From time to time I get students asking me to help them
“find a note”, or “find a chord” they can’t figure out when
they’re sequencing a MIDI file by ear.

You’d think it would be as easy as just finding the 7 notes
of the Major scale of the key you’re in. It would usually be
one of those. Right? And while that’s commonly true enough,
sometimes finding the key you’re in isn’t so easy! Why?

Because of MODES! Here’s a typical example of why you need
to learn about modes. This exact thing happens to me often!
Over the years I’ve done a bunch of fill in gigs. Studio gigs. And
I’ve sat in with bands countless times. This is a typical situation . . .

NOTE: Modes involves a bit more than I’m going to share here today.

So you’re sitting in with your favorite band, and the band leader
looks at you and says . . .

“We’ll be in Am, and you kick it off with a SOLO!”

There is only one question you should now be asking . . .

“Ok, we’re in “Am”. What MODE are we in?!? Ionian, Dorian or
Phrygian?” (And you probably just confused the him, because he
has no idea what you’re talking about, or why it matters.)

WHAT? OK, so the song “feels” like it’s in Am. So you automatically
think the notes of the scale you need are A B C D E F & G.

Well, because we’re OBVIOUSLY going to be in the key of C, right?
So I guess I need a harp in C, D or in G if we’re playing a Blues or
Rocker.

Wrong! Sure there’s an Am in C. But what about these keys?

The chords in the key of C are…
C Dm Em F G Am Bdim. Am is the 6th degree, or the Relative
Minor of the key of C. Aeolian Mode. A Aeolian. The most
common notes you’d probably play are A B C D E F & G. If he
said “We’re in A Aeolian.”, I’d know we’re in the KEY of C.

But . . .

The chords in the key of F are …
F Gm Am Bb C Dm Edim. Am is the 3rd degree of the key of F,
Phrygian Mode. So now the notes you’d most likely play would
be A Bb C D E F & G. If you played a B you’d most likely be wrong.
So the scale you choose to use needs a Bb, not a B. Hmmmm. And
you’ll be soloing over a Gm, not a G. And a Bb, not a B. AND . . . an
Edim, not an Em like in the key of C! Try an A Phrygian scale.

So the song is in F, or A Phrygian Mode. A common Phrygian chord
progression would be Am ‘ ‘ ‘ G ‘ ‘ ‘ F ‘ ‘ ‘ E ‘ ‘ ‘ (Or E7) Very Spanish
sounding! Especially if you play guitar and leave the high E string
open for all of the chords! Am G6 Fmaj7 E7 This would technically
be an altered Phrygian progression. Umm, another time! LOL Still
sounds cool what ever you call it! LOL

The chords in the key of G are …
G Am Bm C D Em F#dim. Am is the 2nd degree of G. Dorian Mode.
Now you need a scale with A B C D E F# & G !!! The A Dorian scale

So he just tells you the song is in Am. You could use any of these
scales, containing different notes! Which one do you choose?

A B C D E F & G
A Bb C D E F & G
A B C D E F# & G

And if you’re playing guitar or other rhythm instrument, you need
to know the most likely chords that will pop up in the progression.
6 of the 7 chords are different in different keys.

C: Am Bdim C Dm Em F G7
F: Am Bb C7 Dm Edim F Gm
G: Am Bm C D7 Em F#dim G

So do you play an Em or Edim?
B or Bb or Bm . . . or Bdim! (Probably won’t be a B!)
D, D7 or Dm? F or F#dim? G, G7 or Gm? C or C7???

The only chord that remains contant in the 3 keys is . . . Am!

These are all good reasons why you need to learn the MODES!

I play mainly guitar and harmonica. A diatonic harp only has
the notes of a major scale! (and the relative minor) And not
all of the reeds can be "bent" to make other notes.

I have to know what MODE we’re in if I’m gonna pick the
correct harp to play.

Do I need an F or an F#?
Do I need a B or a Bb . . . or is there a Bdim chord?!?
Will I be playing over a D or Dm? Over Em or Edim? Etc . . .

So if you’re trying to find out why you can’t figure out a note in the
melody when you’re sequencing a MIDI, or can’t figure out the next
chord . . . even though you know “you’re in Am”, now you know why.
You could be trying to sequence a chord that’s not in Ionian Mode.
That’s the 1st degree of the scale. Maybe that Am is the 2nd degree of
the key of G! Not the 6th in C. Or the 3rd degree of F!

How do you know which Mode you’re in? Interval ear training. That’s
a topic for another time! Or hopefully you have the sheet music!

BUT . . . now you know what to look for when you're trying to figure
out the chords to a song for your next gig! And what scale you'll need
to play! Next time you hear a hook, and can't figure it out, take a
minute to find out what mode and what key you're in. Then you'll know
the most probable chords that will be in the song. And what scale the
solo comes from!

BINGO!

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