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Hi Neil!

I was enjoying your lesson on "Can't Find My Way Home" by Steve Winwood/Blind Faith, even the Theory part which is always awesome.

You explained the piece is in D major but then switches to D mixolydian and again to D minor, through the descending chord section in the verse...
Cadd9 G6/B Gm6/Bb D/A

I'm still trying to get a grip on the modes- I get that the C natural in place of C# makes it myxolydian as it's a flat 7th degree, and the Bb in the base makes it belong to the Dminor family, but how do you differentiate a mode switch vs. borrowed chords or passing notes?
Thx Carol

Hi Carol,

Great question, and not really a clear answer... it depends. Sometimes different parts of a progression just borrow chords from a parallel mode (same tonic with a different mode). We could say the C in the bass is from the Mixolydian, the Bb is from the Aeolian (minor), and the F to G progression is from the Dorian.

I will elaborate on tomorrow's Update.

Neil

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the excellent lesson on Modes on yesterday's video update!! I had my relative and parallel keys page open in my study notes and kept pausing the video to make sure I was getting everything. I was able to follow the discussion pretty well but I will be going back and watching a few more times to make sure I understand. And now I'm digging through TG for everything theory. (I love the way you have a theory nugget in every lesson, and now I am working through all the fretboard geography content!!)

P.S. Would love to see some mode/theory workshops at IGC'23
C