Hello Chef readers.
Dave Martone here. Regarding modes, I must start off by saying that
there are no rules and nothing is right or wrong. It is just different
in how we perceive things with our ears. Unfortunately, we have been
trained throughout the centuries to rely heavily on diatonic harmony.
This is great but everything starts to sound the same after a while as
I am sure you will agree ! I am going to talk about a mode that I
hated and never thought was useful until my ears grew up. I am talking
about melodic minor or 1,2,b3,4,5,6,7 . All it is, is a major scale
with a b3rd. I have a few ideas on how to use it and make it cool. Let
us first just use the chord F#7 for example.
C# Melodic Minor over
F#7 chord
The chord tones this
gives us in relation to the chord F#7 are 1,2,3,#4,5,6,b7. Or in other
words the lydian b7 scale.
F# Lydian b7 over F#7
chord
Last but not first, let
us think about the chord Bb-7b5 and F#9. The Bb or first chord tone of
Bb-7b5 is the 3rd of F#, the Db or second chord tone of Bb-7b5 is the
5th of F#. The E or third chord tone of Bb-7b5 is the b7 of F#, and
the Ab or fourth chord tone of Bb-7b5 is the 9th of F#. Basically they
are the same chord but called differently due to the bass note. Thus
let us build a minor7th flat5 scale starting of course on Bb.
Bb-7b5 scale over F#7
chord
