What are good modes/scales for writing dark heavy electronic srtuff?

[Robmobius]

Hello!

Could anyone recommend some modes or scales to use for dark, fast and heavy edm?

I've been mostly doing it by ear, but I'd like to be able to use some theory so I can add leads and melodies, etc. And know that they will work.

When I use scales my tunes tend to end up sounding a wee bit 'nice', which never happens when I'm playing the guitar.

Thanks in advance,

Rob.

[Etienne1973]

You can try Phrygian (3rd mode Ionian System) or Spanish-Phrygian (5th mode Harmonic Minor) vamps.

[dark water]

B Major or F sharp major are as dark as you can get on a piano.

Though if you want to do evil shit, stick to the Devil's intervals...

[kvotchin]

There are many other options, most of them more exotic, but for the stated purpose precisely, I would recommend trying Phrygian first, absolutely.

Flat 9, flat 3, flat 6, flat 7. But you still have the perfect 4th and 5th, which you would still want, I expect. Of course, you totally can step outside a default scale/mode now and then, but yeah, I think Phrygian has what you need.

[fmr]

B Major or F sharp major are as dark as you can get on a piano.

Though if you want to do evil shit, stick to the Devil's intervals...

[fmr]

There are many other options, most of them more exotic, but for the stated purpose precisely, I would recommend trying Phrygian first, absolutely.

Flat 9, flat 3, flat 6, flat 7. But you still have the perfect 4th and 5th, which you would still want, I expect. Of course, you totally can step outside a default scale/mode now and then, but yeah, I think Phrygian has what you need.

Flat 9?

[Forgotten]

There are many other options, most of them more exotic, but for the stated purpose precisely, I would recommend trying Phrygian first, absolutely.

Flat 9, flat 3, flat 6, flat 7. But you still have the perfect 4th and 5th, which you would still want, I expect. Of course, you totally can step outside a default scale/mode now and then, but yeah, I think Phrygian has what you need.

Flat 9?

Yeah, that's not going to sound too dark in Phrygian mode...

[kvotchin]

Yes, flat 9. Perhaps I should’ve written flat 2. But it’s the same thing, so eh.

And used right, yes, it can sound dark. Including, very much so, the flat 9.

[Robmobius]

Thanks for the info guys!

[Forgotten]

Yes, flat 9. Perhaps I should’ve written flat 2. But it’s the same thing, so eh.

And used right, yes, it can sound dark. Including, very much so, the flat 9.

Flat 9th in Phrygian mode is the octave...

[fmr]

Yes, flat 9. Perhaps I should’ve written flat 2. But it’s the same thing, so eh.

And used right, yes, it can sound dark. Including, very much so, the flat 9.

Flat 9th in Phrygian mode is the octave...

Yeah, that's what I meant. The ii degree in the mode of E is a semitone higher than the I degree. If you "flatten" (lower) the ii, it will be the same as the I. It's the problem of using confusing nomenclatures. What you wanted to say is that the ii degree in the Mode of E is just a half-tone away form the I degree, something no other mode presents. But it's not "flattened". It's the way it is, naturally. You don't have to "flatten" anything.

[Forgotten]

Yes, flat 9. Perhaps I should’ve written flat 2. But it’s the same thing, so eh.

And used right, yes, it can sound dark. Including, very much so, the flat 9.

Flat 9th in Phrygian mode is the octave...

Yeah, that's what I meant. The ii degree in the mode of E is a semitone higher than the I degree. If you "flatten" (lower) the ii, it will be the same as the I. It's the problem of using confusing nomenclatures. What you wanted to say is that the ii degree in the Mode of E is just a half-tone away form the I degree, something no other mode presents. But it's not "flattened". It's the way it is, naturally. You don't have to "flatten" anything.

Right, so in E the 9th is F, so flatten it and it becomes E an octave above the root E.

But it's not really flat in Phrygian, it's only flat if you compare it to say, Ionian.

[fmr]

But it's not really flat in Phrygian, it's only flat if you compare it to say, Ionian.

There is no "flat 9" in Ionian (actually, there is no Ionian, but that's another topic). To have a "flat 9" in C, you'd have to alter the original mode. If the alteration was simply a chromaticism (not structural) it would have no meaning in terms of the harmony, therefore no "flat 9", as the note would not have a chordal meaning. If the alteration had a structural meaning, it would mean we would be modulating (changing mode, which is the original meaning of the word, BTW).

[Forgotten]

No there isn't (major if you prefer that to Ionian) - I mean if you take the 9th note in a Phrygian mode, it would be the same note as the 9th note in a major scale if it were flatted.

[kvotchin]

Good grief.

Phrygian certainly does have a flat 9th, relative to the major scale’s, which is typically what modes and scales are related back to, in this way.

Not sure if you are being disingenuous, or you seriously don’t understand what I’m saying.

By the way, I have studied music theory to a fair extent in my time, so yeah, this isn’t just some random opinion or whatever.