THE TRUE
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
WEEK 6
Table of
contents
01 CHARACTERISTIC NOTES
02 Modal Cadences
Recap
Major & Minor
Modes
How to distinguish
Between Major & Minor
modes
The modes can be
Major modes Minor modes divided into two main
categories – major and
Have a major 3rd Have a minor 3rd minor modes,
depending on the quality
Ionian Dorian of the 3rd interval.
Lydian Aeolian
Mixolydian Phrygian
Locrian
Major/Minor MODES
Let’s listen to a song in each
mode and feel how they sound
like.
Scale degrees of all modes
Ionian – 1234567 Major
Dorian – 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 Minor
Phrygian – 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 Minor
Lydian – 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 Major
Mixolydian – 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 Major
Aeolian – 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 Minor
Locrian – 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 Minor
01
Characteristic notes – all Modes
Characteristic notes
Characteristic notes are notes that
most accurately define a mode.
Each mode has a note within the scale that makes it
different from the other modes in its category (major or
minor).
They help us develop our progressions with ease.
We are going to compare the major modes to the major
scale, and the minor modes to the natural minor scale.
Characteristic notes
Scale degrees of major modes
Ionian – 1234567
Lydian – 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 #4
Mixolydian – 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 b7
Characteristic notes
These are the characteristic notes.
Scale degrees of major modes
FGIonian
Ionian–- G A BFCGDAEBF
b #C D E
F Lydian – F G A B C D E #4 – B
G Mixolydian – G A B C D E F b7 – F
Characteristic notes
Scale degrees of minor modes
Dorian – 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 6
Phrygian – 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 b2
Aeolian – 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Locrian – 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 b2 & b5
Taking just the b5 assumes that we have a natural 2 since we
are comparing it with the natural minor scale – 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
8 – which also has a natural 2. Therefore, we take b2 & b5.
02
Building – Modal Cadences
Modal Cadences
Modal v/s Tonal
Harmony
What could tonal harmony mean & how could it be different
from modal harmony?
Tonality follows the concept of having a tonal center (tonic).
Features include:
• Use of major & minor keys
• Uses Functional Harmony; where chords have functions like Tonic, Subdominant &
Dominant.
• It has a Tonal Centre (i.e. root note)
Modal Cadences
Modal harmony on the other side is slightly
different.
Modality follows the concept of having a tonal center (tonic)
too.
In Modal Harmony, chords DO NOT have a
function, as in: all chords are equal.
A chord DOES NOT need to resolve to any other
chord. However, there is still a tonal center – for
example, the note D in the key of D Dorian (i.e.
the root note).
Modal Cadences
How to build modal cadences?
Build a chord that has the characteristic note of the mode &
then to give a sense of home “the tonic chord”, you can end
your progressions on the tonic chord.
For example, let’s take D Dorian
D E F G A B C D, Characteristic note – B (natural 6th)
Tonic chord – Dmin (DFA)
Chords that have a characteristic note B are
G (GBD) – IV major or,
B – Bo (BDF) vidim.
Ionian : Can treat as tonal
Dorian : IV - i, vi - i, ii - i
Phrygian : II - i, vdim - i, vii - i
Lydian : II - I, iv dim - I, vii - I
Mixolydian : bVII - I, v - I, iii dim - I
Aeolian : Can treat as tonal
Locrian : bII - i, bvii dim - i, bV - i
Modal Cadences
Tonic chord – Dmin (DFA)
Chords that have a characteristic note B are
G (GBD) – IV major or,
B – Bo (BDF) vidim
So, I can do Bdim to Dmin or Gmaj to Dmin to establish a
more “modal sound”.
Tips to follow:
• Don’t resolve to the tonic of the mode’s major
scale. This is modality, there are NO functions.
• Label the appropriate Roman Numerals.
Yes, they change for each mode.
Fin!
Do you have any questions?
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