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Modes within a key in terms of chord structure....

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(@jay_ashcroft)
Trusted Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 31
Topic starter  

Depending on how well i can phrase this thought in my head depends how well you guys are gonna get me so here it goes!

i have a pretty sound knowledge of theory but this one thing is bugging me, where do chords in a scale come from, i'm assuming they come from the modes but want to clarify.

Lets take the key of C.

I II III IV V VI VII I
C D E F G A B C

My question is does Dminor come from the D dorian mode as opposed to diatonically from the C major scale...
The E minor come from the E Phrygian and so on...

This must sound really confusing, it's not easy to get across what i'm thinking in my head!

Well thanks anyway.


   
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(@noteboat)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4921
 

Chords come from harmonizing the major scale, and have nothing to do with modes.

If you take a major scale:

C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

and you play the first, third, and fifth notes (C-E-G) you get a major chord.

If you take that scale, and play every other note on each scale degree, you get this pattern:

G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G
E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E
C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

That's called harmonizing the scale. The chords that you get will be major-minor-minor-major-major-minor-diminished.

Harmonizing any scale is done that way.

Modes don't have chords, except for the Ionian (major scale) and Aeolian (minor scale). Harmony grew up around major/minor tonality; modes were plainsong - melody only.

There's a thing called modal harmony, but it's not really related to modes either, and the chords used in modal harmony also come from the major/minor scales.

Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL


   
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(@jay_ashcroft)
Trusted Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 31
Topic starter  

Thankyou Noteboat, that was what i originally thought but then some guy was arguing that the modes are the basis of chord structure (how i described it) and it threw me off so thought id get a definite answer.

Thanks! :wink:


   
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(@kingpatzer)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 2171
 

From what I'm reading, there are at least two valid ways to look at this stuff.

Noteboat's perspective that modes have nothing to do with harmony is one way.

Another way is to look at harmony as being created by having multiple melodies in different modes layering on top of each other.

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST


   
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(@garytalley)
Trusted Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 54
 

And one of those ways is infinitely simpler than the other. I'm going with Noteboat on that one.

creator of #1 video"Guitar Playing for Songwriters"


   
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