Why The Minor Scale Is A Mode

The minor scale is the most widely used mode out there and perhaps the most familiar one too. 

However, it’s actually a mode and a very well-known one too. 

So using that C major scale again….if we start on the 6th note/degree of the scale, which is A….then we get the notes of the A minor scale: 

C major = C – D – E – F – G – A – B

A minor = A – B – C – D – E – F – G 

This isn’t new to many of you but it’s important to keep in mind as we go on. 

It’s where the tips about the relative minor scale come in, and how the patterns of one scale can come from the patterns of another. 

A tip I’ve given to players over the years is to move all the minor pentatonic patterns either: 

1) down three whole steps to make a major pentatonic scale (fret 12 to fret 9 for instance) or 

2) Start on a different scale degree of the minor pentatonic scale to get a major scale (start on G in E minor pentatonic to get G major pentatonic) 

Same with the same notes, you’ll have the same chords in A minor as C major. The big difference though is that you must keep going back to the Am chord, the i of the key of A minor. 

This is the big idea of all modal chord progressions. You need to establish another chord as the new home base you’ll return to after playing a few other chords. 

Remember the roman numerals from earlier? They will change now on each scale degree…..

Am (i, not I) = A – C – E 

Bm (iidim, not ii) = B – D – F 

C (III, not iii) = C – E – G

Dm (iv) = D – F – A 

Em (v) = E – G – B 

F (VI) = F – A – C

G (VII) = G – B – D 

Compare this again to the roman numeral harmonies of C major: 

C (I) = C – E – G

Dm (ii) = D – F – A 

Em (iii) = E – G – B 

F (IV) = F – A – C 

G (V) = G – B – D 

Am (vi) = A – C – E 

Bm7b5 (vii) = B – D – F – A 

The makeup of each chord from each scale degree will change depending on what mode you use. This is a big idea to keep in mind when going from any major scale to a minor scale or another mode. 

The I chord may not be the same! The ii chord may not be the same. Etcetera Etcetera….

Many songwriters create progressions in minor using the VI and the VII a lot. The III often causes problems because our ears want to return to the major key. 

So some solutions in the past have been to change the iidim (Bdim) to a bII chord (Bb), or the the v chord (Em) to a V chord (E). 

These are some of the challenges of modal harmony. You are not going to want to stay strictly in the “key” of the mode and it’s more interesting to change some notes and introduce other chords than what’s available.