Modal Chord Progressions, What Are They And How To Use Them
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- Опубліковано 25 вер 2022
- In this video, you learn how to write modal chord progressions on guitar.
The chords and progressions determine the mode you are playing, not the notes in and of themselves.
People always get this wrong and this is why modes can be so confusing.
In this lesson, we will look at the chords in each mode of the major scale.
You learn how the chords work differently in modal harmony as compared to tonal harmony, and how to choose the very best chords from the key to express the mode you are playing in.
You learn the importance of the tonic/root chord in each mode as well as the role of cadential chords and characteristic chords in a mode.
You then learn common chord progressions for the Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, and Mixolydian modes.
Modes begin with progressions, so start here to understand what modes are about and how you can use them in your own guitar playing.
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![Modes Explained [The Easiest, Fastest Way To Learn Modes On Guitar]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vjfFgvr30bs/mqdefault.jpg)
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Tablature for examples presented in this lesson can be found here: acousticguitarlessonsonline.net/modal-chord-progressions-guitar
This is a typical discussion of relative modes without reference to parallel modes, which are more colorful.
@ejtonefan, yes, I was intentionally staying diatonic in this video, however working with modes via the same root is also a good way to practice them so you can really hear the distinct characteristics of each mode.
However, in essence, relative modes and parallel modes are the same thing, it's just a different way to work with them/think about them when practising. In application it's all the same, Mixolydian is Mixolydian, Aeolian is Aeolian etc
You could borrow chords from a parallel mode for some cool sounds.
Excellent, Modes and progressions tied together so I finally understand. 🙏
@timetraveller3063, you are very welcome! I am glad my video has helped in your understanding of modes :)
Thanks for this lesson. It cleared all my doubts regarding the modal chord changes 🎉
@yamraaj4529, you are very welcome! Glad this lesson was helpful to your understanding of modes :)
Thank you !! (József Vilmann from Hungary)
@jozsefvilmann9017, you are very welcome! :)
This is fantastic! I'm gonna be a note adder now.
@slickwillie3376, Glad you liked the video :)
great lesson great teacher
Thanks Timmy! :)
I been waiting to find this for a few months.
I mean. I've been trying to learns modes and how to truly used them and with the scales I wasn't like sure how to make proper used Of them..
I knew that it had to be some chord progression way of doing but I didn't invest the time 2 figure it out on my own...
This will be a great resource for sure.. I truly appreciate the explanation on your video..
☺️
You are very welcome! I am glad the video has been helpful to you :)
Thank you for your insight into choosing chord progressions to emphasize the mode being played.
I noticed B and F were the ONLY two notes appearing as different in each scenario.
I'm not sure what the implications of that are but I find it intriguing.
Those same intervals, 4 and 7 in a major scale, are eliminated to create a major pentatonic.
D Dorian compared to D Aeolian/F Ionian:
Difference = B
E Phrygian compared to E Aeolian/G Ionian:
Difference = F
F Lydian compared to F Ionian:
Difference = B
G Mixolydian compared to F Ionian:
Difference = F
You asked what our favorite chord progressions are and I see you mentioned Phrygian Dominant.
Mine is Am, G, F, E. It's known as the Andalusian Cadence, in E Phrygian Dominant.
@antoniohillario9770, you are very welcome! Yes, the E Phrygian Dominant Progression you mention is a nice one :)
Absolutely new knowledge for me, I only knew about modes from the scale perspective. Thank you for this!
Great to hear and you are very welcome! :)
Your two videos on triads are just the only lesson need to learn triads that is available on UA-cam.Great job. Love from India❤
@sukantabhattacharjee39, you are veyr welcome! Gald you found the videos helpful for your playing :)
Simon, as always, with you everything becomes clearer than the water of the Pyrenees (a mountain range in the north of my country, which separates it from France).
You're right, if the fundamentals are not clear we are going to be spinning around more than a stupid fly.
Thank you, it is the first time that the modes have been pristine for me.
@emiliosujar7197, you are very welcome! I am glad this video has helped your understanding of modes :)
I've watched numerous videos on modes. One of the best approaches and explanations I've seen. The way you compare each mode to the parent mode, be it major or minor, showing how it differs specifically is highly beneficial. It also helped that you explained how many chords change in a different mode and clearly illustrating which chords end up where within the new mode. I.e. Roman numerals
Glad you found the video helpful delinquense! So important to understand chords and harmony when it comes to modes :)
I have watched many of the other videos on Modes on UA-cam and no doubt got bits of extra insight from them; but this lesson brought it all together fixed the Modes for me. Thank you, excellent teaching.
This is GREAT to hear moi me!
Really glad the lesson has helped. It's a great feeling when you finally understand modes for real. So much you can do with them! :)
@@acousticguitarlessons Simon, been practicing what you show in this video and two points came up: 1. A Aeolian has the same scale notes as C Major and A Minor, its parallel Minor, so when there is no difference between the mode and its parallel relative, how do you construct a chord progression to express that modal tone?
2. eg B Locrian compared with parallel minor B Minor shows two notes that rare different, C* and F* in the B Minor, and no flats or sharps in the B Locrian, so how do you make a chord progression if there two points of difference? Apologies for taking up your time and if I've made a mistake. Thanks in advance.
@@moime3300 not wasting my time at all, and good questions :)
1. A minor and A Aeolian are the same scale. "Aeolian" is just its modal name :)
2. Well spotted with B Locrian having two points of difference. Locrian is a mode you won't find yourself in too much, however if you are using it, simply favour chords that have either one or both of the characteristic notes in them.
Let me know if that has answered your questions :)
Thanks for helping the "light bulb" to come on! This makes perfect sense. And the graphics really helped. Thank you.
@josephcortez7849, you are welcome, that is great to hear! :)
Excellent lesson. Thank you.
@flexmasterson4297, you are very welcome! Glad you liked the lesson :)
This is the best modes lesson on UA-cam hands down, thank you!
@DavidSedano, kind of you to say! Glad you found the lesson helpful :)
Simon, another fantastic lesson! Your explanation & demonstration of modes via chord progressions made the light bulb illuminate! So much clearer than just memorizing the starting scale degree of a particular mode & its single note difference between it [the mode] and its parallel Ionian or aeolian scale. THANK you 👍🏽👍🏼🙂🎯
You are so welcome David! Glad this lesson helped in your understanding of modes. The chords are the foundation and crucial in understanding what modes are all about :)
The teaching mode that you presented was in the key of clarity, well paced speed and enjoyable. Firmly held my attention throughout your explanation. Outstanding teacher!
The best key of all! :)
Glad you like the video and found it helpful :)
Amazing! This lesson on modal chord progressions is the easiest one to understand that I have come across anywhere. I had an Aha! moment from this tutorial. Thank you so much!
You are very welcome! So glad my lesson gave you a Aha moment :)
Great lesson...amazing how no one ever teaches this. Thank you so much !
You are very welcome! :)
Excellent lesson Senor. The graphics are a big plus with a pause to visually analyze what you are explaining. gold star, good info, and great teaching.
@permculture you are very welcome! I am glad you were able to follow the lesson easily and that it is helpful for your playing :)
I really like your teaching. At first, I thought, wow this guy is so chatty, then I thought, phew, he is chatting sense. This may be the clearest and most revelatory lesson I have so far seen. I had thought Modes were the province of the jazz guitarist and the guitar elite, while at the same time sounding very 'primary schoolish' or embarrassingly trivial - D to D?? C to C? So what? That's new? Sell me another bridge!
Now I do see the point of it all, and it has to do with hearing the point not seeing it. The definition and repetition is great. 'Characteristic', 'cadential'....It knits many elements into a composite whole and internalises them in a kind of spiritual mantra.
@Jamie-js3qw, glad you liked the lesson and found it helpful in your understanding of modes despite the chat :)
This is the best video so far ive been looking at To. Explain chords in modes, 👍
@ulfminstrel1772, glad to hear that and that my video has helped your understanding of modes :)
Of all the music channel's I have subscribed too I am so glade I discovered this one. The videos on modes with explanation, examples and on-screen whiteboard graphics helps you to grasp the fundamental concept that can often be difficult to truly understand. In particular when tutorially approached from the playing of scales and solos in books and videos. I have watched several videos on this channel and have been left impressed and grateful that this resource exists and is available here to everyone on UA-cam. Thank you
You are very welcome Simon! I am glad you found the modal videos helpful as I know how confusing the topic of modes can be.
I really appreciate your feedback and kind words.
Thanks you :)
great lesson sir.
@conig25, thank you, glad you liked it :)
feels like got whai i wanted
best explanation i've heard for modal progressions
Glad you found the video helpful Paul :)
Thank you sooo much that G F C G has been my favourite sounding rock progression and now I know why. 🎉🎉🎉
@alvarpaide1854, you are very welcome! :)
This is so helpful and made it much easier to understand. Thank you for going through the examples.
@KF-eq3vw, you are very welcome! Glad you found the video helpful :)
Thank you Simon! This tutorial was so helpful for my understanding of how to emphasize the mode by employing the right chord progressions. I have not come across this explanation on any other website or utube video. Most appreciative
You are very welcome John! I am glad you found the video useful and can see how the chords and progressions are the key to understanding modes :)
Awesome lesson…… thanks
You are very welcome! :)
WOW! Thank you!
@brendachristopher2693, you are very welcome! :)
That was the best explanation on modes I’ve heard. Hey Simon, when playing in a mode that isn’t Ionian, do the chord progressions and song “need” the tonic chord?
Hi Hernan :)
Glad you liked the lesson!
Yes, whatever mode you are in you need the tonic chord to establish the key/tonal centre, otherwise, you'll most likely imply a different key to the one you intended by making one of the other chords the tonic by default.
This guitar sounds amazing.
@andrewtea Thanks! Glad you like it :)
Great lesson; thank you!
You are very welcome Martin! :)
Thanks Simon. Very helpful at understanding modes.
You are very welcome! :)
Incredibly helpful ! Thank you for sharing !
@Chimp_No_1, you are very welcome! :)
Very helpful. Most useful explanation I have encountered so far. Thank you
You are very welcome Steven! Glad the video was useful for you :)
HI Simon. Such an important topic and you have explained it very well. I was always confused to use which chord for a particular mode. I always understood the construction of chords similar to chords in a natural minor and harmonic minor.i am clear now. Thank you. 🙏🙏🙏
You are so welcome Kashi! I’m glad the video has helped clear up chords in a modal context for you :)
Very good vid
@frankjamesbonarrigo7162 , thank you! :)
Great lesson. The question I have is. What about modes in minor keys? Does it work the same way? Do you find out what the relative major is and go from there?
@GaryPfingstl glad you liked the lesson.
Regarding modes in minor keys, yes if you are talking about the natural minor (relative) it is the same as the modes of the minor key because both the major and natural (relative) minor share the same notes and chords. You would just start from the Aeolian mode in the minor key with Locrian following that and so on.
If you are talking melodic and harmonic minor keys then these have modes too, but they are different because the notes differ in both these minor keys compared to the major.
I hope that makes some sense :)
best lesson on modes thank you great teacher
You are very welcome Timmy Lawlor! Glad you found the lesson helpful for your guitar playing
Clear as mud to me.
@kshepard52, if you are coming from having little to no previous theory knowledge, then yes, this video may not help. Understanding modes requires a good understanding of the fundamentals of scales and chords etc
So , how do you determine the 1-4-5 progression with modes? The tension release thing.
@frankjamesbonarrigo7162, if you follow the progressions I lay out in this video, and look at songs in particular modes, you will see the common progressions associated with that mode. It won't always be a 1, 4, or 5 like you get in major key/Ionian mode, but there is plenty of tension to release regarding the chords in each mode.
This really solidified my understanding of modes Simon. Thank you! I learned about modes in the scale-centric way, as it is so commonly taught, as you said. When playing with others we often ask, or hear the question, "what key is this in?" (There is often a secondary dominant or two to confuse the issue of the identifying diatonic key.) The key identified in this way (assumming Ionian mode) is often not the chord that feels like home. Now I will be looking for the tonic and the mode.
Great to hear this lesson helped in your understanding of modes Jeff! :)
Yes, I learned modes the scale-centric way too. You're missing the most important piece this way IMO (ie. the harmony/chords)
@@acousticguitarlessons How is my use of the jargon in the following example? Can't You See by the Marshall Tucker Band is roughly |D |C |G |D | throughout. Rather than saying this is a |V |IV |I |V | in G, we could be more mode savvy and indicate the real tonic chord by saying its a |I |♭VII | IV |I | in D mixolydian.
@@mason87104 correct! You could refer to it either way, but yes, it is as you say it is in the modal context :)
And more accurate to refer to it this way too
I was just playing around with this after watching, and discovered that all chords are on the table, just add a note here and there.
Yes, you can certainly use any of the chords of the mode you are in :)
This is going to make learning composition a lot more fun. 😅
In the minor key (Aeolian) it's common to make its v chord a V instead by artificially adding a leading note.
Is this also true of Dorian too, as it also has a v minor.So it sounds good to make that into a V too ?
It sounds good in certain songs.
Is that Harmonic Minor too when playing over the V ?
Is it true of Phrygian too ? But Phrygian's v chord is the diminished.Do we boost the diminished and make it a dominant V.
Thanks for any help.
@StratsRUs, if you make the v in Aeolian a V then you are now playing in the harmonic minor key.
Similarly, if you make v in Dorian a V chord you would now be in the melodic minor key, also known as the jazz minor, or a major scale with a b3 is how you can think of it too.'
You wouldn't typically make the v dim into a V dominant chord in Phrygian as it would now be a chord out of key. Not to say it couldn't work, but you could raise the G to a G# and now you would be in the Phrygian Dominant mode which is a very cool sound.
Hope that helps :)
This lesson on modes was too advanced for me. Do you have other mode videos that are a basic introduction to modes? I have read where guitarists, as compared to students of other instruments, obsess over learning the modes but that it isn't necessary. Craig Ewinger
Hi Craig, I will have videos on individual modes released shortly and periodically over the coming months :)
Modes are absolutely necessary to understand IMO. Anything you hear is basically in a mode, even if it's just major or minor, these are modes within themselves.
You can play guitar without understanding modes of course, but you will be limited in what you can do :)
19:00 … Wouldn’t that be Fmaj(add#11), not 11 … It’s a #11 (which is the whole point of Lydian, really) … maj(add11) chords sound dissonant/not-so-good, because of the maj3 ‘rubbing’ up against the maj11 (maj4) … Also, 11ths are a major 11 by default, so you need to specify the #, even though you’re playing in Lydian …
Also, I’m not sure about the “cadential chord” terminology … ? 🤔 I don’t know that there’s anything particularly cadential about the chords ‘one up and one down’ from the tonic in any given mode … ?! They are ‘diatonic neighbour chords’, or some-such, one might say - and, as such, there is likely to be some voice leading etc, by virtue of their close proximity … but if you take Ionian as a familiar example, the ii isn’t particularly ‘cadential’, when compared to the V and the IV … 🤔. Cheers!
@kierenmoore3236, yes of course, it should be Fmaj(add#11). That is an oversight on my part. Thanks for picking it up :)
guitaah
Are you making fun of my accent😂
It should be outlawed that modes and scales are taught before key chord progression theory. Lol
I agree. Although, technically speaking learning key/chord progression theory is learning modes. But I agree that an understanding of the major scale and its chords is very helpful in then understanding what modes are about etc
If in c ionian and playing a 145 chord progression ie c f g
If mode moved to say f lydian, do you play the 145 still i.e./ f b c
Or d dorian ( minor) or e phrygian ( another minor)
Other than the 7 and 2 cadentisl chords to the 1
Do you still use the 1 45 chord progression
Ie dorian Dm G Am em bdim and for phrygian Em Am Bdim 1 45 ?
Thanks
Best wishes
Billy ... south shields
Ps great site and content. Just found it.
❤
I still dont get any of this - it just seems like a lot of theory
@sputnikginger, yes. you are right this is theory :)
However, most importantly it is theory put into practice. However, I can certainly appreciate if this is confusing to you. A solid understanding of the fundamentals of music theory will help.
I highly recommend this eBook for that: www.musictheoryforguitar.com/beginningmusictheoryguide.html
You are wrong: Chords alone do not determine the mode an a minor 7 chord for example can belong to 3 different modes.
@vonMohl yes, an Am7 chord does belong to 3 different modes, however not too many songs are made up of one single chord. Other chords around that Am chord will determine the key/mode you are in.
For example, if it's Am7 | D7 it can only be A Dorian etc.
The point of the video is that almost all students I have taught over 3 decades focus on the notes of the mode when in isolation these mean nothing. It is the chords underneath that determine the mode you are playing in.
You can play C major all day long, and begin on the E note thinking you are playing Phrygian, but if I am playing a C Major chord progression underneath, C Ionian is all you will hear.
I appreciate you may know this, but many do not, hence the purpose of the video :)
**Friendly critique - I was FORCED to listen to classical music, from when I was in the womb ( Mother a teacher of advanced piano, Chopin, Mozart, etc., incl. Theory, Composition, etc.) for 65 YEARS... ( !! )
- This video is "clear as mud". I have played guitar many years, paid to perform (incl NYC), just by tabs + my own variation & aug. ( & Good vocals )
- THIS VIDEO, I am " 8 minutes in", has made me STOP, go to my " Phrydge" to get an ale, and gaze out my window, at the Dorian, Ionian, and Corinthian Architecture of the buildings of the University that's across the avenue.
- I'll pick up my guitar, and beer, get back to learning "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"...
- Sorry, I couldn't make it even halfway thru your video, 'cause I have to ask - What's the point ??
You can put labels on chord progressions... So what ?
- The old adage, " Talking about Music is like Dancing about Architecture. " applies here.