Scale/mode identification

Hello,

I've always been curious as to how one can tell what scale and mode is a melody written on guitar. I know little or no theory, only enough stuff to tab my songs on guitar pro. I know what scales and modes are on surface level. If anyone can tell me, I would be very appreciated.

Keep in my I don't have a paid account and can't access some stuff on the site, so if you're about to recommend me some reading, something offsite will be better.

Thank you!

Each interval of any scale has a mode attached to it. For example, starting on the second degree of the A Minor scale, is the B Locrian scale.

Here is a list of the modes of the major and minor scales, notice how they're related:

In the key of C:


I - C - C Ionian (Major) Scale
ii - D - D Dorian Scale
iii- E - E Phrygian Scale
IV - F- F Lydian Scale
V - G - G Mixolydian Scale
vi - A - A Aeolian (Natural Minor) Scale
vii - B - B Locrian Scale


And in the key of Am:


i - A - A Aeolian (Natural Minor) Scale
ii - B - B Locrian Scale
bIII - C - C Ionian (Major) Scale
iv - D - D Dorian Scale
v - E - E Phrygian Scale
bVI - F - F Lydian Scale
bVII - G - G Mixolydian Scale


Hope that sort of explains things.

-Mike

And I really wish I knew the answer

As a teenager I came across an LP called A tribute to hendrix, it was recorded by a guy called ' The Purple Fox ', unlike the ' late great Jimi ' he kept his tuning orthodox.

I used to jam along to 'Hey Joe' for hours, the chords were: C,G.D,A,E, all the way through.
I found I could play E minor pentatonic over the whole song.
I have since learnt from this site that there are four extra notes that can be played with Pentatonics - providing they are played immediately before a pentatonic, or between pentatonics- play them on their own or at the end of an expression and they sound wrong.
It all seems to hinge on what the human ear is expecting to hear.
Music - funny stuff

Originally Posted by: ZamboniEach interval of any scale has a mode attached to it. For example, starting on the second degree of the A Minor scale, is the B Locrian scale.

Here is a list of the modes of the major and minor scales, notice how they're related:

In the key of C:


I - C - C Ionian (Major) Scale
ii - D - D Dorian Scale
iii- E - E Phrygian Scale
IV - F- F Lydian Scale
V - G - G Mixolydian Scale
vi - A - A Aeolian (Natural Minor) Scale
vii - B - B Locrian Scale


And in the key of Am:


i - A - A Aeolian (Natural Minor) Scale
ii - B - B Locrian Scale
bIII - C - C Ionian (Major) Scale
iv - D - D Dorian Scale
v - E - E Phrygian Scale
bVI - F - F Lydian Scale
bVII - G - G Mixolydian Scale


Hope that sort of explains things.

-Mike

Hey Mike,

I can make a few correlations between the scale/modes of C and A Minor, but I still don't get it.

So, considering the first note of a melody is B, I should look into B Scale and their modes?

Sorry, I am really unsure when it comes to music theory :)

Originally Posted by: yggdrasilHey Mike,

I can make a few correlations between the scale/modes of C and A Minor, but I still don't get it.

So, considering the first note of a melody is B, I should look into B Scale and their modes?

Sorry, I am really unsure when it comes to music theory :)

Hey no need to apologize man, I'll try to help as much as I can.

OK, well the correlation between C major and A minor is the fact that they use the same set of notes. C major is the relative major of A minor. This means that, starting on the third degree of the A minor scale, the C major scale begins. It's still part of the A minor scale, but it also belongs to the C major scale.

And similarly, on the sixth degree of the C major scale, the A minor scale begins.

But, for your other question, if the first note of a melody is B, there are a ton of possibilities. It could be in B minor, B major, or even in C or Am, or any other key in which the note B is present.

What you need to do is find out what other notes are in this melody. If there are no sharp or flat notes in this melody, and it has sort of a melancholy sound, it's most likely in the key of Am. But if it has the notes: B C# D# E F# G# and A#, then it's in the key of B major. You just need to look at the surrounding notes.