Chord Progressions for Aeolian mode

[nuffink]

Thank you for the productive discussion.

And thank you. It was fun.

[Sepheritoh]

Well now.

If the world's best, i.e. the engineers and the professors can not agree, then what chance does mere mortals like me have to understand modes.

[jopy]

I think the original question was about harmony, so maybe we should talk about that a little. If you want your chord progression to sound Aeolian:

1) Use a lot of movement from the iv chord to the i chord. It makes it clear that the harmonies aren't operating like functional harmony.

2) Chords that aren't built on triads will always make things sound less like functional harmony. For example, you could use 11 chords (a.k.a. sus4 chords) on the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th degrees of the scale, which is a sure way to get the modal jazz sound.

3) If you use the v chord, make sure it's minor; that will also make it clear that you're going for a modal "feel."

I hope that helps somewhat, I know others will have other suggestions along these lines.

[wrench45us]

what do you make of the 'theory' the the iv to i is just the upper reaches of a v to i

i recently came across this and had to think that idea didn't arise with the early harmony theorists

but as a modal method, one could hint or project a root of the v under the iv chord

[jopy]

I hadn't thought of that before, but it does make modal sense, doesn't it? Maybe that's part of the (within-key) chord-planing stuff that you hear from Bill Evans; showing how the chords can move around with out really causing any harmonic movement.

[Broken]

,,

[CAPSRAWK]

see.. this is why i only use them black keys




(very interesting topic though)

[jancivil]

And I'd say "why did you play F Lydian instead of C major?"

And you'd be wrong.

If F was the clear tonic that certainly would not be wrong. C major, referring to another question, implies function, toward a C tonic. C ionian, implies nothing in terms of harmonic function, but must have C as its tonic.

Referring to F lydian or any other mode 'on the white keys just like C major' as if = C major is not right.

Modes refer to the tonic. They do no less than this. Modes are for melody. You can color them with sonorities such as chords, but harmonic function can take you out of the mode. In F Lydian, if you use a G B D F harmony, that's going to seriously want to "resolve', and it doesn't find resolution at 'F'. You're firmly in C major (unless you've done something very special) and that is/not/F lydian.