The idea
You already know the modes. You just know them through the wrong lens.
The lens you brought from guitar is the relative one: C major, start on the second degree, that is D Dorian. It is true, and for composing it tells you what key you are borrowing from when what you need to know is the sound. Greg stopped you on exactly this in the lesson. "You're staying in C, but you're changing the modality of C. That's what I want you to understand rather than [the other way]." And then, flatly: "I don't want you to think of it like that. I want you to think of everything going from major."
So the working definition for this course is parallel. A mode is a major scale with a specific set of degrees bent, played from the same root. Dorian is minor with the sixth put back, and calling it "the second degree of something" gets you no closer to that sound. When you hear a piece sitting in minor and the sixth lifts, you have not modulated. Greg's line: "It doesn't sound like a key change. It sounds like a color change."
The relative lens does not go in the bin. You need it for one job, and it is a job nothing else does: it tells you the fingering.
Watch
"How to play all modes on the piano" (71 min). This is the lesson. Watch it in three sittings.
- [01:27] Thumb-under mechanics. Move the hand as little as possible, keep the elbow still. His reason is speed. Move the hand and then try to go faster and you get stuck.
- [11:17] to [12:11] Posture. Feet squarely on the floor, legs relaxed and a little apart, back straight, shoulders directly over the hip bones, and the weight resting on them.
- [13:31] The left-hand A major fix. Pinky on A, then four three two one, then the fourth finger crosses over, so the thumb never lands on a black key. At [16:34] he states the general rule: "any time that you want to go upwards to a black note from a white note it makes sense to cross over."
- [29:12] to [32:00] The relative derivation, worked live. Same notes, same fingering, different root, "and it changes the sound completely."
- [33:07] The parallel derivation, and the fingering trick that makes it usable. C Lydian has a sharp four. Which major scale has F sharp? G. So finger C Lydian with G major's fingering, starting on C.
- [35:36] to [38:10] All seven modes of C, named and played in order.
- [43:11] to [48:20] The identical walkthrough in C sharp, then both derivations of F Phrygian side by side.
- [36:40] The admission that makes the fingering tables below necessary: "I'm not actually doing the fingerings right I should be but it's something I'm bad at."
- [38:16] to [38:27] The assignment. All the modes of every relative scale, one octave up and down, every day. "It doesn't matter how fast just do it smoothly." At [01:07:09] he adds the order: "get the modes first then the sevens will come much more easily." "Basics of Music Theory" at [02:59] and [08:16] gives you the same chain in five minutes, and one sentence worth memorizing about Locrian, at [08:34]: "This is the darkest, most unstable chord you can have... Because it has no five. The five is usually the thing that leads to the one, but this the five is flat. So, you have nothing that really leads to the one." "Autumn Leaves basics; comping and walking bass line" is a 40-minute private lesson, and the first ten minutes are the fingering half of this lesson.
- [00:00] to [03:20] The fingering principle stated three ways: cross over when you are switching from a white note to a black note "because physically it makes it easier to do that quickly," keep the thumbs on the notes that are "physically lower on the piano," and at [09:09] avoid crossing the thumb under from a black key to a black key, which he calls awkward.
- [01:23] Every major scale fingered on camera, two octaves.
- [05:49] to [09:51] The shortcut this whole lesson runs on: every mode uses the fingering of its relative major, "because the physical change in elevation of your hand is what you use to maximize efficiency when you're switching from a black note to a white note." A minor is fingered as C major starting on the third finger [06:38]. At [09:51] he works B flat Dorian the same way, and its parent is A flat major.
- [11:29] to [13:22] The relative degrees drilled by name, with the assignment that goes with them: name any key, play its relative Lydian on the spot.
How to play all modes on the piano
- the whole lesson, 71 minutes, both derivations worked out on camera in C and again in C sharp
Basics of Music Theory
- the seven modes built off one root in a single pass, each named by its one new alteration
gotta practice this one
- one minute, the daily assignment in its shortest form: C major, C Lydian, C Mixolydian, four octaves, all keys
Autumn Leaves basics; comping and walking bass line
- the clearest statement of the fingering principle, and the rule that every mode borrows its relative major's fingering
Jazz Scales to play over Maiden Voyage
- Dorian and its neighbors used as color over a real tune, so the modes stop being an exercise
Listen
Three passes on "So What," pen down.
- Pass 1: just the bass. Where does the whole thing move up a half step and where does it move back.
- Pass 2: the sixth degree. In D Dorian it is B natural. Sing D, then sing up to B, then hold it against the recording. That interval is the entire reason the tune does not sound like D minor.
- Pass 5: the piano comping. Every voicing is built in fourths, which is a way of voicing a mode without ever stating a third and therefore without committing to a functional reading. That is the modal comping sound you will build in A11.
At the piano
Three ways in, on one root. For every mode, you must be able to produce it three ways without pausing.
- Parallel. Start on C major and bend degrees. This is the way you will think when composing.
- Derived. Name the parent major scale. This is the way you will find the fingering.
- By the circle. Add flats one at a time in circle-of-fifths order. This is the way you will understand why the modes come in the order they do, and it is how Greg lays it out in the written Lesson 4 recap at poseidon.gregspero.com/lesson-4.
A fourth thing sits outside those three and does a different job, the ear handle: the characteristic tone. One note tells you which mode you are in, and that is how you will name a mode without seeing anyone's hands.
The walk around the circle
Start on C and hold the root fixed. Move counterclockwise around the circle of fifths, one step at a time. Each step flats exactly one more note, and the note it flats is the next one counterclockwise. Nothing else changes.
| Step from C | Parent key | Mode on C | Note newly flatted | Accumulated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| one step clockwise | G | Lydian | none, F is sharped | ♯4 |
| home | C | Ionian | F returns to natural | none |
| one counterclockwise | F | Mixolydian | B → B♭ | ♭7 |
| two | B♭ | Dorian | E → E♭ | ♭3 ♭7 |
| three | E♭ | Aeolian | A → A♭ | ♭3 ♭6 ♭7 |
| four | A♭ | Phrygian | D → D♭ | ♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7 |
| five | D♭ | Locrian | G → G♭ | ♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Read the "note newly flatted" column downward and you get B, E, A, D, G. That is the order of flats in a key signature, which is the circle of fifths counterclockwise. Seven modes turn out to be one walk with six stops.
Both boundaries, stated once. The walk cannot go further clockwise than Lydian, because the next sharp would be C sharp, which is the root, and a scale that sharpens its own root is a different scale. It cannot go further counterclockwise than Locrian, for the mirror reason: the next flat would be C flat, and again the root is gone. Greg's line in the Lesson 4 recap is the compact version. "Flatting the C itself removes the root, that's the wall on the far side of the circle." Both walls are the same wall, approached from opposite directions.
| Mode | Alterations from major, same root | Parent key on C | Characteristic tone | Its chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lydian | ♯4 | G | ♯4 against Ionian | maj7(9, ♯11, 13) |
| Ionian | none | C | ♮4 against Lydian | maj7(9, 13) |
| Mixolydian | ♭7 | F | ♭7 against Ionian | 7(9, 13) |
| Dorian | ♭3 ♭7 | B♭ | ♮6 against Aeolian | m7(9, 11, 13) |
| Aeolian | ♭3 ♭6 ♭7 | E♭ | ♭6 against Dorian | m7(9, 11, ♭13) |
| Phrygian | ♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7 | A♭ | ♭2 against Aeolian | m7(♭9, 11, ♭13) |
| Locrian | ♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | D♭ | ♭5 against Phrygian | m7♭5(♭9, 11, ♭13) |
That column order is the brightness ordering, and it is the walk you just made, read as a list. It has ends for a physical reason rather than a stylistic one. Greg's version of why it has ends: "by the nature of the physics of it, you can't get brighter than Lydian."
Fingering. On C, the flats land on fingers 2, 3 and 4 in almost every mode, so the plain C major fingering survives and the thumbs stay on white keys. Each hand has exactly one exception, and they are different modes. In the right hand the thumbs sit on C and F, so Lydian moves, because the F becomes F sharp. In the left hand the thumbs sit on C and G, so Locrian moves, because the G becomes G flat. Every other mode keeps the shape you already have.
Right hand, one octave from C, written in the continuing form, so the top C carries the finger it takes in a multi-octave run
C Lydian C1 D2 E3 F♯4 G1 A2 B3 C1 (G major's fingering)
C Ionian C1 D2 E3 F1 G2 A3 B4 C1
C Mixolydian C1 D2 E3 F1 G2 A3 B♭4 C1
C Dorian C1 D2 E♭3 F1 G2 A3 B♭4 C1
C Aeolian C1 D2 E♭3 F1 G2 A♭3 B♭4 C1
C Phrygian C1 D♭2 E♭3 F1 G2 A♭3 B♭4 C1
C Locrian C1 D♭2 E♭3 F1 G♭2 A♭3 B♭4 C1
Left hand, one octave from C, same convention
C Lydian C5 D4 E3 F♯2 G1 A3 B2 C1
C Ionian C5 D4 E3 F2 G1 A3 B2 C1
C Mixolydian C5 D4 E3 F2 G1 A3 B♭2 C1
C Dorian C5 D4 E♭3 F2 G1 A3 B♭2 C1
C Aeolian C5 D4 E♭3 F2 G1 A♭3 B♭2 C1
C Phrygian C5 D♭4 E♭3 F2 G1 A♭3 B♭2 C1
C Locrian C4 D♭3 E♭2 F1 G♭4 A♭3 B♭2 C1 (D♭ major's fingering)
For the other eleven roots, do not memorize. Derive. Find the parent key in the table below, recall that scale's fingering from A1, and shift the starting finger until the three rules hold. All three are Greg's, from the Autumn Leaves lesson at [00:00] and [09:09]: keep the thumbs on the physically lower white notes, cross over when you are moving from a white key to a black key, and avoid crossing the thumb under from a black key to a black key. That is also why the mode borrows the fingering rather than inventing one. His words: every mode uses the fingering of its relative major, "because you're already using the most efficient fingering."
The 84
Seven modes on twelve roots. The cell gives the parent major scale, which is where the fingering comes from. Parents are written in their practical spelling, so C sharp Aeolian's parent, E major, appears as E rather than as F flat.
| Root | Ionian | Dorian | Phrygian | Lydian | Mixolydian | Aeolian | Locrian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | B♭ | A♭ | G | F | E♭ | D♭ |
| D♭ | D♭ | B | A | A♭ | G♭ | E | D |
| D | D | C | B♭ | A | G | F | E♭ |
| E♭ | E♭ | D♭ | B | B♭ | A♭ | G♭ | E |
| E | E | D | C | B | A | G | F |
| F | F | E♭ | D♭ | C | B♭ | A♭ | G♭ |
| F♯ | F♯ | E | D | D♭ | B | A | G |
| G | G | F | E♭ | D | C | B♭ | A♭ |
| A♭ | A♭ | G♭ | E | E♭ | D♭ | B | A |
| A | A | G | F | E | D | C | B♭ |
| B♭ | B♭ | A♭ | G♭ | F | E♭ | D♭ | B |
| B | B | A | G | F♯ | E | D | C |
Read a row across and you are answering "what fingering do I use." Read a column down and you are answering "what does this color feel like in every key." Do both.
Exercises
1. The flatting chain, spoken then played
Do. On C, play Lydian. Say out loud "flat the four" and play Ionian. "Flat the seven," Mixolydian. "Flat the three," Dorian. "Flat the six," Aeolian. "Flat the two," Phrygian. "Flat the five," Locrian. One octave each, hands separately, metronome at 40, one note per click.
Done when: you can run the full seven-mode chain in one unbroken pass, saying each alteration before you play it, with no wrong notes and no fingering hesitation.
2. The parent lookup, out loud
Do. Have someone call a mode and a root at random. Before your hands move, say the parent key. Then play it, one octave up and down, hands together.
Done when: you can answer twenty consecutive calls with the correct parent, at a speed where you are not counting.
3. The daily pass
Do. One key per day, following Greg's circle order from A1: C, F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, F♯, B, E, A, D, G. All seven modes in that key, one octave up and down, hands together, slowly. His own words on tempo: "it doesn't matter how fast, just do it smoothly."
Done when: all twelve days run clean, and the whole twelve-day cycle has been completed twice.
4. Four octaves, three modes
Do. From the short video, take just C major, C Lydian, C Mixolydian, four octaves, hands together. Then move the set of three through all twelve keys.
Done when: the three-mode set is playable in four octaves in all twelve keys without a fingering stumble.
5. Naming by ear
Do. Record yourself playing a drone on one bass note and improvising for thirty seconds in a mode you pick by rolling dice. Do this seven times over a week, one per mode, and label each file only after the fact. A week later, play them back in shuffled order and name each one from the characteristic tone alone.
Done when: you identify all seven correctly, twice, on separate days.
6. The color change, not the key change
Do. Set up a two-bar vamp in C minor, left hand only, C and G. Improvise in C Aeolian for four bars, then lift the sixth to A natural for four bars, then drop it back. Do not change anything else.
Done when: the A natural is audible as a change of light rather than a change of key, and you can do the same lift in all twelve keys.
Checkpoint
- Any of the 84 modes, called at random, played one octave up and down hands together with correct fingering and no hesitation.
- The parent key for any called mode, stated before your hands move.
- The brightness ordering recited from Lydian to Locrian, with the one alteration that separates each pair.
- The physics answer given in your own words: why there is nothing brighter than Lydian on a given root, and nothing darker than Locrian.
- Five of seven modes named correctly by ear from a thirty-second improvisation.
- C Dorian produced two ways in under three seconds: as minor with a natural sixth, and as B flat major over C.
Read
- Source course, Lesson 11 ("harmony as a living system"). Read it against this lesson. The course treats a scale as something a piece is currently inhabiting rather than something it belongs to, which is the same claim you just made with your hands.
- George Russell, Lydian Chromatic Concept, 4th ed. (2001), the opening chapters on tonal gravity. Russell's position is that Lydian rather than Ionian is the parent scale, because a stack of seven notes a fifth apart, C G D A E B F sharp, collapsed into one octave gives you the Lydian scale exactly. Read the first chapter now for one reason: it is the strongest existing argument for the brightness ordering you just learned, and you will meet it properly in Part B L18. Chris Williams's article is the honest counterweight; he shows that Russell's ladder of fifths has an unexplained skip and calls it "somewhat arbitrary." Hold both.