Modes Harmonica Lesson | What Are Modes & How to Play Them on Harmonica

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thanks for watching! Start your 30 day FREE trial of my harmonica school today - www.learntheharmonica.com/members-zone-signup

[@Hakaru]

I watched a bunch of videos about modes a while ago but I didn't manage to understand how they work, so I ended up having to do a bit of reading to get the hang of it. Wish I had this video back then. Great job on the explanation and the visuals, they really help to get the idea of how the intervals shift from one mode to another. Cheers

[@jamessmith9962]

Man Liam, you're a thorough harp teacher of music; very comprehensive. You have helped understand as I never did before. Thank you for all of the effort and contribution for helping to keep this musical craft alive and growing.

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're very welcome - I'm so glad it helped you!

[@callenski]

Very enlightening! Thanks, Liam!!!

[@heiko6983]

Wow Liam, I never heard the modes explained in such a clear, vivid and logical way as You did it in this lesson😀 Thanks man🙏🏻

[@samuelsukenik5008]

Hello Liam, great video, very helpful for me! Thanks!

[@silentgarage7273]

Great one Liam , thanks. Music theory is hard but interesting (to me). We need more these.

[@Learntheharmonica]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@alleycat-145]

Liam. As always , a well explained, informative lesson laid out within the recording perimeters your confined to. Between your KZbin videos and your " Primeum Lessons" you have a brilliant, informative, and very well explained library of harmonica music lessons/teachings. 👍. Your lessons have always been bennificial to my harmonica learning curve; in terms of playing; and understanding the instrument; and the music. Thank you. 👍😁

[@Learntheharmonica]

Thanks so much, glad I could be of service! 👍😁

[@gobuns2]

you and my little c harp finally made me (a lazy lazy guitar learner) the major scale and modes. like, it popped in place with this very video! I always wondered: well, when you move c major one tone up, isn't it just d major? in this moment I understood the foundation is the 2w1h3w1h and that foundation, the major scale doesn't seem so eye pleasing (when it's in a key other than c) with all the sharps and flats. right time, right person... THANK YOU MISTER!

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're very welcome, I'm glad the video was useful for you! 😎

[@Human_Herbivore]

Excellent, thanks Liam. 👍

[@Learntheharmonica]

Glad you enjoyed it 😎

[@benhawthorne123]

Liam, my name is Ben-Jammin, or Business of Friends. I want to ask you: do you think teaching harp had helped you learn more about the instrument? I feel I may be at a journeyman stage of playing, and i really feel that the best way for me to learn now, is to collaborate and teach, I've learned alone and with your help, I grew up playing guitar, began harmonica in August 2021. I'm determined to join your scene Liam. You, Gussow, Tomlin, Will Wilde and Jason Ricci have showed me that I need to rise to the occasion, and I need to play at your level, in my own style. I love it, feels so good to be determined. Also loving minor and melody maker tunings. This instrument requires it's own revolutions, and it should bring a revelation of musicianship to the modern world

[@Learntheharmonica]

Yes teaching is a GREAT way to learn! It's helped me clarify concepts to myself and focus my own practice as well. Best of luck! 😎

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

This is all correct. But the thing about modes, it's really a simple concept. Once the penny drops and you get it, you get it and this whole new domain of music opens up to you. But once you start talking about half steps and whole steps and intervals and diminished 5th or augmented 9ths or whatever, what happens is your eyes glaze over and you get the impression that it's a really complicated concept. Because in a certain sense, it is. It can be explained in very complex terms or very simple terms. So for anyone who didn't get it, allow me to explain it simply. Grab your C harp. Play your major scale, C to C. That's the Ionian mode. Now play it D to D. That's the Dorian mode. Now play it E to E. That's Phrygian. F to F, Lydian. G to G Mixolydian. A to A, that's your Aeolian or regular minor scale. B to B is Locrian but you don't really have to worry about that one right now. That's really all it is but there's a bit more you need to know. So how does one use these musically? Well, it requires that you play along with someone else or some kind of jam track. Modes are brought out by chords or bass notes at least. You can jam over a one chord vamp or there are progressions written that are meant to bring out the flavor of one mode or another. Also, you'll soon notice that each mode has a certain flavor. But don't get stuck thinking there's only one flavor in there. For the longest time I thought that Phrygian meant Flamenco and Flamenco means Phrygian. That it's exclusively a Spanish thing. But it's not. It can sound Spanish or it can kind of sound a bit middle easterny in a certain context. Or how Mixolydian is only about jam bands and the Dead. The Dead do like that mode but it can sound different if used that way. It can sound kind of cinematic if you play big orchestral keyboards in Mixolydian for example. Dorian is a great example. Dorian is definitely kind of jazzy sounding. But it's also the mode used in Scarborough Fair/Canticle. So it can be jazzy or it can sound medieval. There's more in there to work with if you look for it. Did I forget anything? One thing I would've said when talking about Mixolydian, it's cross harp. That's basically the mode you use when playing blues harp. But it's not just for blues.

[@Learntheharmonica]

You're right, modes are really simple if you just think of starting on a different degree of the major scale. That's the easiest way into understanding them and you've explained it well. I do however disagree with equating mixolydian with cross harp. They're not the same thing - cross harp (2nd position) is about the tonal centre of the music. You can play any scale in 2nd position, just as you can play any scale in any position (assuming you have the technique to find the notes). Sorry, I know why you said it - and it makes sense to a point - but equating positions and modes is just a pet hate of mine!

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

@@Learntheharmonica But you play a C cross harp in G, yeah? Or an F for C. I'm not quite sure I take your meaning.

[@Learntheharmonica]

@@PaulTheSkeptic Yes, in 2nd position you use a C harp to play in the key G, so your tonal centre is G. But that only tells you where the musical "gravity" is. It doesn't, however, tell you that you have to play the G Mixolydian. You could choose to play the major scale, the minor scale, the blues scale or any other scale. Test it now: play -2 -3/ 4 -4/ -4 -5 6. That's the blues scale in 2nd position. It's not Mixolydian. Therefore, 2nd position and Mixolydian are not the same thing. (The same applies for using an F harp to play in C.)

[@Learntheharmonica]

P.S. Part of the reason modes and positions get confused is that Mixolydian is easy in 2nd position, Dorian is easy in 3rd position etc. But that doesn't make them the same thing, and it can be limiting and misleading to equate them.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

@@Learntheharmonica Okay. I see now. That's a good point. I guess I tend to try to think in simple terms. I don't know. C notes in G, Mixolydian. But you're right. It doesn't necessarily have to be and that should be pointed out. I think I'm picking up from you that you're very into the technical and theory side of things, musically speaking. I always like to explore areas in music that you'd think have been well trodden and maybe not that interesting sounding at first but there's still stuff in there to discover. Like tempo. There's this certain tempo range that, any faster and you're very obviously playing very fast music. Speed metal or whatever. Any slower and it would just be a quite upbeat tune. But staying on that razors edge between them brings the level of intensity to this fever pitch and the trick is to keep your audience at this heightened state for as long as possible without overcooking it which should ruin the effect and bring them back down to earth. I figure about 4 songs, right at the beginning of your set. But this is mostly applicable for punk and hard rock but I think it would also work for Little Richard style rock and roll. So think Long Tall Sally but even faster. I rarely ever hear that tempo. I have similar little fun things having to do with rhythm and syncopation and stuff like that. All those concepts have these hidden gems in them if you look for them.

[@kimshalla]

Great. So playing different modes on one harmonica is gonna make you play different positions? What if I wanted to play one mode, say the phrygian, in different positions? Then I would have to bend a bunch of notes i guess. Also, does the first mode always start on C? And how deep is this rabbit hole really? 🤪

[@Learntheharmonica]

"What if I wanted to play one mode, say the phrygian, in different positions? Then I would have to bend a bunch of notes i guess." Yes, that's correct. You'd be moving away from the set of notes that occurs naturally on the harmonica, so you'd have to fill in those gaps with bends or overbends.

[@Jonahch2v9]

Way off topic. I have a song I'm working on (I Surrender All) and during a section of high draw notes, I get an unwanted build up of saliva. Sometimes it will impede a note. Any suggestions?

[@benhawthorne123]

The answer here could BE! Tongue Block it

[@stevelewis8620]

emotion for locrian is frustration

[@abdullalhazred3365]

and why might you purchase *chromatic* harmonica in different keys? (crazy???) Because of modes and positions. Consider a piano keyboard you only press down for each note... What if... for every half step ascending you had to pull that key upwards with your fingernail? Instead of playing Down down down down... You had to play Down up down up... In some cases there would be up up up and down down down. just like a chrom harmonica.. inhale exhale... Some runs would be almost impossible at faster speeds - others would be more easy and people would tend towards those... So.. while you may enjoy playing A minor in a C chromatic because of how "nicely" and easy the runs are -- if you want that arrangement to play on another chrom but in C... You'd pick up a Chrom in key of Eb -- and away you go... the modes would be the same - the starting holes would be the same.. the position the same... but the key of the chrom Eb... This is no different to why Guitarists may choose to use altered tunings (" oh that's cheating!") Same principle.

[@karinpro.3617]

It is Not possible, to Translaate in germain isn't it ? .'- )