Scale Modes to Deepen the Mood of Your Song

Knowing different scales is an important way to add strength and depth to your music. Not all songs are happy and upbeat, and many producers and songwriters use scale modes to give their songs a larger emotional depth. 

The modes we will be looking into today are the Dorian, Mixolydian, Mixolydian Flat-6, and Phrygian.

Dorian

This scale mode is prevalent in jazz, R&B, and pop music. It’s most common use is in jazz and blues improvisations. Dorian starts on the second scale degree, and is the second mode on the major scale. The Dorian scale has a minor third and flat seventh. The sixth scale remains in the major key, and creates a tritone interval in between the minor third and major sixth.

Dorian mode is often used in place of a minor scale, where you still want the emotions of the minor scale without it feeling too dark.

Here are some famous songs that use the Dorian mode:

1. Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles

2. Scarborough Fair - Simon and Garfunkel

3. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix

Mixolydian

This scale mode is common in rock, blues, and jazz music, and now has an important place in more modern pop songs. It is the fifth mode on the major scale. It’s known for its flat seventh note that creates a tension with the rest of the major scale.

Here are some famous songs that use Mixolydian mode:

1. Clocks - Coldplay

2. Express Yourself - Madonna

3. Royals - Lorde

Mixolydian Flat-6

This mode is not as commonly used in pop songs as the other modes, but there are pop songs with traces of this mode. Mixolydian flat-6 is the sixth mode of the melodic minor scale. It has a flat fifth and sixth, and is a common improvised scale.

Here are some famous songs that use Mixolydian Flat-6 mode:

1. Single Ladies - Beyoncé

2. Creep - Radiohead

3. Buddy Holly - Weezer

Phrygian

This is a minor scale mode that is not commonly used, but has some influences in jazz and pop songs. It has sharps on the second, third, sixth, and seventh notes. It also features a minor third (like in other minor scales) and a b7. This mode is also commonly used in Spanish and Indian classical music.

Here are some famous songs that use Phrygian mode:

1. Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All - Lord of the Rings

2. Space Oddity - David Bowie

3. I Care - Beyoncé

Conclusion

The scale modes listed are unique ways to give your song some further depth and emotion, and you can compose your music using one, or a combination of different modes and scales. It’s also a good idea to listen to other songs with the scale mode you want to use in order to gain inspiration, and advice on how to use it well. 

If you need any extra help producing or creating your own music, contact us here. We look forward to adding massive value to your music.

So which scale mode do you like the best? Let us know!

- By Julianna Martinek

5 Guitar Tunings To Spice Up Your Play-style

Do you remember your first guitar? Or how about the first time you restringed it all on your own. Way back when I was just getting into one of the most popular musical instruments in pop music today I was quickly fascinated with the wide variety of melodies that came quickly to my fingertips, but also noticed that I often fell into the same keys time and time again. 

How was it that so much of my favourite music played with chords on guitar sounded all the same?

Turns out that in the 16th century, western music decided that EADGBE was standard. Strings tuned by fourths with a major third thrown in the middle just provided the easiest and most plentiful options for chords and scales. I think after 5 centuries it may be time for a refresher (at least on occasion). 

There are countless ways to string a guitar from the innovative Led Zeppelin with FACFAC on When the Levee Breaks, to off the wall F#F#F#F#EB used by Sonic Youth in Kool Thing (among others).

Not all tunings are equal, so if you’re just getting started experimenting with alternatives, here’s a great list of 5 guitar tunings that are time-tested.

Open D

Open D is a full major chord tuning prevalent among blues musicians especially those hailing from the Mississippi Delta region all the way to Bob Dylan. More recent examples include The Cave by Mumford and Sons and Jigsaw Falling into Place by Radiohead.

What’s great about this tuning is the low D root is easily accessible as an open string. Try it for great finger picking bass lines, or even just let it ring open as you strum. 

C6

Just one full step down on each string from Open D and you’ll find another major tuning called open C. Bringing the fifth string back up to A however creates a beautiful jazzy C6 chord used often by the aforementioned Mumford and Sons and Led Zeppelin. 

Due to the importance of the open chord, this tuning can create a full droning sound. Don’t be afraid to hit many open strings while you strum and use a capo to transpose that sound anywhere on the fretboard.

Nick Drake Tuning

Nick Drake was an inspiring singer-songwriter raised in England who never received the acclaim he deserved (gone too soon at the age of only 25) but who’s legacy continues on to this day in a vibrant cult following. He was especially inventive when it came to non-standard tunings which you can hear throughout his albums, but one of the most common is what is now known as Nick Drake tuning.

This tuning doesn’t create a full chord as much as the two previous examples (it’s really a C major with an added fourth) but you can still rely on a lot of open strings. What makes this tuning really unique is the unfamiliar fingerlings and note combinations you won’t find anywhere else. 

Playing with this tuning definitely took a little while to get used to, but once the new patterns became clear I was so glad to be out of my comfort zone.

Open G

Open G tuning is another open string chord based tuning that made its mark on music history through blues players like Robert Johnson and in rock and roll with the Rolling Stones.

Rhythm and slide guitar works great on this tuning since barring all the notes on the same fret will create a chord wherever you are on the fretboard. Watch for the fact that unlike Open D, the root note of this tuning is not the lowest string.

This simple change which may seem like a limitation has only served to inspire newer proponents of this style in Coldplay, and Queens of the Stone Age, among others.

Dsus4/Modal D

Last but not least is what's commonly referred to as “Dadgad” tuning. While it might seem like only a simple change from Open D tuning mentioned earlier, the third string changed to a G turns the whole open chord into a Dsus4 without any major or minor influence. For those interested in music theory that means there is no latent harmonic direction to this tuning.

To the western ear this tuning may sound especially unfamiliar and it has inspired many folk and rock guitarists like Davey Graham and Jimmy Page to try and emulate North African, Arabian and Indian style music.

As stated this tuning is not based on a major chord and therefore is not well suited for open string strumming however, like Nick Drake tuning, the new note layout will quickly open up endless melodic possibilities.  

Conclusion

Every guitar tuning on this list has something unique to bring your music. Where some make bass lines and blues effortless, others push the boundaries of guitar music and force you to think outside the box. For me, discovering the possibilities of alternate tunings was the beginning of a new era of guitar playing, and I hope they inspire you as well. 

Getting used to these changes may take some time but once you get the hang of it, new melodies, chords and ideas will pop up like never before. Those old guitar strings will sing again with new life and new songs. Getting into alternate tunings can also open up a new world of learning songs you may have been intimidating previously.

What are some of your favourite songs with alternate tunings? 

If you need further help creating your own music, we offer music production services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

Contact us here to get started.

- By Erik Steiner

Everything You Need to Know About Arranging

Today the music world has no rules.

Artists have the freedom to create and mix any form of music they can imagine. Music has reached the point where artists have the independence to create new categories of music by mixing rhythms and genres.

However, creating music still comes with its stages, dos and don'ts. In order to make good music that people will enjoy listening to, you still need to follow stages of music production that have been perfected over the years by professionals.

Like a chef in the kitchen, just because you have unlimited ingredients and tools to play with does not mean you should. There are some things when you mix and match that just don’t taste good.

After songwriting comes arranging:

WHAT IS ARRANGING?

Arranging is probably the least understood part of music production.

Repetition in a song is necessary for the listeners to get used to the melody and rhythm. There is however, a chance for the song to get too repetitive. This is usually an arrangement problem. 

Now that we know the importance of arranging, let’s learn about what exactly it is.

The selection of instruments, their “arrangement” and the “arrangement” of the sections themselves within the entire timeline of the song is what arrangement is.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

A good song had a great verse and chorus but it’s not enough to play them over each other on repeat. A good song also has a buildup that, for example, starts with a guitar and vocal, goes onto adding bass and drums while adding synths and vocal harmonies to the 1st chorus.

That is an example for the arrangement of instruments within a song.

But, another thing to note about instrument arrangement is that an instrument shouldn’t stay there for the entire song. There might be times where a certain instrument plays during pre-chorus. While there might be times where you’ll want to bring in an instrument during the second half for a climactic impact. And so on..

The most important thing is to keep the song’s momentum going. Few subtle additions can add a lot more value to your song that will be appreciated by listeners.

HOW MANY SECTIONS SHOULD THERE BE?

There is no right answer when it comes to the number of sections in a song. This is judged by feel.

An editor or the artist can usually tell when a section has reached its limit or needs to be changed/cut. 

Conclusion

If you need a starting point for the arrangement, you could pick out a few elements that are most important to the song and what you’d like the listener to focus on.

You could make changes as the song progresses. 

But remember: sometimes the best thing for your song is to leave it alone.

Still unsure of how to arrange the sections in your song? 

Jony Studios’ offers music production services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

Contact us here to get started.

- By Neha Agarwala

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Curious about the other stages of music production?

Check out these blogs to learn more:

Songwriting

Tracking

Editing

Mixing and Mastering