Modes of Limited Transposition Part 4: Messiaen Mode 4

It's been a long time since the last one, but here's the latest installment in my series on the Messiaen Modes. While making this video, I managed to convince myself that Mode 4 is the secret to like, the gnarliest blues licks ever. I think I'll be keeping this one in my vocabulary...
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[@glennlysack5846]

Yes please do finish the series as you are able. Very useful analysis.

[@johnmcminn9455]

I like the positioning of the scales in this video, I don't do wide stretches because of my wrist. if I stay away from using a wide hand span I'm fine .

[@lapk78]

Cool! Looking forward to getting home later today and watching. I really liked your previous vids about this.

[@alexrockwellmusic]

Nice! Maybe I'll actually finish this series then...

[@lapk78]

@@alexrockwellmusic Yes, that would be pretty cool.

[@joeshite]

Awesome as always

[@reneraymond7807]

Fantastic!

[@ForeverMario]

Juicy as always

[@jimbrockmusic]

Very cool!

[@BeastModeMusic.Guitar]

awesome lesson. thank you.

[@GerbensBackingtracks]

wow, interesting stuff! never heard of these scales before. will definitely try it out in some improv

[@alexrockwellmusic]

The Messiaen modes are the secret sauce. They're kind of unwieldy if you've never used them before though. All the symmetry and chromaticisms can be hard to navigate. The key is to lean into any harmonic possibilities you can find.

[@jamesdoctor8079]

So cool

[@zapantalambda]

Hello Alex. I hope you can make a video on the examples or practical uses of the messiaen mode. Cos I'm thinking, how do you do messiaen mode on a C-G-Am-F chord progression ?

[@alexrockwellmusic]

That's the neat part, you don't! They're atonal scales, so they can only be used in tonal music in certain ways that make sense. Most of them have some place over the top of a V chord, but in a simple I-V-vi-IV progression like that, you usually don't have a lot of time to bring out the scale's unique flavor. If you're hanging on the V chord for a bit, then there's plenty of opportunity.

[@facurbo]

Finally!!

[@alexrockwellmusic]

Long awaited

[@francishayden7845]

I would hate to argue with Messiaen but Mode 5 seems to be a truncation of Mode 4, just leaving out the Major third. He’s included that but not other truncations like truncating Mode 2 to have just four Minor thirds

[@alexrockwellmusic]

Hmm that's a good observation. I'm not sure why he would have included both. Maybe the alternation of semitone, major third, semitone in each half of the scale was sonically distinct enough to him that he felt it should be included. It was probably something to that effect, because Mode 1 (the whole tone scale) could be considered a truncation of Mode 6 if you remove the two notes with semitones on either side of them. But the whole tone scale is highly distinct in its sonic color.

[@francishayden7845]

I got even more nerdy but perhaps that should be taken off line 😊

[@sylwestersosniak220]

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