Originally posted by Digit

2) When you get a whole 'group' of them together, what are they called? (a scale? a mode?)

Okay, when you get a whole group of different modes together, it's called a lot of noise. Modes and scales are like that rectangle square rule: A scale is a mode, but a mode isn't one set scale. Modes are, as I said before, determined by the number of steps between each note therefore they cannot be combined simultaneously or it sounds terrible. You MUST understand this to understand modes. Let me break down further what I said before:

Aeolian (in Am just for the sake of ease):

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A

A to B goes A-A#-B. that is known as a whole step. Then it goes B to C, which is B-C (B# and Cb don't exist). that is what's called a half step. And so on and so forth.

Each mode uses a specific set of steps, just as each scale uses a specific set of notes. Mixing two modes together at the same time is like mixing to scales in totally different keys at the same time. I can see almost no way to play to modes simultaneously except by coincidence, where the second mode is not noticed (Am and C scales to draw a comparison). Ok, I'm done, if I confused you (sorry if I did, my writing skills are awful) let me know. me