Modal Harmony

Sorry for posting two questions back to back, but these questions have been on my mind for some time.

As far as major and minor scales, I have a good understanding of common-practice chord progressions and voice leading. But, if I wanted to write a piece using a scale not based off the major or minor scale, how would I go about progressions and voice leading for say a pentatonic, whole-tone, phrygian or octatonic scale?

(Can I assume any heptatonic scale follows much like the major and minor scales?)

Modal harmony based off the modes of the major scale will never be too complicated in its progressions, because then it would be difficult for it not to fall back into the parent major scale. For example you could be in D dorian, with chords Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7, G7, Am7, Bm7b5 and Cmaj7. As soon as you play that G7 (GBDF) it will want to resolve back to the Cmaj7, and you will lose your modal feel. In my experience modal tunes usually consist of 'vamps' on one or two chords. For example in D Dorian you could just have a Dm7 chord, and play D Dorian over the top, or perhaps in F Lydian you could use ||: Fmaj7 - Am7 :|| or something to that effect.

Experiment :cool:

I just received a book on modal harmony, you're lucky :P

There are some useful progressions in every mode:

Dorian: V-I ; III-I ; VII-I

Phrygian: II-I ; VII-I ; V-I

Lydian: II-I ; V-I

Mixolydian: V-I ; VII-I ; IV-I

Aeolian: V-I ; II-I ; VII-I

Locrian: II-I ; VII-I (Use I7 or I9 with no 5th...)

As Mark said, modal music mostly focuses on rhythm and melody...

You can also use secondary dominants KEEPING THEM IN THE MODE, for example:

If you're in A aeolian and want to use a V/V, since you'll be (temporarily) in D aeolian (V), the notes composing the V/V chord will be B-F#-D... yes, a minor chord.

Modal harmony is in essence a shift of the tonal center but using altered notes.

C Ionian

C D E F G A B

D dorian

D E F G A B C

....

Notice that all the modes have the same notes so its not a matter of the notes themselfs that make the difference but the emphasis on specific notes and how the others are subservient to them.

With D dorian your "main" notes are D F A while in C ionian its C E G. In C ionian F resolves up to G or more likely down to E but in D dorian it has no real need to resolve(or maybe to A or D).

Its what I call hierarchy. All the modes of C Ionian have the same notes but the hierarchy is different. This means if you don't establish the hierarchy well then you might move into a different mode without knowing it.

Since our ears are accustom to the maj and min systems its much easier for us to hear parts of modal songs in those terms... no real harm is done but if your doing something in D dorian it should be in D dorian and not something else unless you meant to do a "modal change"(which is a big difference than doing it without knowing it).

(the ancient modes are a bit different than the modern modes though)

Thanks for your help so far. But what about for the whole-tone scale? How do you get the same type of movement out of a scale that will seemingly never resolve itself?

I just received a book on modal harmony, you're lucky :P

There are some useful progressions in every mode:

Dorian: V-I ; III-I ; VII-I

Phrygian: II-I ; VII-I ; V-I

Lydian: II-I ; V-I

Mixolydian: V-I ; VII-I ; IV-I

Aeolian: V-I ; II-I ; VII-I

Locrian: II-I ; VII-I (Use I7 or I9 with no 5th...)

As Mark said, modal music mostly focuses on rhythm and melody...

You can also use secondary dominants KEEPING THEM IN THE MODE, for example:

If you're in A aeolian and want to use a V/V, since you'll be (temporarily) in D aeolian (V), the notes composing the V/V chord will be B-F#-D... yes, a minor chord.

This is pretty cool. I'll have to use this. Thanks for posting it....except for locrian. Locrian should die.

Thanks for your help so far. But what about for the whole-tone scale? How do you get the same type of movement out of a scale that will seemingly never resolve itself?

Whole tone scales are petty much just made out of augmented chords. They are to create a creepy feel, and it isn't really meant to resolve.

This is something I made with a whole tone scale:

zSHARE - whole tone triads.mp3

See, it basically makes an uneasy tension that doesn't really end.

Locrian rocks! It's so evil, and sexy :happy:

Locrian rocks! It's so evil, and sexy :happy:

Anyone who likes Locrian doesn't deserve to exist. >.<

:toothygrin:

Anyone who likes Locrian doesn't deserve to exist. >.<

Locrian is awesome simply in the fact that its so evil (sounding and to play/sing):evil:

Anyone who likes Locrian doesn't deserve to exist. >.<

Well...what there's not much else to do over half-diminished chords.

Whole tone scales are petty much just made out of augmented chords. They are to create a creepy feel, and it isn't really meant to resolve.

Interesting, thanks for the help.