Reverse Engineering Modes
By trade I'm a keyboard player, so I have a fairly good technical knowledge of music theory. About 26 years ago, I had a question on modes. (music theory at cc, aced class) It was the only question on the finals I missed. I correctly deduced that modes were based on major scales at another interval. (this was way beyond scope of the lesson, I used my theory) My mistake was I placed those intervals along the major scale. I'm reviewing modes atm, and so I want to answer the question correctly. This is important, because it gives an easy way to extend the range of mode scales.
I'm using the root of C. A dorian is a a#/Bb scale, a Phrygian is a G#/Ab scale, a Lydian a G, a mixolodian is an F scale, the Locrian is a Db/c# scale (major)
This means a dorian will always be a #6, phyrgian a #5, Lydian a 5, Mixolxdian a 4, and a locrian a #1 (major)
Hope this helps.
(can also add, a major scale always has a relative minor from the 6th, so that would make a c aeolionan an Eb scale or a #2) (bit confusing, an A minor is a Cmajor, which is what I mean by a relative minor) Also good to know, because you can use a 6 minor to extend range as well. Of course It would have to be the 6th off of the alternate scale, so a mixolodian scale off of c would be a d minor,(or an F major) I'll let you figure out the math from there, but mode interval + 6minor
and feel free to correct if I'm wrong on any of my math. Pretty sure this is all right though.
BTW, the basis of my deduction is that modes follow the pattern of the major scale, whole, whole half, whole whole, whole, half, just at a different increment, so they must correspond to a different major scale. (we don't count the root note in all this, which is why only seven counts)
Can also add the importance of modes. As a keyboard player, I don't really think about them, I just follow the chords. Now If I'm playing a Cminor a Gminor and an Fmajor, that's a dorian scale. Its not the same as a Cminor, just a one note difference. I've moved from Fminor to Fmajor, just a single half step from Ab to A, and that makes a big difference.
Part two after discussion
Might have found something even better, that works off your jazz chords. I reverse engineered my prior calculations. I asked the question, what modes would follow the C scale. The answer accounted for the weird chord pattern in my prior calculations. This is where I made my original mistake, I oversimplified the math. (I was actually answering the wrong question, they asked me what is the 5th note of a D dorian scale, don't know, don't care, I was working on the scale conversions. I think the answer would be A which is easy cause I'm working with c, a B dorian, lets see, A major scale, need to look at piano, F#) I checked it on the scale finder, I was correct.
Back to the original question, what modes would follow C scale? The answer is obvious, if C and A are taken by major/minor scales, only 5 options are left, 5 modes. D, E, G, F, and B so a D dorian, an E Phrygian, an F Lydian G myxilodian and a B Locrian.
So following jazz chord progession from F, that gives me an F major, a G dorian, A Phrygian, Bb Lydian. C myxilodian, D minor, E locrian, and an F major, all the same scale, which would be a 15 fret scale run. (of course from there comes the tough part, I'll have to figure out how to translate that into pentatonic scales, would appreciate any help in that regard.)
I'll look up those tutorials as well, just learning a mode (and chord mode) a week, I'll get confused if I add more than that
