Major Modes – Hands-Free Ear Training 17

The major modes are any mode where the first scale degree can be harmonized as a major chord, and all of these can be heard as slight variations of the major scale. The full playlist is available on my Patreon for 1$ with audio downloads, but will gradually be made available on this channel for free. See below for links and a listener’s guide.

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A lot of people are introduced to modes the same way. You learn that the white keys on the piano, C to C, are the C major scale, also known as the Ionian Mode. What if you go D to D, still only playing the white keys? That would be the Dorian Mode, and so on. Modes are just a major scale, but starting and ending on different notes. This is a good way to conceptually learn what modes are, but I’ve found that it’s not a good way to actually hear them. What I do is group the modes into harmonic categories: Major, Minor, and Diminished. The major modes sound almost exactly like the major scale, with a single variation.

Ionian Mode – This is identical to the Major Scale. I’ve heard it argued that the Ionian Mode historically functions slightly differently than a modern Major Scale, but this is a little too hair-splitting for a practical teacher like me.

Lydian Mode – This is my favorite mode, thanks for asking. It sounds exactly like a major scale with a sharp scale degree 4. The thing I like about this scale is that both the tonic (1) and dominant (5) scale degrees essentially have their own leading tones. Scale degree 7 is only a half step below one, and scale degree 4 is now only a half step below 5 as well.

Mixolydian Mode – This mode rocks. A lot of classic rock guitar riffs use the natural minor scale because they really love the heaviness of the flat 7th scale degree (subtonic). The Mixolydian Mode is just a major scale with a subtonic instead of a leading tone for scale degree 7, giving it both brightness and heaviness. “Cult of Personality” is a classic example of a guitar riff that uses the Mixolydian Mode.

In these examples, all you need to do is listen to if scale degree 4 or 7 differs from the major scale. If 4 is sharp, it’s Lydian. If 7 is flat, it’s Mixolydian.

Learning your intervals will allow your ear to instantly recognize the distance between any two pitches. Chromatic intervals encompass all of the possible distances commonly heard between two notes. We are staying within an octave because it is extremely uncommon for an interval to go beyond an octave. The full playlist is available on my Patreon for 1$ with audio downloads, but will gradually be made available on this channel for free. See below for links and a listener’s guide.

Thanks to @BrandonWalid, Martin Shaw, Tóth Ákos, Austin Kwan, and Rafael Belor for proof-watching this video.

CONTACT: joe@luegerswriter.com

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