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Modal System

The document explains the concept of modal systems in music, highlighting that playing a major scale from different starting notes creates distinct sounds due to the varying positions of semitones. It lists the seven Major Scale Modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. The key point is that the notes remain the same, but their relationship to the underlying chord changes, leading to different musical expressions.

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Gabriele Nova
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4 views1 page

Modal System

The document explains the concept of modal systems in music, highlighting that playing a major scale from different starting notes creates distinct sounds due to the varying positions of semitones. It lists the seven Major Scale Modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. The key point is that the notes remain the same, but their relationship to the underlying chord changes, leading to different musical expressions.

Uploaded by

Gabriele Nova
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

MODAL SYSTEM

If we play a major scale starting from notes different from the tonic, we obtain (even if we use the same
material) scales with different sounds, because we meet the semitones in different positions compared to
those of the major scale.

We have 7 Major Scale Modes with the following names:

ionian DO RE MI FA SOL LA SI DO
dorian RE MI FA SOL LA SI DO RE
phrygian MI FA SOL LA SI DO RE MI
lydian FA SOL LA SI DO RE MI FA
mixolydian SOL LA SI DO RE MI FA SOL
aeolian LA SI DO RE MI FA SOL LA
locrian SI DO RE MI FA SOL LA SI

The thing that has always created confusion is that it was thought that the notes played were different but
they are always the same, simply changing the relationship between the scale played and the chord.

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