Modes: the centre matters more than the starting note

A centre gives notes their roles

E Dorian uses E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯ and D, the same notes as D major. Yet the music can feel different when E is the root and the harmony supports E as the centre.

If you simply play these notes from E to E over a clear D major cadence, your ear may still hear D as home. The first note of a scale exercise does not necessarily override the harmony.

Compare from the same root

Parallel comparison makes colours easier to hear. Compare E Dorian with E Aeolian rather than moving the root at the same time as changing mode.

Both have a minor character because they have a minor third. Dorian has a major sixth; Aeolian has a minor sixth. That one degree can affect both melody and chord choices.

Let harmony reveal the colour

A vamp between Em7 and A7 can highlight E Dorian. A7 contains C♯, the major sixth above E. Let Em7 feel like home and use A7 as a contrast.

You do not need to emphasise the characteristic note all the time. Try using it as a deliberate colour in an otherwise simple phrase. Modality concerns how music is organised, not how often you hit a particular degree.

One fretboard pattern can contain several centres

The notes of G major also occur in E Aeolian, A Dorian and B Phrygian. This is a relative relationship: the note collection stays the same, while the centre and interval relationships change. It does not mean a phrase automatically changes mode whenever it starts on a new note.

Play the familiar notes over an E drone and then an A drone. Try ending on E and A respectively, and hear how the other notes take on new roles. A fretboard pattern describes positions; the music determines which centre is established.

Read on: compare Dorian and Aeolian ↗︎