Here is the usual way musicians think about applying the modes to harmony:
Harmonized C major scale
Scale Degree
Chord Name
Mode
I
C or Cmaj7
C Ionian
ii
D- or D-7
D Dorian
iii
E- or E-7
E Phrygian
IV
F or Fmaj7
F Lydian
V
G or G7
G Mixo-Lydian
vi
A- or A-7
A Aeolian
vii
B° or B-7(b5)
B Locrian
Of course there's nothing wrong with approaching the modes in this way. It's not the only way, however.
Let's try an experiment. Record this progression on whatever device you have:
| C | D- | C | D- |
Repeat it several times.
Now improvise over it using nothing but the C major scale. Sounds good, right?
Try playing the E Phrygian mode over the same progression. Does it sound any different? Not really.
Try the same progression, but play a C major scale over the C chord, and a D Dorian scale over the D- chord. Any different yet? Well, you're emphasizing the roots of the chords as they change, but it still pretty much sounds like the same ol' key of C major, right?
Try it with any of the modes listed in the chart above.
It still sounds like the key of C major, doesn't it? That's because harmony affects how a melody is perceived. I don't care what you play over that progression, it will sound like C major every single time.
By the way, our example progression isn't modal harmony--it's a major "tonality". You hear tonality all the time in pop ballads, for instance. Usually, there is a progression of many different chords that occur in one or more keys.
Modal harmony is most often characterized by short, repetitive progressions, or vamps. Modal melodies usually don't stray far from the seven notes that naturally occur in the mode.
Released in 2019: Pastoral Memory. Awarded Best Meditation Album by New Age Music Guide and Best Ambient Album by One World Music Radio.
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Released October 23, 2022: Produced and engineered by Dan Palladino.
Released May 10, 2022: Produced and engineered by Dan Palladino.
Released May 22, 2022. Dan Palladino: acoustic guitars on "Dynamite", electric guitars on "Breathe" and "King of Masquerade".
Released in March of 2020: One Minute Wonders of the World, a project conceived by Paul Landry of New Age Music Planet. 23 composers contributed one minute of music each, to create the Corona Concerto. My piece begins at 9:43, but the entire piece is a very entertaining listen. --DP
Released in 2019. Dan Palladino: electric guitars on "Butterfly", "Must Have Been", "Kumbaya (Hunt)"
Released in 2018. Lead vocals and guitar by Dan Palladino: