How to use the lydian mode to make chords and progressions

[@WriteASong]

All 7 Modes Are Here 👉👉kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWqWnYCBqKpknJo

[@genesisPiano]

I watched half a dozen videos on the lydian scale. This one was of the most practical utility.

[@WriteASong]

Thanks for watching Matthias, appreciate the comment!

[@andrish]

First time I ever understood anything useful about modes. I have been wanting to learn this for 20 years 😀 thanks

[@WriteASong]

You're welcome, I'm glad it helped you!

[@BillGraper]

I'm back, because I'm trying to write a BRIDGE in B-flat Lydian. I accidentally stumbled upon a great chord transition! I went from 1 to 4, which is B-flat MAJ to E-diminished. It sounded so awesome! I checked the chords in B-flat Lydian & the E-diminished is the 4 chord. It happened by accident, because I was trying to play a different chord. You could also argue that I'm going from B-flat to C7. The only difference is the BASS note is a C instead of E. A THIRD option is to play an E°/B-flat. So right now, I'm trying to figure out which bass note to play (out of 3 notes) with the E° chord. All three sound great!

[@DevanArya]

Definitely important to add the #4 to the V chord in order to avoid any confusions with the major scale! Thank you for the tip. With a regular V chord, my ear naturally drifts away to the major scale, unless a lead phrasing is being played in Lydian.

[@WriteASong]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dsanj4745]

Great content. Establishing the tonal center (ie: the 'tonic') in C Lydian or G Major is really important since they share the exact same notes, and you explained that very well here. Although not mentioned, the same applies for E Minor. Your channel is a great resource and I have subscribed.

[@WriteASong]

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate the support!

[@ohiocityspride]

Very simple and to the point. Very good.

[@WriteASong]

Glad you liked it

[@TenThumbsProductions]

I wish I would've found this video years ago, it took me FOREVER to get Lydian songs to not sound like the Ionian they are built from. Great stuff.

[@WriteASong]

Thanks, glad you finally found the video!

[@BillGraper]

In the last song I wrote & recorded ("A Simpler Time"), the chorus is in G Lydian. In fact, the first 4 notes in every other line of the chorus are just the first 4 notes of G Lydian. 😃

[@lumimo]

Gracias, maestro!,

[@WriteASong]

Thanks!

[@BauKim]

Not only is the video great, but the comments down below are also great. TY guys.

[@cosimobaldi03]

Those examples with the V chord were great! I felt that the First and the third shifted the tonal center to major, while the second didn't. However, changing the V to Vmaj7 in the I I II V progression really helped to keep the lydian tonal center

[@WriteASong]

It is an interesting effect. Glad you liked the video!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci for this. I just started studying the modes, and many lessons assume advanced training already. This was very well explained.

[@WriteASong]

I'm glad it helped you! Good luck with your Modal study!

[@Bronze_Age_Sea_Person]

Another thing I've notice when composing in modes, is that how your melody moves also influences in the mode's feeling. For example, in Lydian, it's better for you to move from 3 to #4 if you are in the tonic, especially if the 3 is in a strong beat. This move doesn't exist anywhere but lydian, so it immediately sounds like lydian, even in another mode. Another move is 5-#4 without resolving back to 5, to bring attention to that tritone that won't be resolved. BTW, the same sequence of notes can sound Locrian when descending, when on a diminished chord. Many times when I was composing in Lydian, I noticed a "sinister" run and it was because I outlined a descending diminished chord with my notes. That's why I usually don't descend to 1 by step when composing in Lydian, I prefer downward leaps or playing the two neighbors, especially the leading tone, when I want to resolve to 1. This feeling is different if you have #4s but you aren't in Lydian. Fore example, in Dorian #4, the best way to sound like the mode is to go to 6-5-#4 in tonic minor chord. It immediately sounds like Dorian #4. If you rely too much on the b3-#4, you might sound like other modes like Harmonic Minor or Phrygian Dominant. In Hungarian Minor, it's the chromatic run from b6-5-#4, but emphasizing the 5's role in the chord, which you shouldn't do in Lydian that much since you might lose the Lydian feel since your tritone shouldn't be resolved. In Lydian #2, which is one of my favorite modes, the run from #2-3-#4-5 sounds so uniquely Lydian #2 that no chord can come closer to bring the same feel, so I usually incorporate this run or a variation of it in my voice-leading with the chords, especially on the tonic chord. You can literally stay in the tonic chord in Lydian #2 forever, and just rely on the many possible I chords there.

[@WriteASong]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

[@future62]

I am working on a song in Lydian now... I think the key with any non Ionian composition is to avoid that Ionian V-I cadence. Especially in jazz with the tritone

[@WriteASong]

Yes that will help you avoid some problems.

[@raseshgandhi6702]

Fantastic information

[@WriteASong]

Glad you think so!

[@metalheads55]

Thanks

[@WriteASong]

No problem

[@Kromiball]

5:13 this is VI - VII - I - VII from Aeolian

[@MehrSpaamSpaHabenHaben]

Excellent didactics!

[@drauncj]

For what it's worth, any one of these progressions demonstrated that contains the iii (em) sound like they're in E minor; not C lydian. E feels like home every time, so I don't feel that floating nature of lydian at all.

[@ioannisdenton]

Try using the root as a pedal l point. Also you are right cause the chord in lydian resolves to the E minor but this could be kinda fixed if you spend more time in Cmajor and adding the 4rth note making it a sus chord

[@johnarchibong5685]

Nice one sir

[@WriteASong]

Thanks John!

[@kmc7239]

IV is a half diminished chord i

[@SheetFiber]

6:27 in this progression, in my head I keep thinking that the root/ key is the E minor not the C.

[@WriteASong]

In the key of E minor / aeolian, C - D - Bm - Em would be VI - VII - v - i. Might be why you hear it like that!

[@hasa___]

When you show the first example, the I II vamp, you say it sounds distinctly lydian. But can't you make this same sound in major using a IV V vamp?

[@WriteASong]

You can do, but you would eventually come back to the I chord, which is your tonal centre. This is explained in the section 6:38.

[@perryleary1705]

I guess in order to determine the tonal center between two keys (for example C Lydian and G Ionian), the focus should rather be on the notes of the melody and particularly the notes on each chord, otherwise - as shown in the video - since some chords are shared between the two scales, there’d be a lot of confusion on the actual key of the piece of music.

[@WriteASong]

Yes the notes in the melody, chords and any other instruments will all work together to determine the tonal centre. But you do still get confusion/different opinions in certain situations. That is the nature of modal music!

[@IJH-Music]

Probably 90% of MathRock bands use Lydian (Western and Eastern).

[@巻木トリスタン]

fact: the only chord progression you need to know is major chord progression, the reason for this is once you know C major scale and its chord progression you can use it into the seven modes, for chords if you start in the second chord of major you get dorian chords, 3rd chord get you into phrygian, 4th into lydian, 5th into mixiolydian, 6th is minor and 7th get you the locrian sound, if you do the same with scales you get the same result, the only thing that makes you get the sound of every mode is one note that you need to use to emphatize that sound of every mode in dorian is the 6th note, phrygian is the second, lydian is the 4th, miciolydian is the 7th and locrian is the 5th

[@WriteASong]

Yes this is true, however sometimes it can be useful to look at the modes as separate scales to fully understand them. It depends on the person learning them. There are many ways to explain the same thing!

[@asamiyashin444]

The problem I have with this is that some of the progressions sound like if the key is Em. Some of these examples and other progressions I tried share the same problem. How to effectively avoid that?

[@WriteASong]

You could avoid the iii chord altogether and focus your progressions on I and II. If you do use iii, use it briefly or as an add9 chord. It's all about where it feels like the tonal centre of your song is. I hope that helps.

[@asamiyashin444]

@@WriteASong Thank you. I'll try that. I have been composing in the aeolian mode for too long and I'm trying other modes. To me the dorian is easy but I can't manage to sound lydian yet.

[@WriteASong]

Maybe part of this is your ears expecting E minor to be the tonic because you are so used to Aeolian. Lydian is always a tricky one, part of the reason why it's not used in pop/rock as much. Good luck with your songwriting!

[@kukumuniu5658]

Im looking for songs or exercises,with this progressions: ii-V-iii ii-V-vi IV-V-iii IV-V-vi ii-viio-iii ii-viio-vi IV-viio-iii IV-viio-vi :)

[@TheGoatBeats]

Fresh

[@WriteASong]

Thanks!

[@danielschwartz1228]

Wouldn’t the C Lydian be the same as G major rearranged.

[@WriteASong]

Yes, as described here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipnLoauJfr6LZqs

[@BillGraper]

That's what all of the modes are. A minor is the same as C major. The difference is you have a different chord as the 1 chord. Placing an emphasis on different chords makes them sound different. That's why A minor should sound different than C major, etc... 🙂

[@fernandorosa7144]

That's literally what modes are

[@danielschwartz1228]

@@fernandorosa7144 ok I guess it would be like scale inversions.

[@ezeechords3578]

Next mexolydian

[@WriteASong]

You have seen into the future!

[@bambees.k0wgirl]

@@WriteASong i may have made of mistake of "looking forward to saturdays" because i get on youtube and I see your videos on saturdays since they're recent . so im looking forward to fridays now . 😆😎🔥

[@ville_salojarvis_lakewood_exp]

I'm sorry but you have lots of false information here. C-D-Em is NOT lydian sequence but E-aolian. Also the VII in C-major is Bmb5 (Half diminished), NOT Bm. I suggest you study a LOT more before posting any more videos.

[@WriteASong]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@themidireporter3357]

Lydian has a beautiful cinematic sound. Thank you for this topic :)

[@WriteASong]

Yes it does! Thank you for your comment.

[@davidsummerville351]

Good stuff. Just subscribed. Thanks

[@WriteASong]

Awesome, thank you!