*Originally submitted to Scales forum, but think it's better placed here.
So, if a typical and common chord progression for the Major scale is I IV V, but I wanted to use a mode to write a song so it doesn't sound so obvious - say, the Phrygian mode - I would use the same basic pattern?
For example, were I to write a song in C Major based on that common progression of I IV V, then the chords would go C, F, G. But if I wanted to write a chord progression in the Phrygian mode, but with the same structure as above, I would just play Em, Am and Bdim and it would sound entirely different. But it would still technically be in the key of C.
And if I so wanted, when the verse returns to Em, i could use that point to branch off into a chorus in a different mode, like making the Em stand for the IV chord, and having a chorus made up of, again I, IV, V, but this time in the Locrian mode, where the chords would be Bdim, Em, F? Then I could find my way back to Phrygian via Em.
Is this sound theory?
modes and progressions
Remember the first rule of music. "If it sounds good, it is good."
After that, anything goes. But I'm not so sure I would want to be changing modes like that. It's going to sound like a key change, and how many of those do you want in one song?
After that, anything goes. But I'm not so sure I would want to be changing modes like that. It's going to sound like a key change, and how many of those do you want in one song?