I made an album using EVERY mode

Check out my "Piano Essentials" course at HDpiano: hdpiano.com/davidbennett 🎹
I had three hours left in the recording studio so, with nothing prepared, I wrote and recorded 7 solo piano tracks, each one using a different major scale mode.
Watch the full performance of all 7 pieces here: • White Notes (modal con...
You can also stream the 7 pieces on Spotify: distrokid.com/hyperfollow/dav...
And, an extra special thanks goes to Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano 🎹
0:00 the challenge
0:47 C Ionian (major scale)
3:25 D dorian
5:55 E phrygian
7:30 my HDpiano course
8:07 F lydian
10:52 G mixolydian
13:05 A aeolian (natural minor scale)
16:03 B locrian
20:29 Conclusion

[@d3w4yn3]

This is insane, need to retitle: "I made an album in ONLY THREE HOURS using EVERY mode!!!" GLORIOUS!!!

[@javen9693]

King David and the Lavid Wavid

[@lljf]

King David and the Lennett Wiano

[@ytgshlung]

ice david planets lungs mushrooms and lava

[@MaxLevinton]

just like King Gizzard

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Yeah!!

[@batsinthebelfry_]

homestuck pfp spotted

[@comprehensiblehorror]

homestuck

[@AlistaireChud]

I think they took more than 3 hours to write their album though.

[@anthonypena6068]

and the Lizard Wizzard??

[@Alpha_SpectrUM]

the amount of talent and knowledge just to make Locrian so euphonious and mysterious is huge

[@raeyth_]

Honestly, Locrian was my favorite. Ive always liked the unsettling sound of it, and i just don't think it gets used enough. So hearing a nice, beautiful piece in Locrian that really captures it well was very nice.

[@mathiasstrom7790]

Its very haunting and dark, if used correctly its very beautiful as well

[@TundieRice]

One thing I like to do in Locrian that helps it sound a lot more "normal" (so to speak) is to make the tonic chord a minor 7th chord, but without the 5th, which is totally legal within the mode and makes the mode sound somewhat stable because you remove the tritone, which is very cool. It kind of puts me in the mind of jazz artists that traditionally sometimes leave out the fifth in their upper extension chords, and it still sounds like the actual chord because the mind kind of fills in the 5th sometimes. It might seem like cheating, but having that minor 7th in the tonic chord really goes a long way in making the resolution to the tonic sound "correct" and still gives you all those creepy intervals to mess around with! I have a song that I've written that goes from this fifthless minor 7th chord to a dominant 7th VI chord in Locrian, which to my knowledge isn't a chord change that's technically available in any other mode of the major scale. For example, if you're in B Locrian, you could go from Bm7(no5) to a G7, which is a very interesting sound that you can't really get anywhere else without borrowing from another mode (again, as far as I know.) Figuring that out really opened up my understanding and utility of the Locrian mode, and I've never heard anybody else use anything similar! If it sounds cool to anyone in the comment section (that includes you David) free to steal it free of charge 😉 But in all seriousness, if any of this makes zero musical theory sense, please let me know...because it kind of feels like cheating, but it seems legit as far as I can tell, lol. David, if you'd be interested in letting me know what you think of it, please let me know. It's something I've been thinking about for awhile and I haven't been able to get any professional opinions on it! Thanks! 😄

[@JeremiahPickardMusic]

The band King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard used exactly the same thing on the last song on their modal album Ice Death Planets Lungs Mushrooms And Lava. The name of the track escapes me though.

[@fossiltortoise]

​@@JeremiahPickardMusicI believe you speak of Gliese 710, good sir. Melt the ice

[@TundieRice]

@@JeremiahPickardMusic I've listened to that whole album and I had no idea they used that particular trick! But it makes total sense, it's such a neat little hack that makes Locrian sound so "normal" that I really have no idea why I haven't heard it explained as such. I had a sneaking suspicion that I wasn't the only person to come across it...after all, "there's nothing new under the sun," and all that, lol. But it might be *new enough* that all the folks who seem to not know *what the hell to do* with Locrian might not have come across the "drop the fifth on a minor 7 chord" technique, and I feel like it could really change the way that people think about the Locrian mode if they used it. EDIT: Okay, just relistened to Gliese 710 and it's so obvious from the very first chord! I'm surprised I didn't realize they were doing that when I first listened to it, but that kind of just shows how you don't always really *hear* the fifth in a chord (or lack thereof.)

[@carbonmonoxide5052]

I’ve written classical music in locrian by having my tonic chord just be m3. No 5th or 7th. I did have to make the harmony sparse in other chords in order for it to feel correct though.

[@OdinComposer]

There's no such thing as cheating! Don't let a theoretical constructs become a straight jacket!

[@timsellsted521]

I love seeing the creative process unfold. Thanks David!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊

[@itstututuhi]

King david and the bennet wizard

[@slidenaway]

Very cool! Mixolydian is an easy favorite, it’s honestly easy to sound amazing in that mode and you nailed it - really liked the 12/8 shuffle !!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks a lot!

[@statueofliberty1132]

Yeah, mixolydian is awesome 💯😎

[@vannillaAJofficial204]

mixolydian and dorian are my favorites, as usual of the diatonic scales, these are my favorites (my overall favorite is phrygian dominant rn but these are awesome too)

[@pedro_a_martins]

Great video! Congratulations on making an entire album on such a tight time frame. Loved the concept!

[@panosmosproductions3230]

The one that ended up being my favorite out of this set is actually Locrian. I’ve often had dreams that seemed like they had a post apocalyptic atmosphere because of what seemed like a color filter that codes everything in blue. That’s kind of the sense I’m getting with this track. Very dark and gloomy. And blue. Not in a melancholic sense, more in the sense of it being like a spooky post apocalyptic wasteland.

[@TheStickCollector]

I should probably do this. Easy to learn the modes Assuming after i start learning the piano

[@MrEthanhines]

no need to try to reach those pesky black keys with your pinky am i right?

[@TigerRogers0660]

Great suggestion in using all the modes David!! Well executed. My fave was the Locrian - very hard to come up with anything of substance here. But you nailed it.

[@bernhardkrickl3567]

I like how this teaches a lot about the composing/improvising process.

[@gothfather8741]

David, this is amazing, awesome work!!

[@m.rieger8856]

Ok. Added to my Spotify library. What a treat! ❤

[@dhpbear2]

5:04 - That 'i-IV' vamp brings to mind Coldplay!

[@matvocaat]

I thought of Allah-Las, I think ‘Star’ used those exact two chords

[@greenatom]

I just listened to the album. Veddy good, sir!

[@axlhyvonen461]

My favorite was this 5th mode, G-Mixolydian😊Thanks hugely for a very interesting vid😊

[@jean.marion]

As a typical piano nerd, this video was like Christmas Day. ❤ Such gorgeous compositions and informative, too. Loved your aeolion piece best. 😊

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you so much!

[@lambda1863]

I made a song using the Whole tone scale i appreciate these types of videos with the thought process behind it. I find that whenever i make music its very delibrate like im thinking about every interval and stuff so i appreciate more improvised style's of song making

[@yasko62]

Fascinating!

[@leonfirth-jt5eu]

my favourite was the c major one, I loved the sound of the cluster chords

[@royalex21]

Funny thing: I’ve had this idea of writing an epic with each section being in each mode of the major scale! The title I have in mind is a work in progress though: “I Don’t Particularly Like My Applejuice, Lucas”

[@TundieRice]

I feel like "Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava" would be a better choice ;) kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX-3Yp2Jl8yLetEsi=2Wfg_V0oUGmEQfqF

[@royalex21]

@@TundieRiceI see what you did there :D

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😮😊

[@OwenToms-og6bm]

Is that title inspired by Frank Zappa at all?

[@royalex21]

@@OwenToms-og6bm It was more inspired by Pink Floyd. More or less their song “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” but come to think of it, my title does have a Frank Zappa feel to it

[@kenhill1213]

That was a super way to musically imprint modes on a guitarist because the context was more organic than using a pedal drone note as is often portrayed in guitar tutorials on this subect. A discussion on chord tones and progressions within each mode would be nice too.

[@yokoisdead]

Thank you for this amazing video I liked aeolian, Phrygian and mixolydian the best

[@monicabeatrizsanchez9610]

Loved this video 🎉❤

[@Longstride]

Really big fan of your videos and way of explaining music David! I’ve been wanting somebody to explain each mode to me, the way you did it by explaining the feel and character of each was just what I needed! Many thanks!

[@carolgardens7294]

Ditto.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Awesome, thank you!

[@jettrink9502]

David, you're a talented dude. Nicely done

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@ManuelHernandez-rh6wk]

the locrian song is mindblowing, nice job!

[@Turtlpwr]

Awesome video and makes me want to do this challenge myself

[@NomeDeArte]

Love the idea!

[@John_Musician]

Hello, David, love all of these solo piano. It's so amazing what we can do with these modes. I just have a question, Do you think there should be signs (like treble clef, bass clef, etc.) for all these modes?? One sign for one mode each. By the way, Love your videos, They are amazing!! Looking forward to the upcoming videos!!!

[@dallindickinson9363]

Thats awesome! l love how you can have so much to explore with modes. I've been playing around with modes for a little while, i learnd about how to use them from one of your videos a while ago. Once I could understand them I had a blast playing around with the modes.

[@jaywinterbrook]

Excellent idea

[@blerdyaheard]

Listening to your exploration of E Phrygian, I realized "This House Is Full of Noise" by Editors-which I've enjoyed for years, but have never tried to deconstruct-is in that *exact* same mode (for most of the song, anyway). Love when epiphanies like that happen. 🙂

[@wyattstevens8574]

Aeolian- loved the Latin spin you gave it! If I took on this challenge, I might try to make track 3 (if I tackled them in order) sound Middle-Eastern- that, Phrygian Dominant, and Double Harmonic are all typical of that area, as you've said before.

[@icarusi]

I tend to pair modes, so ionian with mixolydian, dorian with aeolian, phrygian with locrian based on their starting notes, and often swap between them when improvising. I had a problem with lydian, in that its start notes are unique, but then realised it's only a #3 away from ionian, so pair with that too. Recently I've also paired with finishes, mainly descending, so dorian with mixolydian etc. It's good for the modal interchange stuff, but there I also include melodic minor and harmonic minor with aeolian and dorian, just try the same note order of what ever I'm currently playing, through all four.

[@CasiMediocre]

Thank you for making these lovely videos, always a fun way to learn!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Glad you like them!

[@NpcFR01]

Could you talk about Augmented major seventh chord?it sounds interesting!

[@LunaticCraft]

Wonderful job, I love it. I think many had a similar idea at some point and I think actually sitting down and doing it is a good exercise.

[@sky3fallmusic]

Damn. That’s inspiring, David. As it happens, I’ve got three tracks in the works, each in a different mode (Ionian, Aeolian, and Mixolydian). I will probably want to transpose a couple of them to keep to the spirit of the challenge. Now you’ve got me thinking, but I know that bloody Locrian is going to be a challenge. Still, thanks for the idea! 😁

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊😊😊

[@sky3fallmusic]

@@DavidBennettPiano I chose E Major for mine. So far I’m really liking the chord progressions I’ve come up with, even the D# Locrian one. Definitely going to be something that takes me out of my comfort zone!

[@doomdoomdoom1016]

Only just started the vid, just up to track one and you mentioned it being Philip Glass/Steve Reich minimalism time and i had to stop to ask have you heard The Divine Comedy's Philip and Steve's Furniture Removal Company? an insane piece of music that is is supposed to be the theme tune to a fake sitcom idea based around Philip Glass and Steve Reich starting, you guessed it: A Furniture Removal Company. If you haven't i highly reccomend checking it out, the way it just loops and builds is stunning and bloody hilarious. Headphones highly reccomended.

[@EasyPianoTutorials]

What a fun idea!

[@PianoDentist]

The other reason why you have to work at making each piece sound distinct, is because you are the composer and performer of all these pieces! But that is a good thing as that is you represented by your music. 😁 phrygian & aeolian I liked the most.

[@statueofliberty1132]

My favorite songs of yours were the locrian one and the Dorian one

[@nicoladelbono8944]

The Locrian one was great, ethereal, atmospheric (fir being a Locrian)... Almost ambient/new age like.... But in any case (in my opinion) not really scared or immediatielly identificable as Locrian .. You made it Dave👍🏻

[@nicoladelbono8944]

Scary not scared....

[@rockhead11]

Rather than being “Halloweenish” , I felt the Locrian mode was somewhere between Debussy and Stravinsky

[@MrEthanhines]

D Dorian and G Mixolidian were my favourites well done!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊😊

[@chrishb7074]

Just downloaded ‘White Notes’ off Apple Music. Really enjoyed listening to it straight through.

[@apolloruby]

Ice, David, Planets, Bennett, Mushrooms and Piano

[@artrogers3985]

Glad to see you have plenty of fire extinguishers. Excellent video - I’ll mark it “watch again” 🎸

[@TheRip72]

Maybe a bit late now, but maybe bookending the album to finish it off with a reprise of some sort in C major would add a sort of resolution to the album?

[@tylerwastripped1590]

Id like to see you explore locrian more

[@carolgardens7294]

Thank you.Your channel makes me and my brain happy. I love to learn new things!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊

[@justPondscum]

Hi David, was delighted to see your new album on Spotify 😊😊. Hoped to ask if you had considered creating public Spotify playlists each containing a single musical mode, or specific time signatures etc. I struggle to intuitively identify or distinguish modes by ear. I'm sure such playlists would help tremendously.

[@smithjohn383]

Locrian could've been in a silent movie scene where an unhappy farmer's daughter decides to go to the big city, maybe persuaded by a silver tongued huckster.

[@yokoisdead]

Hey Dave what inspired you to make this video?

[@panosmosproductions3230]

Vibes of Locrian: spooky, scary, unresolved (both in terms of music theory and the way it sounds).

[@karolinfricke2553]

Could "Sober Optic" by Art in Exile possibly at least partly be in the locrian mode? I don't have the knowledge to figure it out myself, but it sounds rather dark and scary and unresolved most of the time.

[@ottolehikoinen6193]

Can't be a good album if made in a day, but you do you. Thunbs up.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Perhaps listen to the album first?

[@trambus1144]

May come as a surprise but the Locrian piece really stood out to me, it's precisely because it's eerie and dissonant by nature that it sounds so good and has so much potential. And you nailed it!

[@oliverbengtsson252]

Great video as always! If you were to play in D-Dorian would you then use D minor as your home/tonic chord or would it still be C major and only the melody would return to D as a sort of homebase?

[@pulsarlights2825]

D Dorian is basically D minor with a Maj 6th instead of a minor 6th in the scale

[@ZephyrysBaum]

D minor usually

[@chincherojo7479]

This is like the best idea for an album I've heard

[@badgasaurus4211]

So what’s the real best idea for an album?

[@obonyxiam]

​@@badgasaurus4211 they're obviously using "like" as a filler rather than a comparative, stop being pedantic

[@Mr.Waffle.]

the 2nd of october

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊

[@spelunkymonke]

Was literally about to comment this but you beat me to it

[@Sannahmusic]

I am very fond of the Lydian mode, but with this video you just seduced me to write something Dorian next time.

[@random_kid453]

D dorian and A minor were my favorites

[@rwdestefano]

That is exactly how Randy Newman and Brian Wilson compose. And I do, too. Only not as wonderfully as the previous two.

[@dungeon_memelord623]

love the bossa nova feel of the aeolian piece

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks 😊

[@theuninformedobserver7878]

Hi - I have a question that's unrelated to this recording; On the Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love", George has a short guitar solo, and he does this thing where he comes in a good half-beat or more late. In fact the whole solo is just a little bit off, which adds a lot to the song, I'd say. I noticed that Maria Callas does almost the same thing with her rendition of the Bellini song, "Casta Diva", I'd say - even more exaggerated! (She might do it in other songs too -- I'm no kind of expert on opera, or any kind of music.) Anyway, I'm just wondering if that kind of "behind the beat" singing (or playing) has a special name, or annotation in the score? Thx.

[@Jorge-uu1hh]

🙌

[@williamcompitello2302]

Mixolydian reminds me of complete freedom. Imagine being in Cali somewhere on one of the mountains, shooting off fireworks.

[@BantheDan]

Which one of these pieces are you most proud of / enjoy the most?

[@schaerfentiefe1967]

I predicted you would choose 12/8 for Mixolydian! 😅

[@TheJayson8899]

The E Phrygian is glorious

[@Darryl_xtx]

Truly enjoy your content.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Glad to hear it ☺️☺️

[@GarrySummer1700123Summer]

I love what you did with locrian, man such an awesome sound. As well as your lydian piece, both unstable and hard to use but done very well, keep up the good work.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you very much!

[@303Estates]

awesome video!!! great job!!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks so much!!

[@yafyafyaf]

I keep getting inspired I don't know why.

[@chrisshacklett2999]

Lydian 🤤

[@HieronymousCheese]

Dorian Dorian Dorian!!! Also Lydian and Phrygian. And the others. Hard to pick really, isn't it?

[@johnmac8084]

Fantastic David 😅

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you!

[@robfel68]

Thank you David. Your tutorial are on FIRE judgin by the two extinguisher in the room. 🤓 Keep'em coming and much respect from 💙💛💙💛 SWEDEN 💙💛💙💛

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks, will do!

[@thesuncollective1475]

Digging Graves..Indeed🤣🤣I feel like digging one too after hearing that! Ab Fab Dave really enjoyed that.

[@user-xd1ku4pf5f]

Thanks

[@Pip_Bear]

Im doing the music production course next year in college. I sorta want to do something similar to this, but i cant even write a song in 6 months rn. Anyone got any tips, cos im getting a bit scared

[@mikenco]

I thought your Locrian resolution was going to be back down to the low B. Loved it either way! :)

[@dr.casebolt]

The Mixodilian piece reminded me of George Winston

[@RugbyLeaguePassport]

Have you done a I V VII IV chord progression video?? Or as I call it the Unforgettable Fire progression . U2 - Unforgettable Fire (Chorus) offspring- She’s got issues Men at work - Overkill (verses) Duran Duran - Rio (chorus) Green day - Prosthetic Head

[@rogue_114]

hi david, i found a really beautiful chord, idk if you'd want to check it out, but it's aflatmaj7add#4. it has to be the most gorgeous chord i've heard personally, probably my favorite overall

[@dave31pro]

I got a David Bennett ad on a David Bennett video

[@panosmosproductions3230]

Here are some of my favorites. A aolean (natural minor) really like the sort of Tango inspired sound you were going for there. A lot of Tangos are use minor scales, usually harmonic minor, but natural minor is there too. B locrian: Really like the use of the tritone in the arpeggio, and the occasional diminished chord in the right hand. That made it sound more spooky than the songs that use scales like double harmonic minor and Lydian flat 3. I like the haunted house vibes you were going for there.

[@carolgardens7294]

I was entranced by the locrian mode piece. Maybe it was mesmerizing. I loved it. The whole video was especially satisfying. Thanks.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

My favorite was the Locrian. You really had to take chances with that one. I jammed a bit on my guitar with each one and they were all run to jam with, but played along the entire time with the Locrian, perhaps in part because it is most challenging and I kept finding interesting ways to make it work. That kind of exercise makes writing in the other modes easier.

[@larseikind666]

I wouldn't say that the lochrian scale is "unusable". It is very limited, though (if you think standard western tonality), so it requires more creativity. But I've heard pretty nice stuff in lochrian, and it's an underrated and undervalued scale. It's way more pleasing to the ear in the higher registers than in the lower, but you could make sweet lullabies in lochrian as well, if you have the right mindset.

[@user-gx2qe7vc6w]

The album is really fire! No wonder why you've got two fire extinguishers in the background

[@valdi7777]

Cool

[@peopleskingdomofwolcottia]

I honestly wish I could just comment a piece I wrote in Locrian based on a more positive aspect of my Russian Orthodox ancestry. Although I disagree with the practice of iconography, my piece based on icons delivers something I can respect about it. Icons in Orthodox churches are not meant to look pleasing or sad. They are meant to be emotionless so that they carry their meaning onto you. My piece has an intentionally emotionless outlook, allowing you to put whatever emotion you have into it.

[@cazoon]

I really liked the first groove in locrian.

[@xoxb2]

Great idea - I would've bunked off to a coffee shop! You did something useful. I liked the last one best.