the_eristic Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'm just reading an analysis of Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue", and trying to get my head round the theory of modal jazz (i.e. music based around scales, rather than chords). Interesting, but slightly bewildering. It's something that seems obscure and kinda confusing at first, but in practice, it's actually incredibly simple. All harmonic and melodic content is based around the tones available in a specific mode, essentially a derived scale treated in isolation, rather than set by standard diatonic function (id est, in terms of relationships to the other modes and their chords in a particular key). So, you won't encounter the omnipresent ii7-V7-IM7 (in the key of C: Dm7-G7-CM7), over which you'd play Dorian-Mixolydian-Ionian (with D-G-C as the respective roots) to maintain traditional harmonic interaction and eventually force resolution to the tonal center of the I/C. In modal jazz, the changes aren't driven by a need to resolve tension to the I. Everything, the chords and the lines you play on top of them, all come from whatever mode you want to use, which is why you usually encounter fewer changes in most modal tunes: each new chord is the I, which is explored thoroughly to really emphasize the vibe of the chosen mode. I'm sure one of the first things in the book is "All Blues", which you could analyze as a I7-IV7-V7 (discounting the raised V7 that occurs for a couple beats in the V section), standard blues changes, but the way it's treated is as a recentering of the Mixolydian mode, with each chord, the melody and solos built directly from Mixolydian's "dominant" (Maj3+min7) tonality. G Mixolydian -> C Mixolydian -> D Mixolydian instead of just, say, the G Blues scales over all the changes. Basically, pick one mode (viewed as a standalone scale) and build everything you play from it. Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted January 27, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'm just reading an analysis of Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue", and trying to get my head round the theory of modal jazz (i.e. music based around scales, rather than chords). Interesting, but slightly bewildering. It's something that seems obscure and kinda confusing at first, but in practice, it's actually incredibly simple. All harmonic and melodic content is based around the tones available in a specific mode, essentially a derived scale treated in isolation, rather than set by standard diatonic function (id est, in terms of relationships to the other modes and their chords in a particular key). So, you won't encounter the omnipresent ii7-V7-IM7 (in the key of C: Dm7-G7-CM7), over which you'd play Dorian-Mixolydian-Ionian (with D-G-C as the respective roots) to maintain traditional harmonic interaction and eventually force resolution to the tonal center of the I/C. In modal jazz, the changes aren't driven by a need to resolve tension to the I. Everything, the chords and the lines you play on top of them, all come from whatever mode you want to use, which is why you usually encounter fewer changes in most modal tunes: each new chord is the I, which is explored thoroughly to really emphasize the vibe of the chosen mode. I'm sure one of the first things in the book is "All Blues", which you could analyze as a I7-IV7-V7 (discounting the raised V7 that occurs for a couple beats in the V section), standard blues changes, but the way it's treated is as a recentering of the Mixolydian mode, with each chord, the melody and solos built directly from Mixolydian's "dominant" (Maj3+min7) tonality. G Mixolydian -> C Mixolydian -> D Mixolydian instead of just, say, the G Blues scales over all the changes. Basically, pick one mode (viewed as a standalone scale) and build everything you play from it. Done.Gotcha. My only quibble, is that - as so often with "new" (at the time) musical trends - the practitioners have a tendency to claim more major breakthroughs than are actually happening. Really, all they were doing was being a bit more imaginative with what notes to play over the changes - it's not like the chords weren't "there". Three of the six tracks on "Kind of Blue" are quite plainly blues progressions ("All Blues", "So What" and "Freddie Freeloader"). You can hear the changes - not just "by implication" - because Evans (or Kelly) actually plays them on the piano, albeit sometimes in arpeggiated form. They are not really being "freed from the chord changes", as has often been claimed, they are just realising that - as you say - they can quite legitimately play notes that aren't in the minor pentatonic scale, over blues changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 again many thanks people. I have just took a look at what you said about them examples that I put up on the last page, I have been messing about on the keyboard over the last few days but have took a break from the chords because it was really starting to wind me up. after looking at what you have wrote though it has all kind of clicked into place...I think only thing is that I'm stuck at work until 5 o'clock so I cant check to see if I get it, if I am suddenly understanding it then I'm a bit pissed off with myself because its so simple lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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