jamey Faulkner

This is my answer to “What is modal playing?”, from an i Love Guitar surfer.

Modal playing is a common way for musicians to jam together. However, this term, modal playing doesn’t always mean the same thing to all musicians. So, let’s explore the term and its contexts.

From the start, it is important to look at the way people use this term, modal playing. To determine what it means, we often, in part, have to consider who is saying it, and what they want to accomplish.

Not that there are perfect delineated definitions for the who’s and the content of what they say. Meanings do blend – a cloud of modal meaning (back to that in a moment).

One of the simplest answers: you hear…’hey, let’s modal jam in D Dorian.’ — translation, let’s use all the musical sounds of C Major, but make D minor the ‘tonic’ (or i) chord. Dorian is always the 2nd mode in any Major key.

So, rather than the chords being I ii iii IV V vi viio (C Dm Em F G Am Bdim), we would have this modal playing scenario (where Dm is the ‘one’ chord, rather than C Major): i ii III IV v viio VII (Dm Em F G Am Bdim C). Again, this is calling the ‘two’ chord the ‘one’ chord or tonic chord for this moment.

Now, the set up: A mode in its simplest definition is a scale.

A scale is a series of tones played alphabetically, ascending/descending with a particular pattern of whole, half, and/or one-and-a-half steps (ie. a major scale – Ionian mode – has a pattern of wholes and halfs – wwh-wwwh).

A popular mode is D Dorian (D to D on the white notes of the piano). D Dorian is really the tones of C Major, yet we are focusing our energies – defining the moment – on the root of D, rather than C.

A mode (or scale) can also be thought of a division of an octave (tonal division of the 12 half steps – which tones do you choose along the path, and what intervals are created?).

And, a mode or a scale can also be thought of as a group or collection or family or selection of tones. No matter how we define (derive) the set (the mode), ultimately, it creates a certain sound, a flavor. Played in order or out of order, the tones we are using are a particular set.

Modes do mean creating melodic and harmonic flavor. As we choose a group of tones and create tasty melodic lines, we are using modes whether we say so or not. So, in this sense modal playing is using modes or flavorful families of tones to be melodic and musical.

If a rock player says he/she’s modal playing, they are typically lining up particular modes over chords with similar Roots, 3, 5, and 7′s.

The modes change with the chords (the chords are determining how the tonal flavors blend – and even what they are called – more below). (Jazz players are very similar – yet sometimes ‘more complex’ – Fusion is a blend).

If an open tuning player is talking modal playing, they are typically saying that they are mixing modes from a drone.

So, if they are playing in DADGAD, they could use (extract, flavorize) D Major and/or D minor, and any mode that mingles with the 1, 4, and 5 (D, G, A) tones of ‘the D type thing.’.

You have lots of modal options with this kind of tuning (DADGAD). Perfect use of modal playing terminology.

If a jam band, says let’s play in D Dorian, this is modal playing (like the simplest answer above). Rather than using form (like a chord progression, or the 12 bar blues), we use a set of tones to create the jam. The mode is the container.

Something to keep in mind with modal playing: you are allowed and encouraged to mix up the modes. All modes are available at every moment in time, if they apply colorfully to the situation. Each may have an origin, but they can travel to other realms, which creates interest, style, and expression.

All modes produce chords.

Final note: if harmony is present (chords are being played), the tones sounding in the chord determine what any single note means (how it is heard).

Example, I’m playing an E minor chord (EGB), and someone plays an F# single tone, well that’s a 2 or a 9, so now we have E G B F# (Emadd9). Now if I’m playing a G Major chord, and that same someone plays that same beautiful F#, now we have G B D F# (G Major 7).

The melody tone is being added to build a larger block of harmony.