An e-mail from the Irish Traditional Music Mailing List.
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 09:28:35 -0400
From: Philippe Varlet
To: Multiple recipients of list
IRTRAD-L
Subject: Re: Mode idiocy - good polkas/Boots for Maggie???
I had to jump in there... The main modes in Irish dance (I don't know
as much about vocal) music are:
Mode 1
major, Ionian (your typical diatonic major scale)
Mode 2
Dorian (same but starting on the 2nd note, so it sounds minor)
Mode 5
Mixolydian (starting on 5th note, sounds major with flat 7th)
Mode 6
Aeolian, is actually pretty rare in Irish music. I know at most a handful
of tunes which are in mode 6 throughout. Most tunes showing mode 6 only
have one part in it, with the rest in major (like the relative major-minor
relationship in classical music). An example of that is the reel "Fermoy
Lassies."
This little system of classification can be useful for accompanists
too because with each mode comes a typical chord progression:
Mode 1
the old I-IV-V
Mode 2
ii-I-ii (ii is the minor chord, I is the major chord a step below).
For instance, in the reel "Pigeon on the Gate" which is most
often played in E mode 2 (scale of D major starting on E), one can very
well accompany the tune with just two chords, Em and D. The rest is gravy
(the technical term is substitutions).
Mode 5
V-IV-V, same as before except that the two chords a step apart are
both major. For example, the reel "Rakish Paddy" is in D mode
5 (scale of G major starting on the 5th note D) and is built around the
two chords of C and D major (IV and V in G major).
Hope this helps.
Philippe Varlet
philvar@erols.com
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