THE MODES

What are the MODES? The MODES are a method of Chord and Scale relationship.It is a method of being able to play an improvised solo against a given chord or chords and having it "sound right".It allows one to draw on the notes available at "the key of the moment".So let's look at some examples.

The following is from the CONCISE OVERVIEW.

....I...............II...............III..............IV................V.................VI..............VII........... CMaj7.........D-7.............E-7...........FMaj7............G7...............A-7............B-7(b5)....... Ionian.......Dorian.......Phrygian.......Lydian.......Mixolydian.......Aeolian.......Locrian.......

What am I saying here?The first thing is that the chords here are all built from the Cmajor Scale. The next is that if you see these chords in a piece and they relate to the Cmajor Scale then you can use the notes of the Cmajor Scale to draw upon for your solo.

Example:One of the more common sequences in music is the II-7 V7 I progression. In the key of C this is D-7 G7 C.If we were to draw on the above information the C scale can be played through out the progression and it would sound right.However to achieve a smooth transition between the changes you might concentrate on playing a note contained in the chord on the 1st beat of the new chord. For instance on the D-7 (D F A C) G7(B A G F) C(C).

CHORD ANALYSIS

To use the diatonic method you need to know how a chord functions at a given moment in a given tune.This is Chord Analysis.The chord function is always determined by the preceeding chord.This is where the idea of progression comes from. If it does not follow one of the rules of composition it is then considered a new key.This is were the term KEY OF THE MOMENT comes from.OK! I've already explained the chord scale relationships for basic modes above.Here comes the substitution rules:

Secondary Dominant Chords(Resolve up a perfect 4th) ...V/I..........V/II............V/III............V/IV............V/V.............V/VI............N/A......... ..G7...........A7..............B7................C7..............D7.................E7..............N/A....... .....Mixo....Mixo.b13.....Mixo.b9,#9,b13...Mixo............Mixo........Mixo.b9,#9,b13...N/A............

Substitute Dominant Chords(Resolve down a half step) SubV/I.....SubV/II.......SubV/III.....SubV/IV......SubV/V........SubV/VI...........N/A........ Db7..........Eb7...............F7.............Gb7.............Ab7...............Bb7...............N/A....... |..................................................Lydian b7...............................................................|

Add to this the rule that says "ANY V7 CHORD MAY BE PRECEEDED BY IT'S RELATED II-7" and you have all the chord scale relationships needed for almost any solo situation.

These rules can be extremely helpful to a player just starting to confront the creative process of solo playing in the jazz idiom. It's a tool that is helpful to sound competent when the creative jucies are not flowing and by repetitive use gives the creative player another option to draw on.

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