Yeah But How Do I USE The Modes?
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- Опубліковано 14 тра 2024
- You’ve learned about the modes for years - but somehow Dorian, Lydian, Locrian - these groupings of notes with their strange names haven’t quite MADE SENSE for you - until now. Let’s go beyond music theory and talk about how these modes make you feel - what emotions they evoke and how you can use them in your own composition and improvising.
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For me the problem isn't that "we always use C Major". The problem is that we go C Ionian, D Dorian, etc. In my opinion, the way to teach the modes is stay with your nominated tonic note: C Ionian, C Dorian, C Phrygian, etc. This way, you truly get to hear the different qualities of each mode, plus you also get to hone in on those notes which make each mode different. So I appluad this video.
Exactly this.
Agreed!
The answer would be to recognize where the half and whole steps are placed, or rather which degrees are lowered or raised in comparison with the ionian, major, scale.
@@TherealShabbadang Exactly: the "shift one note a half step" only really works for major and major pentatonic (or for that matter minor and minor pentatonic)
Exactly. For the first few days i kept wondering, if we are deriving it from the C major scale, why do we call it D dorian and not C dorian
Here's the thing that took me AGES to get my head around about the modes as a (pretty bad) guitar player. When I started out improvising, I realised that generally songs are "in keys". So I'd play licks from, say, an E blues scale or an E major pentatonic scale or whatever, but I would use that scale over the WHOLE CHORD SEQUENCE. Like - I would think of the song (or normally just the chords that you're improvising over) as being in "E pentatonic". And you can kinda get away with that thinking. But when I first started trying to understand modes, I didn't get that you generally play in a certain mode JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT - like, over a chord or two, and then you might switch to other modes over other chords in the progression. So you wouldn't really describe an entire song or solo as "being in E Lydian" or whatever, but instead you'd use that mode for maybe just a couple of bars. Then maybe you'd use F# Dorian for the next bar (depending on the chord), followed by a bar of B Mixolydian, or whatever. So a song isn't really "in a mode" in the same way that it's "in a key". Once I could separate those two concepts, everything made a lot more sense. And yeah - Phrygian is totally ballsy :) Great video, Aimee!
^ this comment is more helpful than most popular music theory videos on yt
Some songs really are "in the modes", they just tend to be rarer than the ones in the popular tonalities of major and perhaps minor. Plenty of pop songs in aeolian (Adele - Hello), dorian (Gary Jules - Mad World), mixolydian (Coldplay - Clocks). Much fewer in lydian, phrygian, and almost none in locrian.
@@camtaylormusic there’s some truth in this
Great comment
Ssss
Dms
Congrats to the student who asked the question, and to you for being so approachable that they felt able to ask you. Sometimes many students hesitate to ask a particular question, but really help the whole class by asking it.
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This was super helpful! Thank you!
Really well done Aimee. Modes are such a difficult concept to articulate and you did the best job I’ve seen.
Wonderful Presentation of Music MODES. I am learning both Piano & guitar. This IS my Lesson of the year(s). Thank You Aimee SO So much. I have worked HARD to be here to Understand to this Point 5 years in the making from nothing,
Dear Aimee, thank you for putting a "face" to these modes; and going into how it affects the human soul. I knew all these things solely by ear (back in the day), and used them to color and shade the songs (sparingly, though). Now that I am retired, I hope to have the time to digest all these wonderful things you have shared. God bless you, for caring enough for us folks! ☺
Respectfully, I believe there is a better way to learn the modes. Students should first familiarize themselves with the major and natural minor scales in 12 keys. Then, think of the modes as alterations of these scales, as follows (from brightest to darkest): Lydian is major with #4, Ionian is just major, Mixolydian is major with flat 7, Dorian is minor with a natural 6, Aeolian is just natural minor, Phrygian is natural minor with flat 2, Locrian can be ignored because it’s only important theoretically and is too tonally unstable for practical use.
This is how I learned
But, just like the video... I'm left not knowing when they're supposed to be played😢
@@jimhughes1070 Play Lydian mode any time you are on a major chord that's not the I chord (so if you're in key of G and the chord is Cmajor, for example)- Or you can just use Lydian on the I chord sometimes for an exotic feel.
Mixolydian can be played on any dominant 7th chord, except for on the V chord in a minor key- for that, an altered Dominant with at least a flat 9 is better.
Aeolian and Dorian are basically two flavors of minor. Dorian is brighter and Aeolian is darker- and to know which one is more appropriate you have to listen to the context of the whole tune or section you're playing. Dorian is more common in rock and pop music and would be played in any minor key jam that has a major IV chord in the progression- so for example an A minor jam that hits the D major chord sometimes- the F# of the D major chord indicates that you're in A Dorian. If the IV chord were D minor, with an F natural, that would let you know you're in A Aoelian. I always think of Carlos Santana solos when I play in Dorian, he uses it a lot. You can message me!
@@static-and-rust
You guys are the best!!
Went to sleep in a mysterious fog.... This morning ..."this is the best coffee I ever had!"
Thanks at least a
Million!! 🙏
That’s a rip because Locrian is one of my favorite modes
I've watched a number of videos on the modes. Your is the best.
You have a really soothing sounding voice , it makes listening and concentration a lot easier
Phrygian mode is exotic, mysterious and sometimes eerie. Growing up with Greek music, I heard it a lot and it’s still my favorite mode. It’s in eastern music, flamenco, surf guitar and metal. What a range for one mode! Aimee, you make me want to take out my keyboard and try it again. Thank you.
What about the double harmonic scales? Sometimes songs using those are mislabeled as Phrygian or Phrygian dominant.
Haven't been thinking about modes in a long time, you have totally inspired me to use them once again. This was useful
'Locrian's your buddy'...love that! From the UK I've gotta say that you've produced a great video lesson...I've been following Rick Beato for a while now and you have the same,great teaching style! 😁👍
This is an excellent video and beautifully presented. Thanks Aimee!
You're such a delight to listen to. Keep up the great work. ❤
That was the most concisely informative and inspirational explanation of the modes I've ever heard. Thanks!
Fantastic stuff on the modes. I never truly understood myself for the longest time, and have always wanted to incorporate it, but didn't know how. This helped. Got the juices flowing with this tutorial.
I've been trying to understand this over forty years. Thank you for your understandable explanation I feel so much better enlightened!
This video really helped me to understand modes in a new light and as a practical tool that I can utilize! This is honestly so cool thank you so much for this video! Things are clicking and gears are turning in my head.
That was a very peaceful 23 minutes with you Amie! Thanks for your time and expertise! Still a difficult concept to wrap one’s head around!🙏🏻
Hello Aimee, this was an extraordinary explanation and practical view of the modes. Thank you so much for your knowledge, your methodology and your clarity. Keep the good work!
Wow Aimee - I could seriously watch every one of your videos and learn something new. You are an amazing teacher! Thank you for all you do!
What an "eye opening" revelation! This is wonderfully explained. It really isn't that complicated. Thank you Aimee!
This has been a frustration of mine for years as a music teacher. Everyone seems to be confused about modes and it mostly stems from them being taught to just play C major but start on the different degrees. That's a fine way to help memorize the patterns, but it is far from practical, especially because people always play them sequentially (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc) so your ear just keeps hearing C as the key center and it winds up just sounding like a scale exercise. You really need to do what you did here to understand the individual characteristics of each mode. Play them with the understanding that they are their own keys! F# dorian is NOT just E starting on the second note, it's a wholly unique key on it's own. You didn't go this far in the video, but the next step for me is to start thinking about the other chords in the modes starting with the 1 to 5 progression in each mode. You really start getting a sense for the flavor of the modes when you hear how the other chords relate to the key center in the different modes.
Anyway, excellent explanation as always, Aimee! Thanks!
I too always thought the chord and the chord progressions has much to do w/ playing modal than playing modal. Too much to think about. I like Allen Holdsworth visualization of scales, basically as one organic structure that you can do whatever you want with, especially while employing chromaticism.
Bullshit! If you play Dm7-G7-Cmaj7, *nobody* hears "dorian", "mixolydian" and last "Ionian". *Everybody* hears C-major.
Dang... Started reading your post and thought you were going to explain when to use a mode😭... 😢😢... I guess the search continues😂
@@jimhughes1070 The question of "when" is mostly preference. If you think of the modes as a bucket of notes you can pull from, then it becomes clearer. If you want the notes to strictly match the progression you are playing in, find all the different notes in the progression and match that to a mode that contains all those notes. E.g If you are in G and the progression is G-F-C-G, then G Mixolydian has you covered. If you want to play some "outside" notes, go with a mode that includes notes that aren't in the underlying chords, or notes that imply different harmonies, or borrow from other scales, just like how playing minor pentatonic runs fits well over major chords in bluesy styles because it borrows from minor harmonies. Hope that helps a bit, and of course this is all just advice from one person. Everyone is going to have their own take on it.
@@ErikNonIdle hey! thank you very very much!!! Like shining a light in a dark room! 🤣🙏... Love and happiness to you and yours!! 🙏
This is brilliant! It's taken me years to begin to understand the modes but this clarified it all for me in 4 minutes! Genius!
You are truly a gifted teacher Aimee!
Great video on modes Aimee. One of my favorite mode lesson on UA-cam. Thanks 😊👍💓
That is precisely the video I was looking for. Glad you made it! One of my friends will be thrilled as well. Wonderful job, as usual 😊
I've travels down the rabbit hole of mode video's and lessons for years. You learn a little bit more each time. It's the teachers perspective that's the real treat. Thank you for the great video.
Great video and the best explanation of modes that I've ever seen - thanks lots!
I love your explanation!!! I have never understood how to use the modes. Thank you for your great videos!
What a great way to approach modes, and I need to rewatch this as it's helping my brain start to make real sense of it all. Love the style too, thanks.
Brava! I've probably watched 100 of your videos and this is the winner. You did a masterful job of both explaining and illustrating just what the modes are and how to use them, in a way that I haven't seen before. Everything clicked for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank_you, Aimee. I will have to watch over and more. Really clear.
Hi Aimee! I hope you are doing well! Really loved the video, a refresher is always welcome, and I might exercise on them to feel the intervals rather than the notes, which isn't something I would've thought of! So thank you very much!
What a great explanation, it opens up how note choice and timing combine emotional expression with a touch of thinking.
Thanks for a very straightforward explanation of something many of us struggle to understand 👍🏻
Wow, you are really helping me understand modes for the first time! I've looked at many videos, but they just don't explain it simply. I never got taught this when I had lessons. Thank you so much, Amiee, you are a legend and a generous teacher.
Thank you so much! I watched a couple videos on modes, but they only taughe me how to construct them and how each of them sound like! What I really wanted to understand was how I can make use of them when improvising or composing, which you made very clear!
Finally someone explains this in a practical real world way! Thank you. I could never get my head around modes before. I have tended to shy away from using them or thinking about them, but now I'm gonna give it a try!
I always knew you are a very good teacher. Thanks from Chile
Thank you, having just discovered you a few months ago, you have been really helping me with my jazz and understanding of chord structures, between you and Corey Hall for ragtime music, I have been learning much keep up the good work.
This is so inspiring! Thank you ❣️
As someone who's barely getting started with keyboards... This sounds like a fantastic way of warming up. A few tweaks to beginner excercises and you've got modal studies
Perfect timing on this video. I've been focusing on the modes as a means to really understand the banjo fingerboard for a while now, but it's always seemed like a sterile exercise. Playing through them on the piano as you did really makes *hearing* them and *feeling* them much easier. Plus, using the key of G for your explanation makes every banjo player happy.
You are an excellent teacher, Aimee! Love your emphasis not just on theory, but on how theory relates to feel and emotion. For me, theory and technique are the vehicle- soul is the goal. Thank you for your wonderful, inspiring videos.
what amazing pedagogy, thank you so much for the efforts!
This is a top quality explanation. Thank you!
I'm subscribed, im astonished!! im a producer and a musician who has to rely on his ear due to having some learning difficulties but its taken me on a journey im grateful for but I've just learned more here than i have in 20 yrs, im really blown away, thank you
Very well explained, such a Genius!
'That's what they're for... each of them [modes] have their own mood'. Wonderful explanation, Aimee.
I’ve struggled to understand the use cases for modes in improv/composition for years! This video really helped clear it up for me. Thank you!
As You explain it = crystal clear. Then I realize that it's years ahead of ME. Love that "SPLIT SCREEN" view. So great to watch as well as listen.
Great video as always, thanks! 💖
Thank you Aimee. You are the best!
Brilliantly put 🙌 Thank you
Thank you Aimee for posting such valuable content.You, Rick Beato and David Bennett have helped me grow in my understanding of Music Theory.
I feel so honored to be able to listen to your Masterful teachings. Have a great weekend.
Tomorrow I intend to rehearse those
10 swinging songs vocally. I'm so excited.😍🎉😁
This was a very informative video! In music theory class, our instructor tried to explain the modes with some kind of weird chart that I can no longer remember. It was not at all intuitive, and as a result, most of the students were confused by his explanation. Fortunately, one of the jazz players in the class explained the various modes the way you did in this video, and it all made sense. It's so much easier to think about modes in the way you explained it. But no one explained to us when to use the various modes. That was indeed very helpful, especially when comes to using the locrian mode. Thanks again Professor Aimee!
Thankyou Aimee for helping me to make more sence out of the modes.
WOW! After playing piano for 50 years or so (whoops, I'm revealing my age HaHa!) You have helped me finally understand how the heck to play around with the modes! You're the best Aimee, I wish you had been my piano teacher when I was growing up! XO
Beautiful video. A real eye opener, thank you.
Lovely introduction to the modes, Aimee.
Brilliant video, that is perhaps the best explanation I've EVER(!!!) heard. Thank you.
Thanks so much for this great explanation!
This is one of the clearest explanations, especially coming from someone who plays more classical music. The way you compare each mode to the starting point's major key is super-helpful. I went to Berklee and the modes would always trip me up. Hence my move to more classical playing. Thanks for the great video!
This Is the BEST explanation which I have heard! I FINALLY feel like I get it.
I’m so happy one of your videos popped up on TikTok! Thanks for posting this.
A great explanation Aimee.
Thank you Aimee. I see the light now !
Amazing teaching as always!
OMG! I think I finally understand! Thank-you!
Glad it helped!
Great teaching Aimee. Thanks.
Modal 🎼🎶🎵 Theory's Spiritual & Extremely Fun To Understand Yet Within Proper Context Of Study Application Of Performance Practice--Great Good Job Aimee!!
Thank you, Aimee. I have always thought of the modes as degrees of the major scale. I think sometimes we overcomplicate things. Just trying to make beautiful music! Appreciate your work, Aimee.
Thanks, Aimee! I'm beginning to understand.
Thank you very much for sharing this!
I just want you to know appreciate your talent and your disposition as a persin
That should have been how much I appreciate your talent and you as a person. Not just a great teacher but a great disposition. Sorry for the previous text, I pressed send by mistake while trying to correct some stuff. Wishing the best for you and your family in this New Year.
great lesson on actually feeling and responding to the defining intervals of each mode on an emotional and imaginative level.
Smarter every day with this fantastic musician. Thanks for letting us pick your brain.
Hi Aimee, thank you again for your very generous spirit. Much here to absorb!
21:46 I love this chart. I’ve seen the top half, but your sorting by type of seventh chord on the tonic of the mode is fresh and helpful.
I see a lot of comments questioning why modes are named the way they are, and why they are useful vs just thinking in the relative major or minor scale. For those folks, here’s my understanding, maybe it will help.
All of the modes are named after the note that is their tonic or “home” note (the 1 in this chart). Two of these modes are the classical major and minor scales (Ionian and Aeolian, respectively). Looking at the collection of modes all together, they fall into a pattern of light to dark as several commenters noted. My version of this is that if Ionian is the “standard” major scale, the Lydian is a little brighter or “more major” and the Mixolydian is a little darker or “less major” while Aeolian is the ‘standard’ minor, the Dorian is a little “less minor” and the Phrygian is a little “more minor” as evidenced by the sharp or flats relative to the parallel major scale. The Locrian is the “diminished” or “super minor” mode.
As to how they are used, everything we play has a melodic and a harmonic aspect. When we compose we often think of melodies within a harmonic progression like ii-IV-V-I. If we play the same melody and harmonic progression in a different mode, it changes flavor because of the added or reduced major or minor qualities of the mode.
Modal jazz, especially, but other genres as well, playfully move from one mode or scale to another using a chord that is present in both the current and the subsequent mode or scale as a pivot point in the piece.
In all this, keep in mind that we are simply being playful in a classical music sandbox that is constrained by selecting 7 (diatonic) sounds out of 12 potential (chromatic) sounds or notes to use at a given moment. Playing in a nonstandard mode (i.e., not major or minor) or moving among modes allows us to expand our sandbox to add variety and flavor to our music. It’s all just play.
More helpful than all the chapters on modes in my jazz harmony books combined. Thanks Aimee
I love that explanation!
It's a year later, but I just want to say that this *finally* helped me understand modes. Thank you, Aimee!
I love this video, Thank you!
I really liked how you threw Impressions in there. It sounded beautiful.
Excellent lesson, Aimee! Effective choice and use of jazz standards/pop tunes to illustrate.
Great lesson! Great pedagogy!
This is a helpful way of thinking about the modes, thanks Aimee! When I pick up the guitar, I will occasionally set myself a challenge that I can only play in (insert mode here) for the next 5 - 10 minutes. It always takes me interesting places and breaks me out of the playing the same old blues licks. 🙂
Thank you so much, so inspiring!
Excellent video. Love the Moods.
I think people get confused because so many teach modes and not talk about what is the sound of that mode. Like Dorian is a minor with a natural 6th. What chords would you use over it. If you're comping in Dorian what triads are you using to imply the dorian sound. What is the formula for a Dorian mode so you can build one from scratch and not think in shifting a major scale around. Really get into the sound of the mode and both chordally and melodically. Then apply that to all the modes. Then move on to the modes of the Melodic Minor the other scale with very useful modes for modern music.
Music is sound and should always be taught from a sound perspective and avoid formula and tricks like shifting a scale around. Shifting a scale is helpful when trying to create fingering for scale, but not helpful for learning the sound.
Another Toortog sighting? What would Peter and Adam think? Hehe, kidding! Toortog, I think the same way and it's taken me years to realize that you need to really HEAR your theory in order to make music with it. That means you have to re conceptualize everything into a medium that you can sing and hear, both on your instrument and away from it. The primacy of sound helps us internalize tunes as well--at least it is with my own studies. Memorizing and recalling chord names never quite worked for me when I played jam sessions, so I'd bury my head in the Real Books. In the last couple of months, I've totally changed how I learn tunes. I sing the melody. I sing the root movement. I sing the thirds. I learn the lyrics as much as I can. Sound sticks better than sight. Makes sense because it is music we are talking about, after all.
Unfortunately, this type of dialogue always seems to get me into trouble. I guess it ain't worth it if you always play it safe, eh? Aimee knows where it's at. Maybe Adam will bring her on for a Guided Practice Session? Wait, did that already happen?
@@pickinstone Before I switch over to piano from guitar I spent a couple years getting hang on the Steve Coleman conference calls talking about all kinds of music and music history and on and on. He talked a lot about things he learned from the early Jazz masters from talk to as many as he could. One of the main things I got out of it that ears was everything to them and part of why they didn't tend to answer questions verbally they would play you answers. The one of the things Coleman talked about that really stuck with me was how the old master didn't talk about scales and such they would talk about pitch collections. The reason was as soon as you say major, minor, dorian, and so on, you are now limiting how you think by thing "what major lines or chords do I know". By not putting putting the label major on and just looking at something as a collection of pitches you use your ear and think what can I do with these notes.
Every thing needs to be learn from the sound first then later learn there is a label for it.
True
Modes are about feeling and emotion...why play Phrygian? to emote a sneaky dark feeling...what to party -- play Mixolydian ! etc. From there its about the "tone center" and "the note of interest" For example, when playing Lydian, feature the #4 as the note of interest.
The absolute best explanation on modes I’ve seen
This really helps. Thanks!
Love this! Thank you!
Hey. You have a serious gift for teaching. Thanks for this.
I do love when you play and sing, but these lessons are what makes your channel so good. Another "A HA!" moment watching this. I know what modes are, but this simple demonstration of how to apply them is a bit of a game changer for me. Don't get those too often, so thanks, Aimee, for doing these videos.
Thank you, I understand now and I'll try to put some of my style into to create some cool stuff I never would of thought of. Thank you!
This was excellent. Thanks.
tyvm that was wonderful!
Great presentation!