Modes existed long before what we now call “major” and “minor”. In early Western music — especially during the Medieval and Renaissance periods — composers didn’t think in terms of keys; they thought in terms of modes. Each mode had its own tonal center and distinct emotional character. In this blog, we discuss three ways to learn and think about modes.

Understanding scales becomes easier when you think about them as musical families.

Music tells stories, even without words. One of the most powerful ways it does this is through chord functions—grouping chords by their role in a key: tonic, subdominant, and dominant. When you understand these groups, you can think of your music as a narrative, with a beginning, middle, climax, and resolution.

Music tells stories, even without words. One of the most powerful ways it does this is through chord functions—grouping chords by their role in a key: tonic, subdominant, and dominant. When you understand these groups, you can think of your music as a narrative, with a beginning, middle, climax, and resolution.