A PowerPoint Presentation by Peggy Taylor “Jig” by Violet Archer, Dorian Mode (Celebration Series, Piano Odyssey, Level 5)

UNDERSTANDING

THE MODES

A PowerPoint Presentation by

Peggy Taylor

“Jig” by Violet Archer, Dorian Mode (Celebration Series, Piano Odyssey, Level 5)

REMEMBERING THE MODES IN ORDER

Remember

Name Notes Sounds

I Ionian C-C Major

Don’t Dorian D-D Minor

Play Phrygian E-E Minor

Loud Lydian F-F Major

Music Mixolydian G-G Major

After Aeolian A-A Minor

Letterman

Locrian B-B Minor

TRANSPOSING THE MODESMemorize Order of Modes

Mode Name

Starting/ Ending Notes

Key Sig.

Trans-position Interval

Whole & Half StepPatterns

Another way to think of the mode scale

I C Ionian

C – C C Unison WWHWWWH

(Major Scale)

Don’t D Dorian D – D C M2nd Down

WHWWWHW

(Natural minor with raised 6th)

Play E Phrygian

E – E C M3rd Down

HWWWHWW

(Natural minor scale with a lowered 2nd)

Loud F Lydian F – F C P4th Down

WWWHWWH

(Major scale with a raised 4th)

Music G Mixolydian

G – G C P5th Down

WWHWWHW

(Major scale with a lowered 7th)

After A Aeolian

A – A C M6th Down

WHWWHWW

(Natural minor scale)

Letterman B Locrian B – B C M7th Down

HWWHWWW

(Natural minor scale with lowered 2nd and 5th)

TRANSPOSING RULE

To find the notes for any mode scale

from the desired starting note, count down by the transposition interval (see chart) for that mode

use the major key signature of the resulting note.

TRANSPOSING EXAMPLE Example: to play a Lydian scale on A

the lydian transposition interval is a P4th

count down a P4th from A, which is E

using the Key Signature for E Major, play the scale, starting and ending on A.

“A” Lydian: A, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A

LIMDAP METHOD OF TRANSPOSING THE MODES

Major Sounding Modes – from Major Scale:L Lydian #4th I Ionian Major ScaleM Mixolydian b7th

Minor Sounding Modes – from Natural MinorD Dorian #6A Aeolian Natural Minor ScaleP Phrygian b2

EACH MODE HAS CHARACTERISTIC SOUND

Eastern Music – Locrian Mode (Sakura) Jazz – Dorian, Mixolydian, Phrygian,

Aeolian Jewish – Phrygian (Hava Nagila) Latin – Mixolydian, Phrygian

COLOR SPECTRUM OF THE MODES

LYDIAN - very bright, upbeat. Good for anything very bright and upbeat such as pop, kids music, etc

IONIAN - very sweet, happy, bright. Perfect for happy songs, love songs, etc. Used for almost all childrens music

MIXOLYDIAN - middle of the road bright scale. Good for light rock, pop, country, etc

DORIAN - perfect middle ground. Not too bright, not to dark. Good for country, rock, blues.

AEOLIAN - gritty, bluesy, warm sounding rock scale. This is the standard rock and blues scale.

PHRYGIAN - dark, classical metal sound. A Randy Rhoads favorite.

LOCRIAN - very dark, dissident, brooding. Good for heavy metal, dark classical, etc. Unstable harmonically because it’s chord is diminished

CHORDS ON MODAL SCALES

Create chords from the 1,3,5,(7) tones of a mode scale

You should also be able to use any of the available notes of the mode scale to find harmony and melody ideas that will work perfectly.

TONIC CHORDS ON THE MODES Chord Key Displacement Mode CM 7th CM C - C Ionian Dm 7th CM D - D Dorian Em 7th CM E - E

Phrygian FM 7th CM F - F Lydian G Dom7th CM G - G Mixolydian Am 7th CM A - A Aeolian B 1/2 Dim7th CM B - B

Locrian

HARMONY AND MELODY

A good exercise would be to play the scale tone 7th chords in your left hand while playing the corresponding modes in the right.

Learning these modes for the piano,

along with the major scales and arpeggios, is very important in improvising on the piano.

MODAL SYLLABUS SELECTIONS

Beginners: Scarborough Fair, any version Dorian

Intro Level

*Kabalevsky Song Op. 39, #8 Dorian

*David Duke Bear Dance Phrygian

Level 1

*Pierre Gallant Invention No. 6 Dorian*David Duke She’s Like the Swallow Dorian

*David Duke March Lydian

*Paul Sheftel Ins and Outs ModalLevel 1-2

Kabalevsky Waltz, Op. 39, No. 13 Begins in Dorian

MODAL SYLLABUS SELECTIONS, CONT.Level 2

*Bela Bartok Little Dance in Canon Form D Dorian

*Chee-Hwa Tan The Land of Nod G Mixolydian

From Clark, Contemporary Piano Literature Book 2:

Elie Siegmeister Song of the Dark Woods Dorian

Shostakovich Waltz Aeolian on A and G

Level 3

David Diamond 8 Piano Pieces: Rock-a-Bye Baby Aeolian on D

David Diamond 8 Piano Pieces: Jack-a-Dandy Mixolydian on D

Level 2-4

Burgess, Marjorie Music a la Mode Various Modes

Level 4

*Arpad Balazs Game D Dorian

MODAL SYLLABUS SELECTIONS, CONT.Level 5

*Violet Archer Jig Dorian

Level 6

*Pierre Gallant Sarabande D Mixolydian

*Paul Creston Pastoral Dance, Op. 24, #4 F Lydian

Not in Syllabus:

Level 5 Kaleidoscope Solos, Book 5

J. George Exotica Phrygian on C

Novellette Aeolian and Dorian

Everett Stevens Six Modal Miniatures for Piano (may not still be in print – used to be in syllabus)

*From the Celebrations Series: Piano Odyssey