Major Scale Modes

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Instructor: Robert Mussatti Level: Intermediate Topic: Theory Style: Any Style

Excerpt: Hi, and welcome to this exciting lesson on The Modes: Music's Rubix Cube. So fasten your seat belts people! We know that the major scale is defined by the arrangement of half steps and whole steps within the 12 tones of western music. Another way to look at this is to number each note. This by far is the easiest way to think of scales rather ...

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Instructor: Robert Mussatti Level: Intermediate Topic: Theory Style: Any Style

Excerpt: Every mode has notes in it that make it different from the other modes, which are called character pitches. In the Ionian mode, the character pitches are the major 3rd and the Major 7th. |----One Octave----||----Extensions----| 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13 To see what chords can be ...

Media Length: 3:17

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Instructor: Robert Mussatti Level: Intermediate Topic: Theory Style: Any Style

Excerpt: The Dorian mode is the second mode of the major scale. In the case of this mode, the character pitch is the major 6th and is also characterized by the minor 3rd and minor 7th. |---------Octave---------||-----Extensions-----| 1–2–b3–4–5–6–b7–8–9–b10–11–12–13 Here are the chords we get ...

Media Length: 2:27

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Instructor: Robert Mussatti Level: Intermediate Topic: Theory Style: Any Style

Excerpt: The Phrygian scale is the third mode of the major scale and has a unique sound to it because of the minor second. This mode has a minor tonality because it also has the minor 3rd and minor 7th included. When the minor 2nd is raised an octave, you get a b9, which is called an altered tone. |-----------Octave-----------||-------Extensions-------| 1–b2&...

Media Length: 0:38

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Instructor: Robert Mussatti Level: Intermediate Topic: Theory Style: Any Style

Excerpt: The Lydian scale is the fourth mode of the major scale. This mode is very important in jazz music because it contains the raised 4th and in jazz, this mode is usually what is used to solo over a major chord. The Lydian mode is exactly like the major scale except it contains the #4. The sharp 4th is less dissonant then the natural 4th found in the major scal...

Media Length: 2:12

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Instructor: Robert Mussatti Level: Intermediate Topic: Theory Style: Any Style

Excerpt: Mixolydian is the 5th mode of the major scale. This is another important mode because it contains the major 3rd and the minor 7th. The interval that occurs between these 2 notes is called a tri-tone, which is also known as a #4 or b5. This is the same interval found in most dominant chords. This scale is similar to that of the major scale except for the b7...

Media Length: 2:47

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Instructor: Robert Mussatti Level: Intermediate Topic: Theory Style: Any Style

Excerpt: Aeolian is the sixth mode of the major scale. It's also known as the natural or relative minor scale. It's related to the major scale because the root of the Ionian mode is a minor 3rd up from the root of the Aeolian mode. You could also say that the root of the Ionian mode is a major 6th below the root of of the Aeolian mode. The lowered 3rd and 7th deg...

Media Length: 2:12

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Instructor: Robert Mussatti Level: Intermediate Topic: Theory Style: Any Style

Excerpt: The Locrian mode is the last mode derived from the Major Scale. It is not a mode that is used too often because of the way it is built. One of the distinguishing features of this mode is the lowered 5th. By respelling the b6 as a #5, an augmented interval exists between the root of this scale and this note. |----------Octave-------||-------extensions-----|...

Media Length: 1:14