Demonstrating 7 Ways that Composers Make Music Using Modes [SONGWRITING / THEORY]

The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! shorturl.at/bouLV
In this video we explore 7 different ways that the musical modes of major actually get used in modern sounding music, starting with some simple tips and ending with some more advanced concepts.
Here's the video I made for my Patreon subscribers showing how I wrote the Dorian melody. I did a poor job of describing this though - it's 15 minutes (not 20) and isn't primarily about melody. I do think it'll still be enlightening though! • Writing a Folksy + ADV... I'll be posting more frequently on that channel as well with less polished content that is hopefully just as helpful as Signals videos.
If you're having trouble following along with this video, I'd recommend these other videos I did - they should fill in any gaps.
Modes and Tonal Center: • RELATIVE MODES - How C...
Meet The Modes: • Demonstrating All 7 Mo...
Modes on Guitar: • Playing In Every Mode ...
7th Chords: • How To Write Progressi...
Chords of Minor: • How to write Chords an...
The chart I'm using is my Ultimate Modal Poster and can be purchased here: shorturl.at/rET34
My patreon: / signalsmusicstudio
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:42 Writing exclusively in a mode
03:23 Demonstrating a piece in 100% Dorian
04:10 Writing in a mode but breaking it
07:15 Demonstrating Dorian mixed with natural 7ths
07:48 Modulating between relative modes
10:10 Demonstrating Phyrgian moving to Aeolian
11:21 Modulating between parallel modes
13:36 Demonstrating Major moving to Lydian
14:18 Writing in major and borrowing chords from anywhere
15:37 Demonstrating modal mixture in major
16:27 Modal Mixture in Minor
19:27 Using Modes or Scales to Play Over Chords
21:12 Demonstrating a New Scale for Each Chord

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

Just like old times, I caught a few things while editing that might be confusing, or that I may have skipped over. First though, I think you should visit www.youtube.com/@BeardStank and pester him to make more videos! He also drummed for the last segment (#7_ and I forgot to credit him but you can hear him shredding it. 🔴Realistically, #6 should say "some modes," not "most modes". 🔴at 07:09 I say that the melody is "E major" when I meant to just say "E". 🔴I really trashed the idea of m3 and M3 happening at the same time (or b7 and 7), but there's more to that story. I understand that some people won't hear that moment as dissonant as I do and that's okay. M3 and m3 actually get mixed frequently in some styles like blues and rock and it sounds awesome. Despite that, playing G natural over an E7 chord in this specific setting triggers my ear to hear it as "wrong music." Just my tastes though, so don't take this rule of "don't mix 7ths/3rds" as sacrosanct. 🔴When you replace the b7 in Dorian with regular 7 you end up with the melodic minor scale. While melodic minor is rarely if ever composed "in," it often shows up in brief moments like this. If you understand #6 in this video you'll understand what "melodic minor" actually is referring to. 🔴I say E major a lot when I mean E7, but in this context, the two are basically interchangeable. When we talk about V in minor keys, it's expected that it might be seen as V7. You're not adding anything new to the mix when you turn V into V7, since its chordal 7th is just the 2nd of the key. 🔴The chorus for "Comfortably Numb" is in D major but it also "breaks the scale" a bit like we discuss in #2 by introducing a C chord, which is bVII. You can think of this as being borrowed from Mixolydian if you like or you can simply think of it as b7 temporarily taking over for natural 7. ph 🔴That Db/F chord is a Neapolotian 6th chord. I haven't done a lesson on it yet but hear how nicely it moves to V, which is played as Vsus4 first. Simply put, it's bII in first inversion going to V or V7. -When describing chords in the key of Bm I called A the "natural diatonic 7th." This is confusing because "natural 7th" means leading tone and not b7. I meant the word "natural" in the sense that it "naturally occurs in minor" but upon editing I realized how poor of a phrasing that is. Just imagine I said "diatonic" instead of "natural" in that section please! 🔴My promo for the online book has a typo in the text lol… at the time, a bunch of flat signs went missing but it's been fixed. 🔴By the end of January I expect to be able to take orders and ship the physical Chord Progression Codex to most countries. The sheer size of the book (430 pages) combined with the fact that it's spiral bound means that many print-on-demand companies won't work with me though, which is why things are taking additional time. So check back soon if you want the physical book but don't live in the US! LASTLY - I'm immensely happy to be back on youtube again. I know that might sound weird but really, the book thing was overwhelming. Though I finally got it to where I'm happy with it, the process took way more time, money, and effort than I wanted to invest. Today marks the end of that road though and I'm legit glad to say that my job for the next few years is to make fun youtube videos again!

[@OrchestralButterflie]

I totally understand the book being overwhelming. You put a TON of really great information in it. And while I've missed your videos, I feel like in the long run I'm going to learn so much from the book.

[@xwinglover]

Good to see your videos again. That was a huge rich lesson and wonderfully presented.

[@xshayahyawzi3666]

Welcome back, brother! I have missed your videos. I remembered your book part but then I thought tgat probably you have given up on youtube. It is good to have you back!

[@DirtyJohnny]

Hey I wanted to buy your book but Apple Pay is not working. It wants me to create an account first, please remove that so I can 1 click buy! Thx

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

@@DirtyJohnny If you want to buy the digital book you'll need an account to access the online part of it. It comes with an offline PDF though and will automatically include the ebook when it releases (in a few months)

[@bluereptileproductions]

Hell yeah brother. Welcome back, man, you've been the most helpful music theory channel I've ever come across

[@andrewlowden322]

true statement! Welcome back, good sir!

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

thank you its good to be back, i really don't want to write another book lol

[@erikpaterson1404]

Ditto that. Good to see Jake back.

[@Cestariarts]

Consider donating and ACTUALLY SUPPORTING the channel

[@erikpaterson1404]

@Cestariarts i definitely am.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

He has returned! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

🙏

[@VincentNeemie]

This guy is legendary. No other music channel gets even close. We missed you dude!

[@thesingingaccountant1]

Couldn't agree more

[@nuke97]

Music Theory For Guitar and Let's Talk About Math Rock are pretty strong contenders. But Jake has star quality.

[@tokernizer]

he came back when the world needed him the most.

[@mcny40]

I’m so glad that you’re back Jake!! You’re my favorite music teacher!

[@djjohnny5166]

Mine too! I just woke up cause I couldn’t sleep and this was tbd best surprise gift

[@OurgasmComrade]

Here's a list of great timeless songs that use mixed modes! Bee Gees - Stayin Alive (Dorian + Aeolian) The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby (Aeolian + Dorian) The Beatles - Norwegian Wood (Mixolydian + Dorian + Ionian) Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (Lydian + Aeolian) Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (Mixolydian + Dorian) Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (Phrygian Dominant + Aeolian) Joni Mitchell - Hissing Of Summer Lawns (Aeolian + Phrygian + Locrian) Love - Alone Again Or (Phrygian + Ionian) The Clash - London Calling (Phrygian + Aeolian) Radiohead - Pyramid Song (Phrygian + Phrygian Dominant)

[@kozmobluemusic]

Dreams is not in Lydian mode, even though the chords are only F and G. The melody and vocals reinforce an Am (or C Ionian) tonality. If they focused more on the F, the IV of C, then maybe it would be Lydian. Just because you lack the root chord of the mode you’re emulating, it doesn’t mean that that’s the tonality you’ll be getting. There’s a lot more to it than just the chords that are or aren’t present - all the context of Dreams suggest Am (or C Major).

[@saucerfullofzepp4203]

F-ing A bro!! Thanks

[@OurgasmComrade]

@@kozmobluemusic good point!

[@StratsRUs]

Any song that changes Key

[@erikpaterson1404]

Sick dude, this is info overload. Thank you. 🙏

[@rianadams4837]

DearJake,... So many people--myself included--are so glad to see you back with a new video! You truly have a gift for helping people find the beauty in music... but more than that, you help them find *their* music inside themselves. Seriously bro, you taught me more than any other KZbin channel over the years. I hope this is one of many more to come in 2024. Cheers!!

[@Stinkfistism]

this

[@MrBuzzzzz]

I'm a guitar instructor and I've been teaching this topic for about 20 years now. I will say that your presentation here was one of the most thorough and comprehensive that I have seen or even heard of as this topic is the one that many teachers fall short with. The way you broke it up into 7 methods is brilliant and you also have the gift of being able to deliver your teaching effectively which unfortunately is not common enough in the world of teaching music. Great playing too and excellent work with the melodies you created and the way you connected them to the intervals being introduced. You even went a little into the emotional aspects of the intervals and I usually only see that in music from the east with the microtonal scales. I like to give credit where credit is due and you are a fantastic and I would say extremely competent instructor. It's obvious that you care about what you're doing too which is the way in which you and I are the most similar. I hope many new guitarists who decide to really dive into theory find you so you can help prevent the potential musical illiteracy that threatens the world right now. What you're doing is far more important than probably you even know. I tip my hat to you good sir, your skills are needed very badly and I wish you all the best. May the rock and roll gods be with you. Jeff

[@hrebolledoc5159]

Blessed words for a blessed teacher.. 😊

[@claychristensen7975]

This is what that bumper sticker “ I Found It” was all about back in the day!!!😊

[@eDrumsInANutshell]

Damn, right! This guy is awesome! And I lately saw a vid of NewJazz about all 33 scales. Damn. That was dope! I am a hobby drummer, actually, so just knew about descaling ... Anyway. I am here with my Cubase and Ableton and wanna start to write something. For the most mates, there is only mayor and minor and a few months ago I got to know mixolydian b6... huh! As a drummer?! Great stuff! Nice to have you bach here!

[@everrime]

"Weird chord, weird scale" Congrats, you just explained jazz.

[@Luigi-ef7yb]

The book is one of the best things ive come across for learning. 30 bucks was a damn steal. Thank you!

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

glad you like it, I seriously think it's one of the best resources you can acess as a student these days!

[@erocksemler]

Single best instructor on the internet returns!!!!!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN MISSED!!!

[@Pagefire]

when the world needed him the most, he came back!

[@cheeseaddict]

The man that kickstarted my journey is back!! 🔥🔥 And even after a year he manages to explain something clearly I have not learnt yet, great to see you again king 💪

[@TheRadicalHybrid]

The legend has finally returned! Looking forward to continuing my guitar education. Hope you have a lovely and productive year, bro!

[@educostanzo]

So you simply come back like that making even better content than before? My favorite music channel hands down man, welcome back!

[@adityamohan1773]

Thank god you started posting again. I loved the Major to lydian modulation. Sounded lovely. You seem to really understand modes unlike other composers who see modes as different colors of major. What i learnt from my exposure to Indian and Persian modal music is that- these styles employe specific phrases of every mode, bringing out very specific flavours out of each tetrachord. Its an immensely interesting concept. If we contine to think of modes in terms of degrees of brightness a lot of this modal flavor would be missed. There are a few cultures that identify the phrygian and other non major scale modes as happier or cheerful scales. To them major doesnt mean much. And there are times when Dorian can sound like funeral music. Modes unlock unlimited possibility when we think of them in terms of phrases.

[@Adamnme01]

Holy fuck you're back! Grand way to start rhe new year!

[@KevinT747]

I believe you meant Schrödinger, not Heisenberg. Regardless, very happy you’ve returned to KZbin. Your method of instruction has been the most effective at teaching me music theory. A perfect balance of theory and illustrative examples. Thank you!

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

crap you're right

[@kcmet79]

“You’re god damn right.” 😂

[@StratsRUs]

Heisenberg was a hip cat, though !

[@jtorres3150]

YOU'RE ALIVE!!!! Glad to have you back, man! :D

[@Nicenigel14]

So glad you're back and what a great topic to return with!

[@raphaelcote3577]

Nice Fusion vibes on that Phrygian Jam!! 😎🎶

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

Thx i love that melody!

[@n3v3rsvff3r2]

Bro! Feels like old times. Welcome back. You’ve been missed. Cheers.

[@andrewodom486]

Best youtube music teacher. I've learned more from these videos than everything else combined in a fraction of the time.

[@tedfitzgerald3153]

Glad to see you're back again. Your book is Great!

[@realpool]

So glad you're back! I bought the digital version right away when it came out. That last part of this video with a different scale over each chord is just the type of thing I like to hear. Keep up the great work man....

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

Hope youre having fun with the course!

[@stevenrussi5973]

one of the more intelligent guitar instruction channels--very much worth your time--this guy knows his stuff

[@polecatadventuretime]

Yes, so stoked to see the new video, book ordered!

[@Shortybeard]

Welcome back Jake! Happy New Year! Made my day to see a brand new video from you!

[@boerboelmummy5075]

Thank you Jake, welcome back, you have been sorely missed. Happy new year.

[@OrchestralButterflie]

So good to see you putting out more videos!!!

[@OlderBudde]

I was getting some Dream Theater vibes from that last section. Awesome work you're doing here! 😎

[@spotlight-kyd]

You can probably spend all 2024 exploring the possibilities laid out in this video. Excellent stuff as always and I really appreciate the always very musical examples, which always add additional creative ideas to pick up.

[@mictlantecoatl17]

Glad to see you back, your teaching is one of the best available on internet. Thank you very much for your work, I appreciate it a lot.

[@raugusto0]

So happy to see a new video. You're the best!

[@wondeersooftheewoorl]

Welcome back!!! Thank you for this video

[@chrisrosencrans]

This such a great start to the year!!! I'm so excited for a new video. You have taught me SO MUCH. I've been playing for about 10 years but never got past learning basic chords and reading tabs. Covid hit, I had a lot of downtime, and I got into music theory because of your videos. Now it's one of my biggest passions. You've changed lives..

[@richhansen8874]

Great video! Now that I'm retired, I plan to spend more time making music, and your videos are a great help and inspiration. Thanks!

[@Face_Of_Freedom]

Love your videos, Jake! Welcome back!

[@alteredstate247]

You're the Rolls Royce of KZbin guitar content. Glad to have you back!

[@SonOfSofaman]

Ha ha! The "Heisenberg Key" joke made me laugh. Jake: the Quantum Composer 😁

[@aj.s...]

I'm glad to see that, despite your long hiatus, your sense of humor has come back untarnished. The floating Gandalf thing killed me 😆😆

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

i was editing that and wondering to myself "is this totally stupid and unnecessary?" the answer was obviously yes. despite that, i persisted.

[@aj.s...]

​@SignalsMusicStudio You made the right decision in the end, lol. And the face-scrunch with the mixed 7ths... omg. It's just wonderful.

[@djstraathof]

I'm so genuinely happy and excited that you are back!

[@wulfenii64]

I've missed these videos. I am so glad you're back.

[@VRNocturne]

The real thug life is mixing those semitones for ultimate drama. I'm just kidding of course. Glad you're back and love your constant reference to and videos about modal music.

[@SignalsMusicStudio]

whats weird is how good the mixed 7ths (or 3rds) actually sound in a blues context. probably gonna have to do a video all about "the clashing of the 3rds"

[@6rusT]

You are back!! I love your content man, thank you.

[@nightowlrecordingstudio6437]

Nice to have you back! Happy New Year

[@ericmiller74]

Nice to see you back Jake! Great stuff as usual.

[@alienautopsy9326]

This guy makes music sound so colorful , the jumper he’s wearing was white before he put it on. This Coco Chanel is top ace for learning arranging with guitar.

[@OmiP42]

YO, I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, MAN. You're the freaking best. Glad to have you back, bruv!

[@len1v4ik]

Very glad to see you again! Welcome back!

[@wozface13]

Best songwriting lessons on the Internet is back!

[@dro_pez5306]

Welcome back! Missed your videos. Happy to see you back

[@BigSh00tsie]

Have been missing your videos man. Great to see you back!!!

[@trasakas]

welcome back! happy new year!so happy to see you again

[@rafaelsalgado6760]

Yeeees, welcome back! What a new year gift to see you upliaded a new video!

[@chrisspinella]

Glad to see you back and I look forward to checking out the Codex

[@user-up9mh8sh4l]

The legend is back!!!! I'm so happy to see you upload a new video!

[@jeffbowers3387]

Welcome back! Happy New Year indeed!

[@thomasshredster4627]

HE'S BACK! Dude i love your channel!

[@FrettedFlipper]

Happy to see your return!

[@smdcuolive6700]

Great to have you back making content!!! missed these videos so much

[@SyncrisisVideos]

Welcome back, and with such a massive book, I can understand your break!

[@barnabasgyuricza1588]

Welcome back brother! Excited for all of the content :)

[@poobens]

Good to see you back! Your videos changed my life for the better!

[@sagenjerai3909]

Your videos are so precious. Thank you Jake for this.

[@pip07200]

Great to see you back! And best wishes for the new year,! 😊

[@mrbend]

It's good to see your video popping up again dude. Welcome back!

[@jime7789]

What a great way to start the new year! Welcome back Jake

[@aviruptheguitarist]

Great to see you back!! Great lesson and Happy New Year 😊

[@jordanwagner4223]

I really appreciate this video! Thanks for coming back strong with this one.

[@AureliusmonkGuitarGarage]

Welcome back!! My practice routine thanks you!!

[@Jeet_Duttamusic]

Yessssss❤❤❤❤ I can't express how happy I am seeing jake being back

[@polarbearkj-pop2434]

Start new year with you comeback Really nice, Happy new year!!!

[@Andy-bd2wi]

INCREDIBLE! Such a talented musician.

[@hazelps5990]

So glad to see you’re back!🎉

[@stonepinper3183]

I’m so glad you’re back!❤❤❤

[@juicylucy5797]

Happy New Year, Jake! Great to see you again.✨

[@timeconsumer325]

So glad to see you back on KZbin!

[@rachelfey]

Welcome back! I was thinking about you literally yesterday.

[@whiteyshred4330]

WOO THE MAN IS BACK! we have missed you, I will definitely be getting that book!

[@kenroy916]

Yes! He has returned! I have waited many long days and nights for this moment!! 🥳

[@azimarshad]

Welcome back Jake! Happy new year and best wishes.

[@thelongestjan]

So glad you're back man. Keep up the great work, thank you 🤘🤘

[@blazing6string]

Welcome back! I am glad to see you are alive and well

[@aminelabidi6113]

soooooo happy to see you man ♥ happy new year and thanks for the lessons

[@orangecatactually]

Been a while but it's good to have you back!

[@richiefaldo]

This video made my day! Welcome back!

[@amirmasoud142]

So delighted to see you back

[@AgentWiggles]

Oh man, welcome back! I learned so, so much from you. Can't wait to see what's next.

[@royjohnson3361]

Welcome back! Clear, understandable lesson, as always.

[@panagiotisexplorer213]

Welcome back! You have by far the most helpful and educating videos :)

[@GuitarProfessor]

Dude, good to see you back! Excellent as always!

[@miguelmota5447]

happy you are back, you've been missed, great video as always :D

[@musthofaramadhani9962]

Welcome back brother, I am happy that you're still alive.

[@kickout3287]

Yay, a new Signals Music Studio video! Made my day!

[@reecewoods2680]

My favourite channel! Welcome back man! We missed you

[@nojsageiv]

Thank you for your time and content

[@jmlnc]

Yay so good to see you, Happy New Year and you're fantastic!!

[@g.mantua1195]

New Year and a new video from Signals Music Studio... What a way to start. Welcome back and a happy new year.