Fleetwood Mac & the Modes

[David]

I've noticed that Lindsey often wrote in the Dorian mode ("Tusk"), Christine in the Mixolydian mode ("Believe Me"), & Stevie in both the Aeolian ("Rhiannon") & Lydian modes ("Dreams"). They may or may not be aware of this. Peter, too, wrote often in the Mixolydian mode ("Jumpin' at Shadows"). These ancient church modes predate the major & minor modes of Western music, which reigned supreme for about 200 years (c. 1700 to c. 1900). Art composers of the 20th century as well as pop, jazz & blues composers often reverted back to the old church modes (the Beatles wrote "Norwegian Wood" in the Mixolydian mode).

See Leonard Bernstein's "Young People's Concerts" on DVD with the program "What Is a Mode?" for additional information.

edit: I mean, Duster Bennett. I always forget that Pete didn't write Shadows!

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Originally Posted by David

(the Beatles wrote "Norwegian Wood" in the Mixolydian mode)

A famous discussion of Beatles music along these lines was first published in The Times as far back as 1964. A quote from that article:

But harmonic interest is typical of their quicker songs too, and one gets the impression that they think simultaneously of harmony and melody, so firmly are the major tonic sevenths and ninths built into their tunes, and the flat submediant key switches, so natural is the Aeolian cadence at the end of "Not a Second Time" (the chord progression which ends Mahler's "Song of the Earth")."

Originally Posted by David

They may or may not be aware of this.

And I think you have hit the nail on the head there (although I'm unsure what tone that would produce) - these mostly untrained musicians happen to hit on something that sounds good (which is possibly how the classical modes were originally discovered in the first place).

[GarboSpeaks!]

Huh????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????









OK, so you'll force me to find out wtf this is all about, and what you mean. A good thing to be sure. The fact that not 1 but 2 (and likely many more that just didn't respond) makes me feel VERY unedgeekated.

[David]

Originally Posted by GarboSpeaks!

Huh???????????????????????????????????????

See Leonard Bernstein's "Young People's Concerts" on DVD with the program "What Is a Mode?" for additional information.

The fact that not 1 but 2 (and likely many more that just didn't respond) makes me feel VERY unedgeekated.

Remember that education has nothing inherently to do with schooling--in fact, is the opposite of schooling.

[chiliD]

I prefer Lydian & Phrygian myself.

[ragandbone]

I have a mountain dulcimer, and I love Early music, so I am familiar with the sound of modes; however I have never been able to fully grasp music theory, and I would love to look at the Bernstein DVD. I hadn't noticed that the songs you mentioned were in classical modes, but that explains why I was drawn to them. I like folk music of the British Isles, and Scandinavian folk music for the "modal" sound.

[Chester]

Originally Posted by David

I've noticed that Lindsey often wrote in the Dorian mode ("Tusk"), Christine in the Mixolydian mode ("Believe Me"), & Stevie in both the Aeolian ("Rhiannon") & Lydian modes ("Dreams"). They may or may not be aware of this. Peter, too, wrote often in the Mixolydian mode ("Jumpin' at Shadows"). These ancient church modes predate the major & minor modes of Western music, which reigned supreme for about 200 years (c. 1700 to c. 1900). Art composers of the 20th century as well as pop, jazz & blues composers often reverted back to the old church modes (the Beatles wrote "Norwegian Wood" in the Mixolydian mode).

I thought Norwegian Wood was in dorian?? The tune escapes me at the moment, so I can't check myself, but I thought that was their famous dorian example. And how is Dreams in Lydian? That would make the Fmaj7 chord that is used much in the song into a diminished chord right?