Transcription of the video above
Most scales you’ll see in a theory book are just two groups of four notes. Tetrachords. Learn a few patterns — major (2-2-1), minor (2-1-2), harmonic (1-3-1) — and you can construct loads of scales without memorizing them individually. And modes? Don’t even get me started.
I use these all the time in class because once you hear the difference between a minor tetrachord and a major one on top, modes stop being abstract. Dorian is just two minor tetrachords. Swap the top for a major and you’ve got Melodic Minor. The fun begins when you can start building your own like a buffet.
I built a tool for it (we have a class coming up, so it’s going to be super useful there). Pick your tetrachords, play the result, rotate through modes, stack harmony. It’s on the ear candy page, free.
Related: Tetrachords — Learn 4 Patterns, Build Every Scale and Mode covers the theory behind tetrachord combinations and how each mode is constructed.
Want to go deeper? Modes Without the Mystique in the Musician Basics guide walks through every mode and explains when to use them.
Theory: Musician Basics starts April 19 — tetrachords, modes, intervals, the whole shebang. Details and enrollment.
