Scales vs Modes

One of the differences between scales and modes is that scales have a much stronger gravitational pull to the tonic. If we take for example the C major scale, we know that a V-I progression (G major to C major) is a final cadence. This chord progression has a final, closing sound. In the same scale, a V-VI ( G major to A minor) chord progression is called a deceptive cadence. The sixth chord (A C E) has two of the three notes of the first chord (C E G). One could say that although the sixth chord has its’ own characteristics and functions, it has many of the same properties of the first chord, therefore, a V- VI progression “almost” sounds like a V – I. A V – VI progression has a closing sound but it is much weaker and it is been called deceptive because it leads you to the sixth degree instead of the first degree of the scale. Interestingly enough in the A minor (niaved mode which is the relative minor of our C major scale) the G major to A minor (our initial deceptive cadence which has a weak closing sound as mentioned above) is what we now use as a final cadence.

There are of course other differences between scales and modes which I will be discussing in my next posts so if you are interested stay tuned. If there are any questions about what I have just talked about, feel free to post a comment or email me and I will be happy to help you out.

Tasos is our bouzouki teacher here at Elite Music. He offers private Greek Bouzouki lessons, so if you are interested in learning how to play the bouzouki, call our front desk at 416 406 5355 and one of our lessons coordinators will be happy to assist you in finding lesson-time availability and in booking your first free consultation. We are located at 822 Danforth Ave (near Pape and Danforth) in Toronto