The Major Scale and its modes

Here are the seven modes of the Major Scale shown in a paralel approach with all the scales starting on the same root. I found that playing modes this way was an ear-opener to me when I first started learning about modes. Rather than viewing them from the same major scale (C Major, D Dorian, E Phyrgian etc. -all are from C Major), by playing the modes from the same root, you get a better sense of how the modes sound in relation to one another.

Although I’ve written them in the order that they appear in the major scale in the handout, I actually tend to organize them by the chord they go with:

Major Chord Scales
Ionian
Lydian

Minor Chord Scales
Dorian
Phrygian
Aeolian

Dominant Chord Scale
Mixolydian

Min7(b5) Chord Scale
Locrian

In terms of naming the modes (when someone asks – what are the notes of “your mode of choice”), I usually derive them by changing the notes from the major scale off the same root.

For instance,

To get Bb Lydian,

First, I think of the notes of Bb Major:

Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

and then I sharp the fourth (because the difference between Lydian and Ionian is the sharped 4th in Lydian) – resulting in:

Bb C D E F G A Bb

Here is the information summarized in a chart: (Click on it for a larger version)

I’ll blog more on this in a future post! Like always, feel free to e-mail me at guitarharmony at gmail dot com should you have any questions.

Till later, play on!

Chord Voicings: Part 1

These are very typical and useful voicings for root position chords with the roots on the 5th string of the guitar. Click on the image to view it full size. I will post more voicings as they relate to jazz chord progressions in the future.

Also, you can listen to me play the examples on my very first audio lesson:

Till later, play on!

Common Chord Progressions: Part 1

Here are some common chord progressions that is found in contemporary music (and classical too).

1. I Maj7 VImin7 II-7 V7
2. I Maj7 #Io7 II-7 V7
3. IMaj V/3 VI-7 V7
4. IMaj7 IImin7 IIImin7 IImin7
5. II-7 V7 Io7 IMaj7
6. IMaj7 IVMaj7 IVmin7 CMaj7

Melodic Minor Part 4: The augmented triad

Looking at the diatonic triads built on C Melodic Minor, we will find one augmented triad in the scale:

I min = Cmin
IImin = Dmin
bIIIaug = Ebaug
IV maj = F
V maj = G
VI dim = Adim
VII dim = Bdim

which is Eb+

The chord tones of the Eb augmented triad are:

Eb, G and B

Also, all the inversions of this triad will also be root position augmented triads from the lowest note, hence:

Eb aug = G aug = B aug

Symetrical relationships such as this are very useful for guitar players as they provide a great visual resourse for us in understanding and improvising over the scale. After all, 3 notes out of the 7 notes from the scale is a lot!

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Ways to practice

1. Figure out two-octave fingerings for the aug triad, practice with metronome to develop fluency.
2. Figure out whole range of guitar fingering (3 octave plus) for all augmented triads. (Since all augmented triads have three possible roots, there are really only four augmented triads!)
3. Play different chords from the melodic minor scale and figure out the note relationship of the augmented triad to the chord you chose.

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Till later, play on!

Melodic Minor Part 3: Triad over bass realisations

Continuing analysis from the previous post, we’ll start off with triads off the 5th of the chord.

Gmin/C – Cmin7(9) no 3rd
Adim/D – D7(b9) no 3rd, Dmin7(b9) modal voicing
Bdim/Eb – EbMaj7(#5)9 no 3rd
Cmin/F – F7(9) no 3rd
Dmin/G – G7(9) no 3rd
Ebaug/A – A-7(b5) no 3rd
F/B – Altered-dominant type hybrid voicing, B7(b5,b9) no 3rd

Looking at this list, basically there are 5 kinds of resultant hybrid chords (hybrid chords are triad over bass without 3rds)

1. Minor Triad on 5th/Root – occurs on 1st,4th and 5th degrees of the scale
2. Major Triad on b5/Root – occurs on 7th degree
3. Dim Triad on #5/Root – occurs on b3rd degree
4. Dim Triad on 5/Root – occurs on 2nd degree
4. Aug Triad on b5/Root – occurs on 6th degree

Also worth noting is that the first type in the list has two realisations in the chord scale which is as a min7(9) chord with no 3rd or as a dom7(9) chord with no 3rd.

Another thing worth highlighting is how Adim/D which occurs on the D Dorian(b2) mode is a possible dominant b9 voicing, though it may be alternately be used in the diatonic modal context of the scale as a modal dorian(b2) chord.

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Some possible exercises to explore these chords may be to:

1. play them diatonically in all keys (or in many keys)
2. Create chord progessions using them, or plug them into tunes
3. Use them as chords for comping in tunes one already knows.

In the next post, I will explore the triads over the 7th/b7th degrees of the melodic minor scale.

Till then, play on!

Hybrid Chords Part 1 – Major Triad/Bass Note

I’m checking out the different sounds I can get by playing a major triad over a bass note, both harmonically and melodically.

I picked C as my bass note, and here are the chords, (firstly with Wayne Krantz numbering system and then an analysis of sorts)

C/C – 1,3,5 C Major Triad (1,3,5)
Db/C – b2,4,b6 Csus4(b9/b13) – C Phrygian Voicing or DbMajor7(3rd inversion)
D/C – 2,b5,6 C(no 3rd,9,#11,13) – C Lydian, CLydian b7 upper structure voicing
Eb/C – b3,5,b7 Cmin7
E/C – 3,b6,7 C+Maj7
F/C – 4,6,1 Csus4(add6no5th), F triad (2 inversion)
F#/C – b5,b7,b2 C7(#11,b9)
G/C – 5,7,2 CMaj7(9)no 3rd – C Ionian, C Lydian, C Harmonic Major
Ab/C – b6,1,b3 C aeolian modal, Ab Major (1st inversion)
A/C – 6,b2,3 C7 Sym. Dom, C7 (b9,13)
Bb/C – b7,2,4 C7sus4(9)
B/C -7,b3,b5 Cdim(maj7)

Symetrical Augmented Scale: Part 1

I just recently got introduced to this scale in a more in-depth manner via Ed Tomassi’s class. This is what I get out of it so far:

The construction of it is:

Minor 3rd-Half Step-Minor 3rd-Half Step-Minor3rd-Half Step-Minor3rd-Half Step

In Notes that means:

C Symetrical Augmented
C Eb E G Ab B C
1 b3 3 5 b6 7 1

These are the main chords from the scale:

Major: C, E, Ab
Minor: Cmin, Emin, Abmin
Augmented: C+, E+, Ab+
Major 7th: CMaj7, EMaj7, AbMaj7
Aug Maj7th: C+Maj7, E+Maj7, Ab+Maj7

Will blog more about the scale as I get more into it.

Till later, play on!

Melodic Minor Part 2: On Triads From The Melodic Minor Scale

I was thinking about what triad over bass combinations one could get in a mode and how Mick Goodrick came about them in his Almanac books. This was my thought process:

Take the first triad from C Melodic Minor:

C Minor

C Eb G

Over the different bass notes from the scale:

C Minor/C – C Minor triad in root position
C Minor/D – D7sus4(b9)no fifth or D dorian(b9) modal voicing or min triad from b7 of chord/root (7susb9, Mixo(b9), Phrygian Voicing)
C Minor/Eb – C Minor triad, first inversion
C Minor/F – F7(9) no 3rd, min triad from 5 of chord/root (Dorian/Mixo voicing)
C Minor/G – C Minor triad, second inversion
C Minor/A – Amin7(b5) chord (a 7th chord quality)
C Minor/B – Baug(b9), Altered voicing, Cmin/maj7 in 3rd inversion (7th chord quality)

Looking at the list, we can see that there are three standard triads (and inversions)

C Minor/C – C Minor triad in root position
C Minor/Eb – C Minor triad, first inversion
C Minor/G – C Minor triad, second inversion

Two 7th Chord qualities:

C Minor/A – Amin7(b5) chord (a 7th chord quality)
C Minor/B – Baug(b9), Altered voicing, Cmin/maj7 in 3rd inversion (7th chord quality)

And two hybrid chords (i.e triad over bass with no 3rd in voicing)

C Minor/D – D7sus4(b9)no fifth or D dorian(b9) modal voicing or min triad from b7 of chord/root (7susb9, Mixo(b9), Phrygian Voicing)
C Minor/F – F7(9) no 3rd, min triad from 5 of chord/root (Dorian/Mixo voicing)

This leads me to the assumption that the definite usable triad over bass combinations are triad from 5 of chord/root and triad over 7 or b7 of chord/root.

In the next post, I will examine the results of this in relation to each root from the Melodic Minor mode.

Melodic Minor Part 1: The Modes of Melodic Minor

Hi everyone!

I’m starting this blog to share some of my favorite things regarding guitar harmony as well as more line-based ideas. It also acts to document my thought processes in learning some newer concepts I’m exploring. I haven’t done much in the melodic minor modes so I will start on that.

Basically, the melodic minor scale is the major scale with a b3.

Hence, C Major is:

C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

C Melodic Minor is:

C D Eb F G A B C
1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 1

There are 7 modes in the scale which are:

C Melodic Minor -From the root
D Dorian (b2) – from the 2nd degree
Eb Lydian Augmented – from the b3 degree
F Lydian b7 – from the 4th degree
G Mixo (b13) – from the 5th degree
A Locrian (natural 9) – from the 6th degree

and

B Superlocrian/ B Altered – from the 7th degree

The most commonly used of these modes are the:

7th Mode – Altered (used over Altered Dominants- dominant chords with a b13)
4th Mode – Lydian b7 (used for subV7 chord-chord resolving a half-step down and non resolving down a fifth dominant7 chords)
1st Mode – Melodic Minor (used over Tonic Minor Chord- minor 6, minor 6/9, minor/major7)

I’m currently exploring more of the b3rd degree, because it is one of the modes that I love the sound but is not really comfortably in my playing as yet. In the next post, I’m going to explore more of what lurks in the scale.

Till later, play on!