Why were some of my songs a different key/mode than i intended

[Forgotten]

No worries, it’s good that you’re working through it, as it’s useful stuff to know.

[Spring Goose]

[BertKoor]

Can you point me in the direction of? (please) (I don't like videos)

There should be some good pointers here:
viewtopic.php?f=99&t=532565

[Spring Goose]

Can you point me in the direction of? (please) (I don't like videos)

There should be some good pointers here:
viewtopic.php?f=99&t=532565

Thankyou.

[Forgotten]

Personally I would avoid those that sell themselves as specific to a particular genre as the ones I’ve seen tend to present things as “rules” when they are nothing of the sort. A good, broad music theory course would be much more useful.

[punkrockdude]

E Mixolydian is the mode of the fifth scale degree of A major scale. You get the chords you have mentioned from that mode except B whose third is a D# which is available in E major but not in E Mixolydian..

E major: e f# g# a b c# d#
E Mixolydian: e f# g# a b c# d

[BertKoor]

its telling me F.

That low F, constantly reoccurring "bwoap bwoap", it's pulling the focus on F, telling it's the centre of the universe in this track. The other notes are in harmony and don't disagree. The C played in 16th which is 5th from F supports that.

You'd look for 1-3-5 constructs in a scale or chord. In rock & pop the 5 is more important, in jazz the third (actually jazz revolves around seventh). Powerchords that are neither minor or major, jazz chords without the basic support of the fifth. It all happens, and we try to make sense of it.

[Spring Goose]

Personally I would avoid those that sell themselves as specific to a particular genre as the ones I’ve seen tend to present things as “rules” when they are nothing of the sort. A good, broad music theory course would be much more useful.

cheers

[Spring Goose]

its telling me F.

That low F, constantly reoccurring "bwoap bwoap", it's pulling the focus on F, telling it's the centre of the universe in this track. The other notes are in harmony and don't disagree. The C played in 16th which is 5th from F supports that.

You'd look for 1-3-5 constructs in a scale or chord. In rock & pop the 5 is more important, in jazz the third (actually jazz revolves around seventh). Powerchords that are neither minor or major, jazz chords without the basic support of the fifth. It all happens, and we try to make sense of it.

That's great! Thanks.

[Spring Goose]

E Mixolydian is the mode of the fifth scale degree of A major scale. You get the chords you have mentioned from that mode except B whose third is a D# which is available in E major but not in E Mixolydian..

E major: e f# g# a b c# d#
E Mixolydian: e f# g# a b c# d

thanks

[punkrockdude]

Triad Chords in E Mixolydian:

E (e g# b)
F#m (f# a c#)
Gdim (g# b d)
A (a c# e)
Bm (b d f#)
C#m (c# e g#)
D (d f# a)

You mentioned Em so maybe you, like someone else mentioned, modulate between scales or something.

[williedscarface]

E mixolydian contains exactly the same notes as A major scale. It is the 5th mode of A major.

[Forgotten]

Another thing that people often miss is looking at everything in terms of vertical notes - you play a chord on a piano, you need to analyze it with focus on all notes played simultaneously in other instruments.

Monophonic instruments can make up one voice in a chord, so you need to think of all instruments simultaneously to determine the chord sequence in a piece of music.

Think of an orchestra (without a piano or other polyphonic instruments) playing Western harmony-based music - just because you don’t hear one instrument playing chords, it doesn’t mean they are not there. Composers are very aware of harmony/chords as they compose. Despite the large number of instruments playing simultaneously, orchestral music before the 20th century is made up of primarily Major and minor triads.

[Spring Goose]

Thanks, that's helpful.

[punkrockdude]

It is F Lydian which is the fourth scale degree and mode of the C major scale. Read about musical modes to learn more.