Question about minor modes

[lolaviola]

I have been working on a song with the tonic center on B major, but the scale we are using to improvise is an e Harmonic Minor, so it got me wondering, is this an example of a minor mode?
What would you name the e harmonic minor starting on the note B?
B C D# E F# G A
Somebody smart educate me, or link me, on minor modes, because I'm only aware of major modes

[GianGian]

I don't know your answer, but if the center is on B and it has a D# on your scale, then it is not a minor mode, it is a major one.

[JOE_MARSH]

Harmonic Minor in B would be

B/C#/D on your A string
E/F#/G on your D string
A#/B on your G string


E harmonic Minor

E/ F#/G on your E string
A/B/C on your A string
D#/E on your D string

[JOE_MARSH]

harmonic minor starts out with the first six notes the same shape as natural minor
1/2/b3/4/5/b6

then it jumps I belive a step an half to Major 7 and then to Octave

So basically, the Seventh note of the scale is simillar to a Major scale positioning, which is a half step from the the Octave/Unison

Hope this helps

[MalcolmAmos]

Same thing Joe said ---
http://www.tonalcentre.org/Harmonicmi.html

This one looks like it is correct and gives more of the story.
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum.../t-563622.html
Print this off and look at my last paragraph, i.e. want a major mode use Ionian as your home base. Ionian = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 want Lydian's mood (feel) sharp the 4th. Want a minor mode your home base is now Aeolian 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7 and if you want Phrygian's exotic mood flat the 2nd.

http://www.lucaspickford.com/
See what he says about minor modes - go to Lessons then click on understanding modes.

Here is my take on modes - in bass I get along fine with out them, however, in bass I'm not improvising a solo, but if I would I'd use the Major scale for major modes (Ionian) and sharp the 4th for Lydian's mood and flat the 7 for Mixolydian's mood. For the minor modes I'd use the natural minor scale (aeolian) as home base for minor modes and sharp the 6 (make it a natural note) for Dorian, flat the 2nd for Phrygian and if I ever needed it I would flat the 2 and 5 for Locrian. That's about as simple as you can get. Key stays the same just change the notes. Do a Google on Parallel modes aka Pitch Axis. http://satriani.worldsgreatestguitar...xis/index.html

All that walking the key is confusing and hard to actually use in a song. One more thing. Chord progressions lend themselves to the Major or minor scales. Modal vamps lend themselves to modes. Vamps sustain the mood of the mode. Chord progressions sustain the tonal center. I know, I know I'll get some flack from that one.

Have fun.

[aNewRising]

e Harmonic Minor is the minor scale to G Major.. G A B C D (E) F# G
If you want to know about modes here is a short.. but also long description..

there are 7 modes
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. They are all based off their respective scale degree. The order i wrote them are the order. Ionian Mode is basically the Major Scale. so C Major = C Ionian. Dorian is a minor mode. It just means its based off the 2nd scale degree of C, which is D. So its a D minor scale.. but with a raised 6th. Which would thus be.. D E F G A B C D (cause the Bb goes to B natural). Phyrgian is also a minor mode, based off the 3rd scale degree. So C Major = E Phrygian.
It means if an E Minor scale.. BUT with a flat 2nd. which makes it E F G A B C D E. Lydian is the 4th scale degree mode, and its a Major mode. F Lydian. Think of F Major, but you raise the 4th note. to make it F G A B C D E F. G Mixolydian, is a major mode. Think G Major but with a flat 7th. Aeolian mode is the NATURAL MINOR scale. A minor is A B C D E F G A. And Locrian Mode is the diminished mode. B Locrian, think B minor but with a flat 2nd and a flat 5.

so to answer your question, e Minor is the 6th scale degree of G Major. G Major = E minor. the Harmonic doesn't change what key it is. If your Tonic is B, then C# Dorian, D# Phrygian and G# minor would be your respective minor modes.

[JOE_MARSH]

A new rising...Your post is gonna be pretty hard to understand from a newbies point of view...

E harmonic Minor is E harmonic minor...its not E minor

G major is G major! E minor is the Natural minor to G major..meaning theyr'e on the same team, but different players

E harmonic Minor is a totally different scale...with a totally different sound...You could use it play with the key of E, but ONCE you get the seventh of E harmonic minor, its gonna be off.....WHY u ask?? ( E natural minor has flat 7 in it, while E harmonic minor has a Major 7 in it...) two totally different 7th sounds that define the scales...

Ive been learning my music theory and if you guys want to understand why it works that way...check out EDLY's music theory book for practical people...Its actually changed my life and how I look at music

[aNewRising]

Yes, they have different 7ths, so they sound different. But still with But e harmonic minor is based off e minor, and e minor is off of G Major. even with the raised 7th.. e f# g a b c d# e it doesnt follow into -any- specific key, other than G major.

[MalcolmAmos]

Those three minor scale are confusing for a newbie, in fact they are confusing for a seasoned user as well. Thank goodness Country is 99% major.

[Exophysical]

This is sort of a new discovery for me as well but what you are saying makes perfect sense and I've started using it to keep track of my availible notes while moving up and down the fretboard outside of the original scale form. The modes of the major scale are:

1 Ionian
2 dorian
3 phrygian
4 lydian
5 mixolidian
6 aolean (minor)
7 Locrian

So if you are playing in G major (mode 1) and you go down two intervals to E, since you were on the first mode to begin with the first step down will be to the seventh, and the second step would be to the sixth. If you look at my little mode chard that means you can use the 6th mode (Natural minor) to keep playing in your original key. Alternatly were you to go up two steps from G to B you could now use the third mode to keep playing in G major. If your were originaly playing in G minor (the 6th mode) to begin with and went up to B you would now play in B major ( 1st mode) to improvise in your original key from that position. I hope from these examples I've given you you can start to peice togeather how to use modes this way. This is probably what everyone else has been saying but I asked roughly the same question last week and this is the answere I wish I had gotten.

[lolaviola]

I am pretty well familiar with the Major Modes, but I am playing in B, using the e harmonic minor scale notes.
So my question is can minor scales (like harmonic minor) be USED LIKE major modes, by starting on a different note in the scale (in my case B) and is there a name for that?

[Niels Brown]

You're playing mode 5 of the harmonic minor scale which is a major mode. It's referred to as Mixolydian b2b6 or Spanish Phrygian. sorry if someone already covered this didn't read it all.

[lolaviola]

Exactly what I needed. I know what I'm doing (playing a minor scale over a major progression) but now I have a name for it.
Spanish Phrygian. Sounds contagious.
Is there some more info on minor modes you can share? Links? Lessons? Thanks.

[lolaviola]

Ooo
Found it.
Minor Modes

[slybass3000]

Originally Posted by lolaviola

I have been working on a song with the tonic center on B major, but the scale we are using to improvise is an e Harmonic Minor, so it got me wondering, is this an example of a minor mode?
What would you name the e harmonic minor starting on the note B?
B C D# E F# G A
Somebody smart educate me, or link me, on minor modes, because I'm only aware of major modes

There is too many wrong infos on this page about minor harmonic scale.
I won't correct them all.
To answer your question:yes it is the 5 th mode of E min harm scale.
It is called the Jewish scale especially if you add an extra note A# or Bb as passing tone between B and A. Then it becomes an 8 notes scale which fits perfectly in a one bar pattern.

Sly

[lolaviola]

Originally Posted by slybass3000

There is too many wrong infos on this page about minor harmonic scale.
I won't correct them all.
Sly

This is true.

[JOE_MARSH]

Get on youtube and look up Bunny Brunel's cyber school of bass..then look for a video on harmonic minor scales...he will give you the LOW DOWN on em!