Title:           Music Theory Lecture Three, part 2: Modes and Solfege
Author:          Anonymous
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/jkHV1Whh
First Edit:      Saturday 11th of May 2013 12:33:57 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Saturday 11th of May 2013 12:33:57 AM CDT

We'll now look at the modes of the scale, and show they're differences in reference to the same starting pitch. We'll also be adding solfege syllables to the modes. For the following examples, we'll be using C as our starting pitch. Instead of going in order of how the modes appear in the scale, I'm going to do them in groups. Major modes, and minor modes.
 
        The first mode we learned about was the ionian mode, or the major scale. The ionian mode was compromised of two major tetrachords with a wholestep connecting the two, WWH-W-WWH. We really don't need to work our way through the mode a second time.
 
        C D E F G A B C
 
        Let's apply some solfege syllables to this. The order of solfege goes as such: Do (doe) Re (ray) Mi (me) Fa Sol (soul) La Ti (tee) Do.
 
        C |D |E |F |G  |A |B |C
        Do|Re|Mi|Fa|Sol|La|Ti|Do
 
        The next mode is lydian. Lydian is similar to ionian, but with one difference. As we learned earlier, a lydian mode is made of a wholetone tetrachord, and a major tetrachord with a halfstep inbetween, WWW-H-WWH. C up a wholestep is D, and up a wholestep is E, and up a wholestep from there is F#. We already know the second tetrachord (G A B C).
 
        C D E F# G A B C
 
        With that raised fourth, the syllable is no longer Fa, but Fi (fee).
 
        C |D |E |F#|G  |A |B |C
        Do|Re|Mi|Fi|Sol|La|Ti|Do
 
        Following up lydian is mixolydian. Again, this is like the ionian, but different in only one way. We discussed earlier that the mixolydian is made of a major and minor tetrachord with a wholestep connecting the two (WWH-W-WHW). The first half is just like the ionian since it's just a major tetrachord, C D E F. Let's work really quick through the next half. We know a minor tetrachord is WHW. G up a wholestep is A, A up a halfstep is Bb, and up a wholestep up from there brings us back to C. The difference between ionian and mixolydian is that mixolydian has a lowered seventh degree. Ti now becomes Te (tay).
 
        C |D |E |F |G  |A |Bb|C
        Do|Re|Mi|Fa|Sol|La|Te|Do
 
        We can order these three modes in a way of each mode's brightness. Ionian would sound brighther than mixolydian, because mixolydian has a lowered seventh. That lowered degree brings the overall brightness down. It's subtle, but it's still there. However, ionian would not sound quite as bright as lydian, because lydian has that raised fourth degree. When playing up the lydian mode, that Fi will pull up to Sol more than Fa would; therefore, giving it a brighter sound (Fa actually pulls down to Mi, but we'll talk about that when we get into musical forces).
 
        Moving onto the minor modes, aeolian being our first one. Aeolian is made of a minor and phrygian tetrachord with that wholestep in between the two, WHW-W-HWW. C up a wholestep is D, and up a halfstep from D is Eb, and up a wholestep from there would be F. The wholestep brings us to the next tetrachord which starts on G. G up a halfstep is Ab, and up a wholestep from there is Bb, and up a wholestep brings us back to C.
 
        C |D |Eb|F |G  |Ab|Bb|C
        Do|Re|? |Fa|Sol|? |Te|Do
 
        We know that the lowered seventh degree is Te instead of Ti, but what about the third and sixth? Since they are lowered as well, they are no longer Mi and La, but now Me (may) and Le (lay).
 
        C |D |Eb|F |G  |Ab|Bb|C
        Do|Re|Me|Fa|Sol|Le|Te|Do
 
        The next mode we'll work on is dorian. Dorian is similar to aeolian like mixolydian is to ionian. Dorian is the same as the aeolian, but has one raised degree. We know that dorian is two minor tetrachords, WHW-W-WHW. We already know the first one (C D Eb F), so let's work the second half. G up a wholestep is A, and up a halfstep is Bb, and up a wholestep is C. Instead of Le, we have La. That raised sixth (in relation to aeolian) brightens up the scale a little bit.
 
        C |D |Eb|F |G  |A |Bb|C
        Do|Re|Me|Fa|Sol|La|Te|Do
 
        The last mode is phrygian. Prhygian is made of two phrygian tetrachords, HWW-W-HWW. C up a halfstep is Db, and up a wholestep from ther is Eb, and up a wholestep from there is F. The second half has already been worked out (G Ab Bb C). Phrygian has a lowered second degree, which really pulls downward back to Do, so instead of Re, it is now Ra (raw). This gives the mode a darker sound than the typical aeolian mode.
 
        C |Db|Eb|F |G  |Ab|Bb|C
        Do|Ra|Me|Fa|Sol|Le|Te|Do
 
        You can order these modes like the other three. Phrygian is darker sounding than aeolian, and aeolian is darker sounding than dorian. Now we can order all the modes from darkest to brightest sounding.
 
             Minor           ||              Major
|Phrygian | Aeolian | Dorian || Mixolydian | Ionian | Lydian |