that, I must confess to often using the latter method (the formula method) for the Lydian or Mixolydian modes.

Try several examples and compare them with those on the following pages:

Now we’ll briefly look at how to use modes in just one practical capacity.

The original formula was the following:

Hopefully you will remember the formula that is applied to the major scale to determine the chords within it’s key as discussed in the Chord/Key Relationships lesson (Part 2).

If you don’t remember it then here it is:

The above formula demonstrates the nature of each of the modes. The nature of the modes is relative to the chord that shares the same scale tone. i.e. The Ionian mode is Major in nature, the Dorian mode is minor in nature, the Phrygian mode is minor in nature, and so on.

The best exposure to soloing with modes is to experiment with this concept. For instance, if you are playing over a C Major chord or a song in the key of C Major try playing one of the modes that is Major in nature and root it to C, i.e. C Ionian, C Lydian, or C Mixolydian.

Another example is if you are playing over a C# diminished chord, play C# Locrian over it. (The Locrian mode is diminished in nature).

If you are improvising over an F# minor chord or a song in the key of F# minor try using one of the modes minor in nature rooted to F#, i.e. F# Dorian, F# Phrygian, or F# Aeolian.

Try this over as many different keys and chords as you can and listen very carefully to the effect each different mode has on the sound of your improvisation.

This is a simple use of modes in improvisation, but one that is guaranteed to confuse someone if they’ve gathered their knowledge of modes from the same sources as most guitarists. That’s not to say modes are exclusively the domain of guitarists, it’s just that guitarists have been mislead more than most other instrumentalist when it comes to modes.

The following page contains "box" patterns for each of the Pure modes. In the diagram the colourless dots represent the root notes of the particular modes
 

IONIAN MODE

This mode is rooted to the 1^st tone of the major scale.

DORIAN MODE

This mode is rooted to the 2^nd tone of the major scale.

PHRYGIAN MODE

This mode is rooted to the 3^rd tone of the major scale.

LYDIAN MODE

This mode is rooted to the 4^th tone of the major scale.

MIXOLYDIAN MODE

This mode is rooted to the 5^th tone of the major scale.

AEOLIAN MODE

This mode is rooted to the 6^th tone of the major scale, it is often referred to as the "Natural minor scale."

LOCRIAN MODE

This mode is rooted to the 7^th tone of the major scale.