Trying to understand writing with Modes

[mrtinkle]

Hi all,

first let met say I'm very new to piano (and the forum!) but not to music. I'm a very accomplished guitarist but my general music theory is limited as I find it hard to understand certain things from a learning difficulty I have. I'm a kinesthetic learner so I have to do things practically for them to sink in...

 I've recently started learning piano, as it's something I've always wanted to do, and also I want to expand my writing knowledge. I find the piano is easier to understand things from +  I have a new found interest in traditional English folk music and baroque which I'm keen to explore. I'm trying to get a better understanding of composers writing techniques as I'd like to experiment with applying them to my music.

Anyway, enough rambling...

I'm currently playing around with this mode C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B, C (Aeolian?) and what I'm trying to understand is, generally speaking, if you're writing with modes and want chords to accompany your melody do you build those chords out of the notes of the mode?

For example:

Left hand: E♭ + C + E♭ (not sure what chord that makes)
Right hand: G, G,

Left hand: F + B + D (again, sorry I need to learn the proper chord names)
Right hand:  A♭, C,

Left hand: E♭ + C + E♭
Right hand: B, F

Left hand: F + B + D
Right hand: G

Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers,  

[louish10]

The mode your playing in at the moment is the harmonic minor. I dont know a whole lot about composing with the modes however I know they are used a lot more in jazz music than in traditional classical however I do believe that you build the chords out of your scale. If you really want to know how to use the modes look at scores on IMSLP which are modal and try to figure out what the composer has done. I'm sorry I cant name any specific pieces but I'm sure a quick google search will satisfy you.

[keyboardclass]

If you really want to understand modes go back to basics - find a book on species counterpoint.

[iansinclair]

There is a moderately easy way to cope with modes with a piano: consider each one (there are eight in the Gregorian scheme) to begin on a white key, and then the scale for that mode is made up of the white keys from there up (when one is singing them, it is the sequence of whole and half steps which counts, not the pitch one begins on) with the beginning key the tonic or home note.  If one wanted to use chords related to a given mode, then yes only the notes within the mode are used -- but chords were not used, or at least not thought of as such.  If there was more than one voice line, each was considered as an independent line, not as bits of a chord.

There are other scales than the eight modes, of course.  There is the whole tone scale -- only whole steps.  There are any number of pentatonic scales.

[cjp_piano]

As stated, that's harmonic minor, not really a mode. I would suggest just improvising with your scale/mode in the RH and one single bass note in the LH. Then you will get a sense of what you like.

[ajspiano]

I would start with the major scale (it has minor modes, aeolian or natural minor is based on the 6th degree), not the harmonic minor - purely on the basis that the more basic chord's are simpler and the harmony is kinder to the less experienced ear, though maybe that doesn't concern you if you're used to complex jazz harmony from guitar.

Without writing a whole essay (rather just making one simple point), lets just argue that you're going to play/compose in the lydian mode of a given major key. Lets say C for simplicity.

The only difference between the F lydian scale and the F ionian scale (standard major) is the B in place of Bb. If you build a chord based on the 1/3/5/7 degrees they sound the same in either mode. The critical note is the B or Bb. So if you have your chord in isolation (as in its not part of a progression), in order for the ear to recognise that its lydian, you MUST play the B natural.

Doing so would allow you to begin an improv/compostion on an F chord, and create the sense of being in C major for the listener, if you did not do this (play the B) your listener would likely perceive the piece to be in F major..

Use of such critical notes allows you to treat the listener to clear changes in harmonic direction without using the tonic chord of the key you move to, or having to play multiple chords in a key.

/end random harmony rant.