Practical Modes Ionian
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Welcome to the first course in our epic septology of modal courses where we'll be teaching you how to use each of the individual modes practically and creatively. We believe that you need to study each mode individually to get the absolute deepest understanding of the scale and how to use it. In this first course, we tackle the first mode: Ionian. We commonly refer to this mode as the major scale, and although most of us "know" the major scale, it is essential that we approach it within the context of it being an individual mode. Understanding this mode properly provides the foundation and grounding that we need to master every other mode of the major scale. When it comes to songwriting this mode is essential. We'll walk you through everything from ground up, constructing the mode and demonstrating exactly how to use it.
In this unit, we will be getting familiar with how this scale sounds and feels, and the important notes within this scale that give it its defining qualities.
Now that we've covered the scale aspect of Ionian, let's take a look at how to create chords within the Ionian mode. This is the often forgotten step when we first start looking at modes, and honestly, should be the most important!
Now that we've had a deeper look into harmony, we are going to learn how to use this practically through the use of triads. In this unit, we will be learning our first Ionian piece in the style of Motown, a genre that uses Ionian melody and harmony.
The Ionian, due to its pleasant and satisfying nature, is incredibly versatile. In this unit, we will be exploring a completely different genre that heavily relies on this mode, in the form of Brit Pop.
In our final unit, we will once again take our Ionian mode, but this time apply it to a cool, Daft Punk inspired pop track. This is a fantastic opportunity to take our harmonised scale to the next level, by adding in the 7th chord versions across the key.