Modes with a major 3rd (marked '3') are major and are generally happy-sounding. Modes with a minor 3rd (with a 'b3') are minor and have a generally dark sound. The table above tells you all you need ...

The seven main categories of mode have been part of musical notation since the middle ages. So, the list goes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. Some of them are major ...

A Aeolian mode (chord riff) The minor i-iv-v is one of the most common chord progressions and in the Aeolian mode it doesn’t reveal any surprises – except all three chords turn out to be minor.

(Image credit: Apple) Step 3: The major scale in its standard form is, in fact, the first of the seven modes, the Ionian mode.Here it’s played from C to C, and emphasised by a long C in the bass. The ...

Built on the 2nd degree of the major scale and with a trademark bittersweet sound, the Dorian mode is a favourite amongst jazz and blues players. And, though you can certainly use it in any genre ...

Much of our music, from classical to contemporary, is written in either a major or minor key (with exceptions, such as jazz, which uses neither). For most, a major key conjures up feelings of ...