The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #146419 Message #3390190
Posted By: Artful Codger
14-Aug-12 - 05:07 PM
Thread Name: Chord Req: Explain this chord sequence
Subject: RE: Chord Req: Explain this chord sequence
To clarify Stan's statement (I hope): what primarily defines major vs. minor in scales/modes is the presence of a minor rather than a major third degree in the scale pattern, just as the type of third interval distinguishes between major and minor chords. Mixolydian has a major third in its scale pattern, as do the ubiquitous "major scale" (based on Ionian mode) and the Lydian mode. Dorian, Phrygian, Locrian and the three "minor" scales mentioned above (natural/Aeolian, harmonic and melodic--both ascending and descending) all have minor third degrees, and so are minor scales/modes. Put more simply:
Major modes: "major", Ionian, Lydian, Mixolydian
Minor modes: "minor" (natural, harmonic and melodic variants), Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian
So, as Stan points out and highlandman rightly hears, to call Mixolydian a "mountain minor" ignores that it's actually a major mode.
I also balk when people try to apply the "major" holy trinity of I-IV-V to other modes, as if all modes just mimic the "major" mode harmonically. Though there are similar harmonic principles at work in all modes, each has its own harmonic conventions and characteristic progressions. In Mixolydian, Dorian and Aeolian, the VII chord, rather than being diminished as in the natural major scale, is a simple major chord, and occurs much more often than the corresponding IV or even V chord in these harmonies. In fact, many songs in these other modes consist entirely of harmonic alternation between just I and VII, with no V or IV chords at all! (Of course, one might view the VII chord as a [now minor] V7 chord with a ghost root, as VII often functions in major, but that ignores that VII can quite naturally support a seventh [VII7], which would then be equivalent to a minor v9! In these modes, VII really functions as an independent and prominent chord.)
My point is that, once you move away from "major", you need to take off the "major" harmonic blinders of what "should be". Sadly, virtually all instrument tutorial books talk about the I-IV-V trinity at length, and then present the benighted "circle" of fifths, as if that tells the rest of the harmonic story. When they start teaching songs in modes other than "major", they stop talking about characteristic progressions entirely and instead just say "here are the new chords you'll need for this song in this key". It's no wonder so many musos have no clue how to explain minor harmony--it's never been adequately explained to them even in terms of characteristic patterns! People just point to the circle of fifths and say, "See those six chords? Use them," (as if there were no other choices or variants of those chords). The first Mixolydian, Dorian or minor pattern they may see is the two-chord I-VII alternation, but no one says why VII-I works, or why it isn't a subset of I-IV-V, they just say "for this song, you'll only need these two chords." Brilliant. Even when they teach a "major" song with a major II chord (technically, V of V), most books won't remark on this anomaly. Why mention it, when you've probably learned how to play that II chord as a V chord in another key--and as far as the teacher is concerned, chord shapes are all you need to know?
It would be useful to have a taxonomy of beginners' 2-5 chord songs, broken out according to mode and the harmonic pattern used. I started this once, going through my tutorial books, but found there was a decided dearth of songs in minor modes, despite the prevalence of minor songs in general. Music teachers, take heed!