Bases for Scales, Chords and Modes 5

Chords system in a key:

We have learnt 12 major chords departing from first step in each scale.
Now we will explore making triads departing from each step of scale.

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VII
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V VI
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I II III
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Explore doing triads in all tonalities:

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V

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I II III IV

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V
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I II III
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All these triads are the basis of Classical Harmony.

In Classical harmony a chord note is a consonance and any other note is
a dissonance that must be solved by descending to chord note.
A seventh is always a dissonance that must be solved.
In Jazz harmony a seventh is a color sound, no dissonance, as we will
see in next lesson Basic Jazz chords.
 Bases for Scales, Chords and Modes 6

Modes:

If we make a scale departing from each one of steps of scale we will find seven
scales called modes.
Achademics call them with greek names:
Jonian (I), Dorian (II), Frigian (III), Lidian(IV),
Mixolidian (V), Eolian (VI), Locrian (VII).
It is most practical to call them with ordinal numbers:
First mode (I), Second mode (II), Third mode (III), Fourth mode (IV)
Fifth mode (V), Sixth mode (VI), Seventh mode (VII).

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3 1 1 1
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Jonian Dorian Frigian IV Lidian
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I II III

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G Am B mb5

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V Mixolidian
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VI Eolian
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Db Eb m

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Fm Gm

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 Ab Bbm
Bases for Scales, Chords and Modes 7
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F#m
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D Em G
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I III IV

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Go ahead discovering modes in all tonalities.

Antique modes were used in Gregorian chant. Monks and religious people sang
"a capella", it is without instrumental accompaniment, although sometimes they
used organ playing melody at unison or in "organum".
This was a style of playing organ in three parallel voices: melody, suboctave and
fifth between them, and sometimes they sang in these three parallel voices in
chorus.
At the end of 15 Century they began accompany unison voices with organ in triads,
adding the third in a modal harmony.
They used modes as tonalities. For example a song in phrygian mode began and
finished in third note of scale, using that mode along all the song.

All classical harmony consists in the management of those elements that you have
discovered and learnt by yourself in this lesson.
Main difference between Classical and jazz harmony is this:
Classical harmony works with triads, and any other sound is a dissonance that must
be solved.
 Bases for Scales, Chords and Modes 8

Jazz harmony works with chords of four and more sounds, and here we don't
speak about dissonance but about tension chords.
Next lesson will be about Basic Jazz chords.

Actually modal scales are used a lot in Jazz.

Practise all exercises in this lesson until mastering them. So you will
save in subconscious all bases of music, your fingers are learning to do
their job, and you will develop a great ear training.

Good luck and enjoy these bases for playing piano.