Modes

[moebius]

Hi, I'm new here. I'm a classical pianist who has studied Western music theory in general, but still quite new to jazz. Have quite a few questions about jazz theory, but I'll just start with one for now:

I'm confused about the use of modes. From what I've read, in Early Music, modes were used such that the first tone itself was the tonal centre, but that doesn't seem to be the case in jazz?

Am I correct to think that certain modes are the same diatonic notes of the same major key, only starting and ending at different tones? For example, D dorian is the same scale as a normal C major, only that it starts with D instead of C?

In that case, why remember modes at all? We could just remember the major scale alone, and just play the same scale starting on tones corresponding to the chord we're playing over? Or is it such that we could use modes with tones that are not diatonic to the key?

Thanks.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I used to think of modes in relation to the major scale with the same notes. This is one approach used by jazz educators for teaching improvising over chords. E.g. in C major, a Dm7 G7 sequence you would think D Dorian, G Myxolydian.

I now prefer not to use this approach, but rather to think of Dm7 and G7 using a C scale but focussed on the chord tones - see other thread(Choices).

I find it more useful to think of modes as a scale in their own right, so D Dorian has nothing really to do with C major. The tonal center of D dorian is a D and you learn the sound of Dorian as TSTTTST.

In "Modal" jazz modes are still treated like this, so to answer your question and sum up, in jazz modes are used in two distinct ways

A. relative to the major scale to help with impro over a chord sequence

B. As modes in their own right (modal jazz)

 

[pauloalto]

Hi Moebius,

Here is some a good link with mode info:

http://www.petethomas.co.uk/jazz-modes.html

Paul

 

[pauloalto]

Also read the topic called "Choices".

:whistle:

Paul