When putting emphasis on a particular note

[dwest2419]

Hello guys back with another thread. I have this one question to ask and it is about emphasing a note. For example say if I were in the key of C and I put so much emphasis on the that C note and with such emphasis would you agree that it is C Ionian? Does it work that way with every note being emphasized? For example, if I were to emphasize on the D note in the key of C would I be playing the Dorian mode?


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[Color of Music]

In a melodic, Improvisation sense, I would say so. In a harmonic sense (Chord Progessions, Arpeggios, etc.), most definitely. The thing is, you have to remember that modes lack a tonic. Any ii-V, - while the composer/performer may be thinking in terms of key/tonic (I) you don't wanna stress this. (Dm9-G13; ii-V in C, but I best not play the C chord)

From a melodic view: (Using Dorian) - the natural 6 must be emphasized or it will no longer be Dorian as nat 6 (from natural minor) is the distinctive color tone. Likewise, for a Lydian sound, make use of the #4/11 (distinctive from Ionian Mode, Major scale - 4) - melodically. Harmonically - D/C, D/C7, F#/C, etc. Likewise, make your IV chords diminished - F#-A-C-(Eb/E) (m7b5/dim/dim7) instead of F-A-C-(Eb/E) (Dom7/M7)

I may be missing more things, but I hope you get where I'm coming from!

[Krah13]

I think that you can start thinking about modes in relation to chordal sounds. The "strong" notes (chord tones) in CMajor are R-3-5-7. The other notes in between serve as tensions, like tension 9, which is D. Now, if you are playing over a Dmin7 Vamp (Dorian), your chord tones and tensions change. Your Chord Tones are D-F-A-C and your tensions are the notes in between. Try to play over this Dmin7 Vamp and listen how the different notes of the scale sound over the chord.

[joeyd929]

Modes are more about spelling out specific chords. In C Major, starting from D, and continuing to D is Dorian. Keep in mind that no matter what mode you are in, it is all the C Major scale. C ionian, D dorian, E phrygian, F lydian, G mixolydian, A aeolian, or B locrian. It is all the C scale. The question you need to ask yourself is "Do I like the way it sounds". Does the note work for you?

If you are in the key of C, and you are playing the II chord, that would be the following chord tones DFAC. Remember, all 7 modes in the key of C are still the same notes of the root major scale. Improvising - soloing is more about making a statement, creating a melodic story. So my point is if you play a D minor7 chord, are you really playing a Dminor 7 chord???? If you play an F Major7 chord, could it really be a G7?

In the key of C, Dminor7, FMajor7 G7, and Bminor7b5 are all interchangeable as the dominant 5 chord. So what are you really playing? It goes to the structure of the song. Modes are more or less the same thing.

[JonR]

Hello guys back with another thread. I have this one question to ask and it is about emphasing a note. For example say if I were in the key of C and I put so much emphasis on the that C note and with such emphasis would you agree that it is C Ionian? Does it work that way with every note being emphasized? For example, if I were to emphasize on the D note in the key of C would I be playing the Dorian mode?

No - not if the piece you were playing was in the key of C.
"In the key of C" means (by definition) that C is the keynote, the tonic. That's C major, whatever note you emphasise at any time, on any chord.

However, some people use the phrase "key of C major" to mean merely the scale used in that key. This is misleading. A key is a key and a scale is a scale: best to differentiate them and use the right word for the right context. Using a "scale" in a particular way is what creates either a "key" or a "mode" (but not both).

So - if you just have the C major scale (the notes ABCDEFG, any order, no clear keynote), and you emphasise the D in some way - by starting and ending phrases on it, or by using a Dm chord as backing - then yes, that would be D dorian mode.

IOW, the question of "emphasis" depends on a few things. Different notes may be emphasised in different ways at different times.
Mainly, a mode or key needs to be established first, by a chord progression or a melody (or both), which will set up a sense of tonal centre, a keynote. Emphasising particular notes within that makes no difference to the key or mode.

In a progression "in the key of C major", the C note isn't always "emphasised". But (if it isn't) you still have a feeling that C is the "home note" to which the sequence will eventually return. A song in key of C may spend most of its time off the C chord, roaming around F, Am, G, Dm chords etc; but you'll still sense that it isn't "finished" until it gets back to C. So the whole thing is "C major key" (or "C ionian mode" if you want an unnecessary modal term ).

In that context, when you get a Dm chord, that's the "ii chord in C major" - not a "i chord in D dorian". (D dorian mode is not "in the key of C", any more than the A minor key is "in the key of C".) When you hear the Dm chord, it will - of course - have its own distinctive sound when combined with the key scale. You can call that sound "dorian", but it's not a very helpful term (IMO). The sound within the key of C is a "ii" sound - a tension away from the tonic, on its way somewhere else.
Doesn't matter how much you emphasise the D on that chord; it's still not really "D dorian mode". It's just the ii chord in C major.
(And if you emphasis the D note on the C chord, then that's just the 9th.)

To get a "D dorian mode" sound, you need to establish D as keynote, and a Dm chord as "i". You can then use the "C major scale" (ABCDEFG) any way you like, the sound will be "D dorian mode". Emphasising the D in this case (in any melodic or solo phrases) will certainly help, but is not strictly necessary. The notes that will give the flavour of the mode (against the Dm chord) are B and C, because no other common D minor scale or mode has both those notes in it.