To create modal music, a few ingredients need to be present:
- Clear Tonal Centre
- Tonic Chord Harmony Established
- Presence Of Characteristic Note.
The characteristic note must be present in any one (or more) of the following elements
- melody
- harmony
- harmonic extensions (chord tensions)
- bass
What Is a Tonal Centre?
The tonal centre of a song is the single strongest note that the whole passage or song wants to resolve to.
The opposite would be atonal music where no one particular note seems to be stronger than the others. Modal music is functional, in that the colours of each mode are perceived in relation to the tonal centre. Without a tonal centre, there’s a sense of ambiguity.
What Is a Tonic Chord?
A tonic chord is the chord the passage or song wants to resolve to. It is not always the first chord of the passage or song.
A chord requires two or more notes usually stacked in thirds. So a tonic chord, is a cluster of notes that a passage or song wants to come back to. IE. A major or minor chord. Much popular music has a tonic chord which corresponds to the key the song is written or played in. Very often, the tonic chord is the one used to end a song. It is not always the first chord!
What is a Characteristic Note?
When we talk about modes (7 note scales), many of them contain some of the same notes as one another. There is however, generally one note that differentiates it from the others.
A characteristic note is a note within a mode that distinguishes it from another mode with the same tonic chord
For detailed examples, see my previous post on characteristic notes. They will also be listed in the latter section of this post.
You can write a modal chord progression OR one chord vamp that follows all three parameters in that the sound of the mode can be heard in the sequence/vamp.
How To Make a One chord Modal Vamp:
A D-7 alone (D F A C) does not imply any singular mode on its own. Why?
Modes are really the differences in chord extensions (9, 11, and 13). Chord tones do not usually contain characteristic notes
It’s actually seldom that any tonic triad or 7th chord contains a characteristic note. That is because most of them are the 9, 11, 13 tensions. In other words, not the chord tones, but rather the in between notes or extensions.
If we change D-7 to be either D-6 or D-7(13), there is the characteristic note (B) inside of the harmony. This can imply D Dorian. The D F A notes setup the minor sound, and the B adds the colour. Dorian is the only minor mode derived from the major scale that contains a natural 6th/13th.
The three ingredients to make a repeating D-7 (D F A C) vamp modal would be the characteristic note to be present in:
- a melody over top
- a bass line underneath
- A tension in the chord added
Similarly, an FMaj7 chord alone does not imply any singular mode for the same reason. There is no modal characteristic note in it. Adding the note B into the chord voicing (Fmaj7b5 or FMaj7#11) would suffice to make it sound lydian which contains a #4 or #11. b5 in this case is the same note…B.
So in summary, a one chord Modal Vamp needs:
- A Tonic Chord
- A characteristic modal note
That Characteristic modal note can be:
- A tension (9, 11, or 13 and all variants) added into the tonic chord
- In the bass line
- In the melody of a passage or song
- In an improvised passage
How To Make A Modal Chord Sequence:
This requires at least two chords:
- the tonic chord
- one other chord that contains the characteristic note of the mode.
IE: Phrygian
|C-7 |DbMaj7 |C-7 |/ / / / |
The C-7 is the tonic chord. Minor 7 chords do not inherently contain a modal characteristic note. The DbMaj7 chord contains scale degree b2 (or b9).
Put it this way:
C-7 = C Eb G Bb. DbMaj7 = Db F Ab C.
Put those notes together sequentially and you get:
C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C
This is a C Phrygian scale. All of the notes of the chords are found in this scale.
Wait, Couldn’t those chords be Ab Major?
Yes, however, the differentiating factor is the tonic chord. There is no AbMaj or AbMaj7 chord in that sequence. You wouldn’t therefore perceive Ab to be the tonal centre. The sequence starts on C-7 and ends on it. The ear is more likely to hear that as the primary chord, and the DbMaj7 as the secondary chord.
Lydian
|FMaj7 |GMaj |FMaj7 |/ / / / |
Aeolian
|A-7 | Fmaj7 |A-7 |/ / / / |
Pure Modal vs Modal Interchange:
Pure Modal Music
Pure modal music is when the melody and harmony contain only notes in a given mode.
Modal Interchange
Modal Interchange is when the music shifts from one mode to another WITH THE SAME TONIC.
This is actually the most common way modes are used in popular music. A splash of color here and there. It’s rare that an entire song is written strictly in any of the exotic modes. Many times the sound of the mode comes from one of the secondary chords, and not simply the tonic chord with a modal melody. Common examples would be:
C Ionian To C Dorian:
CMaj | F7 |CMaj | G/B |
IMaj | IV7 | IMaj | V/7 |
Here, the F7 adds the notes Eb and A. The Eb is scale degree b3 and A is scale degree 6 of a Dorian scale.
C Ionian To C Phrygian:
CMaj7 | DbMaj7 | CMaj7 |/ / / / |
IMaj7 | bIIMaj7 | IMaj7 | / / / / |
DbMaj7 contains the notes Db and Ab which are scale degrees b2 and b6 implying the darkness of the phrygian mode.
C Ionian To C Lydian:
CMaj7 | G7 | F#-7(b5) | FMaj7 |
IMaj7 | V7 | #IV-7(b5) | IVMaj7 |
The F#-7(b5) contain the notes E and F# which are scale degrees 3 and #4 implying Lydian.
Complete Characteristic Modal Chords Index
What follows is just raw data without context. The idea here is that chords can be freely borrowed from any parallel mode with the same or tonal centre. Two modes with the same starting note but different secondary notes (IE C Lydian and C Locrian) are said to be parallel. Two modes with different starting notes but contain the same secondary notes (IE C Phrygian and Eb Mixolydian) are said to be relative.
IE: a bIIMaj7 here, a #IV° there. More is not always better however. Just know that the more outside chords there are, their effect can be lessened if the tonal centre becomes more obscure. Modes are functional meaning they point to a tonal centre. Stacking more and more non-diatonic harmony into a sequence muddies the water pretty quickly
The sound of any mode can be baked into the chord sequence by establishing the the tonic chord as home…. and having at least one characteristic chord present which has the key color note of the mode. Many of the colour notes are not chord tones of the tonic chord, which is why many modes require at least two chords to get the sound across. The characteristic chords are in bold and underlined.
Note… any triad or 7th chord can be modified to use non tertiary chords so long as the notes are diatonic to the mode.
Ie: Sus2, Sus4, Maj6, min6, min7(#5), Maj7sus2, Maj7sus4, 7sus4, 7sus4b5, and power chords can all be substituted where applicable.
What’s With all the Roman Numerals?
These show the interval of the root of each chord above the tonic chord.
- II = scale degree 2
- bII = scale degree b2
- #IV = scale degree #4
21 Modes in a nutshell
What follows is a complete list of the 7 modes generated by the major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scale. It serves as a way to see each mode at a glance to compose unique chord combinations.
Where applicable an asterisk (*) is used to denote either chord sus (2 or 4) or alternate chords using enharmonics. IE, b4 can be natural 3. b6 can be #5. Etc
Modes Of The Major Scale
| Mode Name | Diatonic Triads | Diatonic 7ths | Tonic Chord (I) | Characteristic Note | Characteristic Triad Chords | Characteristic 7th Chords |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ionian | I maj II min III min IV maj V maj VI min VII dim | I maj7 II min7 III min7 IV maj7 V dom7 VI min7 VII min7(b5) | Maj Maj6 Maj7 *sus2 *sus4 | 4 | II min IV VII dim | II min7 IV maj7 V dom7 VII min7(b5) |
| Dorian | I min II min bIII maj IV maj V min VI dim bVII maj | I min7 II min7 bIII maj7 IV7 V min7 VI min7(b5) bVII maj7 | min min6 min7 *sus2 *sus4 | 6 | II min IV maj VI dim | II-7 IV7 VI-7(b5) bVIIMaj7 |
| Phrygian | I min bII maj bIII maj IV min V dim bVI maj bVII min | I min7 bII maj7 bIII maj7 IV dom7 V min7(b5) bVI maj7 bVII min7 | min min7 *min(#5) *sus4 | b2 | bII maj V dim bVII min | bIImaj7 bIII dom7 V min7(b5) bVII min7 |
| Lydian | Imaj IImaj III- #IVdim Vmaj VI- VII- | I maj7 II dom7 III min7 #IV min7(b5) V maj7 VI min7 VII min7 | maj maj6 maj7 *maj7b5 *sus2 | #4 | II #IVdim VIImin | II7 #IV min7(b5) V maj7 VII min7 |
| Mixolydian | I maj II min III dim IV maj V min VI min bVII maj | I dom7 II min7 III min7(b5) IV maj7 V min7 VI min7 bVII maj7 | maj maj6 dom7 *sus2 *sus4 | b7 | III dim V min bVII maj | I7 III min7(b5) V min7 bVII maj7 |
| Aeolian | I min II dim bIII maj IV min V min bVI maj bVII maj | I min7 II min7(b5) bIII maj7 IV min7 V min bVI maj7 bVII dom7 | I min I min6 I min7 *sus2 *sus4 | b6 | II dim IV min bVI maj | II min7(b5) IV min7 bVI maj bVII dom7 |
| Locrian | I dim bII Maj bIII min IV min bV maj bVI maj bVII min | I min7(b5) bII maj7 bIII min7 IVmin dom7 bV maj7 bVI dom7 bVII min7 | I dim I min7(b5) *sus4 | b5 | I dim bIII min bV maj | I min7(b5) bIII min7 bV maj7 bVI dom7 |
Modes Of the Harmonic Minor Scale
| Mode Name | Diatonic Triads | Diatonic 7ths | Tonic Chord (I) | Characteristic Note | Unique Triad Combinations | Unique 7th Chord Combinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harmonic Minor | I min II dim bIII aug IV min V maj bVI maj VII dim | I min(maj7) II min7(b5) bIII maj(#5) IV min V dom7 bVI maj7 VII dim7 | Maj Maj6 Maj7 *sus2 *sus4 | b6 7 | I min IV min V maj bVI maj | I min(maj7) V dom7 bVI Maj7 |
| Locrian Natural 6 | I dim bII aug bIII min IV maj bV maj VI dim bVII min | I min7(b5) bII maj7(#5) bIII min7 IV dom7 bV maj7 VI dim7 bVII min(maj7) | dim min7(b5) *sus2 | b2 6 | I dim IV maj bII aug bV maj | I min7(b5) bII maj7(#5) bV maj7 bVII min(maj7) |
| Ionian Augmented (#5) | I aug II min III maj IV maj #V dim VI min VII dim | I maj7(#5) II min7 III dom7 IV maj7 #V dim7 VI min(maj) VII min7(b5) | aug maj7(#5) *sus2 *sus4 | 4 #5 | I aug IV maj #V dim | I maj7(#5) IV maj7 #V dim7 |
| Dorian #4 | I min II maj bIII maj #IV dim V min VI dim bVII aug | I min7 II dom7 bIII maj7 #IV dim7 V min(maj7) VI min7(b5) bVII maj7(#5) | min min6 min7 *min7(b5) *sus2 | #4 6 | Imin #IV dim Vmin VI dim | I min6 #IV dim7 V min(maj7) VI min7(b5) |
| Mixolydian b2 b6 | I maj bII maj III dim IV min V dim bVI aug bVII min | I dom7 bII maj7 III dim7 IV min(maj7) V min7(b5) bVI maj7(#5) bVII min7 | maj dom7 *dom7(#5) *sus4 | b2 b6 bb7 | III dim V dim bbVII maj | I7 bII maj7 V min7(b5) bbVII min7 |
| Lydian #2 | I maj #II dim III min #IV dim V aug VI min VII maj | I maj7 #II dim7 III min(maj7) #IV min7(b5) V maj7(#5) VI min7 VII dom7 | maj maj6 maj7 *min6 *min7 | #2 *#9 #4 | #IIdim #IV dim V aug | #II dim7 #IV min7(b5) V maj7(#5) |
| Double Diminished | I dim bII min bIII dim bIV aug bV min bVI maj bbVII maj | I dim7 bII min(maj7) bIII min7(b5) bIV maj7(#5) bV min7 bVI dom7 bbVII maj7 | dim dim7 | b5 bb7 | I dim bIII dim bV min | I dim7 bV min7 bbVI maj7 |
Modes Of The Melodic Minor Scale
| Mode Name | Diatonic Triads | Diatonic 7ths | Tonic Chord (I) | Characteristic Note | Unique Triad Chords | Unique 7th Chords |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melodic Minor | I min II min bIII aug IV maj V maj VI dim VII dim | I min(maj7) II min7 bIII maj(#5) IV dom7 V dom7 VI min7(b5) VII min7(b5) | min min6 min(maj7) *sus2 *sus4 | 6 7 | I min IV maj bIII aug VI dim | I min(maj7) IV dom7 VI dim |
| Dorian b2 | I min bII aug bIII maj IV maj V dim VI dim bVII min | I min7 bII maj7 (#5) bIII dom7 IV dom7 V min7(b5) VI min7(b5) bVII min(maj7) | min min6 min7 *sus4 | b2 6 | I min IV maj bII aug VI dim | I min7 bII maj7(#5) bVII min(maj7) |
| Lydian #5 (Lydian Augmented) | I aug II maj III maj #IV dim #V dim VI min VII min | I maj7(#5) II dom7 III dom7 #IV min7(b5) #V min7(b5) VI min(maj7) VII min7 | Aug maj7(#5) *sus2 | #4 #5 | I aug II maj #IV dim #5 dim | Imaj7(#5) II dom7 #IV min7(b5) #V min7(b5) |
| Lydian b7 | I maj II maj III dim #IV dim V min VI min bVII aug | I dom7 II dom7 III min7(b5) #IV min7(b5) V min(maj7) VI min7 bVII maj7(#5) | maj maj6 Dom7 *Dom7b5 *sus2 | #4 b7 | Imaj #IV dim bVII aug | I dom7 #IV min7(b5) bVII maj7(#5) |
| Mixolydian b6 | I maj II dim III dim IV min V min bVI aug bVII maj | I dom7 II min7(b5) III min7(b5) IV min(maj7) V min7 bVI maj7(#5) bVII dom7 | maj dom7 *dom7(#5) *sus2 *sus4 | b6 b7 | I maj IV min V min bVI aug | I dom7 V min7 bVI aug |
| Locrian natural 2 | I dim II dim bIII min IV min bV aug bVI maj bVII maj | I min7(b5) II min7(b5) bIII min(maj7) IV min7 bV maj7(#5) bVI dom7 bVII dom7 | I dim I min7(b5) *sus2 | 2 b5 | I dim IV min IIdim bV aug | I min7(b5) II min7(b5) bV maj7(#5) bVII dom7 |
| Super Locrian (Altered Scale) | I dim bII min bIII min bIV aug bV maj bVI maj bVII dim | I min7(b5) bII min(maj7) bIII min7 bIV maj7(#5) bV dom7 bVI dom7 bVII min7(b5) | dim min7(b5) * aug * dom7(#5) * dom7(b5) | b2 b4 b5 * 3 * #5 | dim aug bIII min bV maj | I dom7(b5) bII min(maj7) bIII min7 bV dom7 |