Definition
Composing in a modal way means writing music whose center is a single note (the finalis or modal tonic) and whose color comes from the mode's characteristic note, without the gravity of the tonal V7–I cadence. The theory of the modes is in the lesson “The Modes of the Major Scale” and how they work harmonically is in “Modal Harmony and Modal Loops”; here we deal with the practical method for writing a piece that actually sounds modal.
The problem: the key “steals” the mode
A repeated Dm–G loop can sound like D Dorian or like the ii–V of C major. If the melody and bass insist on C and the drums accent G, the ear will hear C. To establish the mode you need four actions:
- restated tonic: bass or pedal on the modal tonic, often on beat 1;
- exposed characteristic note: in the melody, on strong beats or long notes;
- characteristic chord: the one that contains the characteristic note, alternated with the tonic;
- avoid the tonal dominant: no V7 with a leading tone (except in harmonic minor).
Map of the modes with tonic, characteristic note, and vamp
| Mode | Example | Characteristic note | Typical vamp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ionian | C D E F G A B | (avoid the 4th on strong beats) | I–IV, I–V |
| Dorian | D E F G A B C | B (major sixth) | Dm7–G7 (i–IV) |
| Phrygian | E F G A B C D | F (minor second) | Em–F (i–bII) |
| Lydian | F G A B C D E | B (augmented fourth) | F–G/F (I–II) |
| Mixolydian | G A B C D E F | F (minor seventh) | G–F (I–bVII) |
| Aeolian | A B C D E F G | F (minor sixth) | Am–F–G (i–VI–VII) |
| Locrian | B C D E F G A | F (diminished fifth) | Bø–C (rare, metal) |
A 6-step composing method
- 1. Choose the mode for its character: Dorian (melancholic but bright; funk, soul, jazz), Phrygian (dark, Spanish, metal), Lydian (dreamy, suspended, film), Mixolydian (rock, blues-rock, Celtic), Aeolian (melancholic pop, epic).
- 2. Pedal or ostinato: the tonic held or repeated in the bass.
- 3. Two-chord vamp: the tonic and the characteristic chord, 1 or 2 bars each.
- 4. Melody: start from the tonic, reach the characteristic note on a strong beat, resolve to the tonic or the fifth.
- 5. Contrast: for the chorus, change the mode while keeping the tonic (from D Dorian to D Aeolian = only B changes to Bb) or change the tonic while staying in the same mode (Miles Davis's So What: D Dorian, then Eb Dorian).
- 6. Quartal chords: voicings in fourths (D G C F) avoid thirds and therefore a too-marked major/minor identity (Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner).
Examples in notes
- D Dorian: bass D, chords Dm9 (D F A C E) and G13 (G B D F A E), melody that touches B over Dm (the sixth) and resolves to A.
- F Lydian: sustained bass F, chords Fmaj7 and G/F, melody that rises to B and rests on C or E.
- G Mixolydian: G–F–C–G (I–bVII–IV–I), with the note F in the melody over G.
- E Phrygian: Em–F–G–F (i–bII–III–bII), melody descending F–E on beat 1 (Phrygian cadence).
Use in real songs
- Miles Davis — So What (1959): D Dorian and Eb Dorian.
- Santana — Oye Como Va (1970, a song by Tito Puente): A Dorian vamp (Am7–D7 or D9).
- The Beatles — Norwegian Wood (1965): E Mixolydian melody.
- Danny Elfman — The Simpsons theme (1989): Lydian color.
- Daft Punk — Get Lucky (2013): Bm–D–F#m–E progression, often read as B Dorian (sixth G#).
Common mistakes
- Using the characteristic note only as a passing tone: the mode isn't heard.
- Ending phrases with a tonal V7–i.
- Too many chords: a modal piece lives on 1–3 chords.
Practical exercise
Write 16 bars in D Dorian: bass D in eighth notes, Dm7–G7 vamp (2 bars each), melody with B on beat 1 of each G7. Then turn the same piece into D Aeolian (B becomes Bb, G7 becomes Gm7) and into D Mixolydian (Dm becomes D, C stays): compare the characters.
Related topics
The Modes of the Major Scale, Modal Harmony and Modal Loops, Quartal and Quintal Harmony, Pedal Point and Ostinato, Writing a Riff.