Knowing your 2-5-1 progressions in all major keys (Ionian Mode) is a bedrock foundation for any jazz musician.īy building that 2-5-1 progression in C Ionian mode, you start by building a chord with the 2nd note of the scale, D, as the root. The 2-5-1 progression is the most fundamental and important chord progression in jazz. In all modes except Ionian, the V chord uses notes outside of the key to make the dominant chord quality.įor example, in D Dorian the V chord should technically be Amin7 (A-C-E-G), but we would alter that to be A7 (A-C#-E-G). This is because the function of a dominant chord resolving down a fifth (from V to I) is so important to establishing the root as 'home' in the key.īecause of this, most players consider the dominant chord to be 'in the key' even if it technically is not. But, practically speaking, when playing in any mode, the V chord is almost always played as a dominant 7. Okay, 'always' may be too strong of a word here. Notice that these chords come in different qualities - major, minor, dominant or half-diminished based on the intervals of the specific mode you select as the basis: Mode Nameįor each mode, the V chord is always dominant You can continue this pattern for each of the 7 modes. Let's work in the key of C and learn how to build each of the modes in that key. Each set is based on the root pitch in the key. Since there are 12 keys, there are 12 different sets of these modes. The formula for the modes are the same in every key.

The emotional quality of the music we are playing is largely based on its mode. There are actually 7 different modes, each which are based off that fundamental major scale. You are probably familiar with the Major scale, known more technically as the Ionian mode. How to construct each mode using the major scale In this article I will explore the construction of each of the modes, some popular music examples for each, and ways to apply modal concepts into your jazz playing. So, what are the 7 modes of the major scale? Mode Name It's a bit of a deep topic, and in this post I'll demystify it for you. When I started my study into jazz harmony I learned just how important the modes of the major scale are.

E flat major scale ionian