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Bases For Scales, Chords, Modes 2
Bases For Scales, Chords, Modes 2
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Modes:
If we make a scale departing from each one of steps of scale we will find seven
scales called modes.
Achademics call them with greek names:
Jonian (I), Dorian (II), Frigian (III), Lidian(IV),
Mixolidian (V), Eolian (VI), Locrian (VII).
It is most practical to call them with ordinal numbers:
First mode (I), Second mode (II), Third mode (III), Fourth mode (IV)
Fifth mode (V), Sixth mode (VI), Seventh mode (VII).
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Bases for Scales, Chords and Modes 7
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Antique modes were used in Gregorian chant. Monks and religious people sang
"a capella", it is without instrumental accompaniment, although sometimes they
used organ playing melody at unison or in "organum".
This was a style of playing organ in three parallel voices: melody, suboctave and
fifth between them, and sometimes they sang in these three parallel voices in
chorus.
At the end of 15 Century they began accompany unison voices with organ in triads,
adding the third in a modal harmony.
They used modes as tonalities. For example a song in phrygian mode began and
finished in third note of scale, using that mode along all the song.
All classical harmony consists in the management of those elements that you have
discovered and learnt by yourself in this lesson.
Main difference between Classical and jazz harmony is this:
Classical harmony works with triads, and any other sound is a dissonance that must
be solved.
Bases for Scales, Chords and Modes 8
Jazz harmony works with chords of four and more sounds, and here we don't
speak about dissonance but about tension chords.
Next lesson will be about Basic Jazz chords.
Practise all exercises in this lesson until mastering them. So you will
save in subconscious all bases of music, your fingers are learning to do
their job, and you will develop a great ear training.