How to Play Modes on the Tuba

Video Transcript

"He everyone, Kevin Smith back here, Tubalove. I'm going to play some modes now. I just described what they are and the simplest explanation, I'm going to do things in a C mode, ok, because the C uses no sharps or flats as I described earlier. The C major scale. So, if you're going in what's called, I said, the first, the first of the modes is called the Ionian mode, I-o-n-i-a-n, and then all of the subsequent modes on C use the exact same notes. So, in this case any other key, on like Western music, D, F, E, whatever, they will also have no sharps or flats. It may sound complicated, and it's certainly nothing I can truly explain in full detail in two minutes, but I'm just going to play. In Ionian mode, if I use C Ionian, it sounds exactly like a major scale. Ok, then if I'm building on that, the next mode, being the Dorian mode, is in the key of say D Dorian mode, it sounds exactly like a minor scale as we know it, but it's got a raised 6. An E, the next one up, as I said was called Phrygian. E Phrygian sounds exactly like our current minor scale, but it has a lowered second note, or a semi-tone to start. An F, if I keep going up, the next one is Lydian. And F, being the fourth one up, F Lydian is just like a major scale, but it has a raised 4. And the next one up, G, Mixolydian, sounds exactly like a major scale, but in this case the seventh note is flatted. A, next one up, Aeolian, the sixth one sounds exactly like our minor scale. The last one, and the least practical is what's called Locrian, it's like a minor scale but along with the third, sixth and seventh flatted, it also flattens the two and five. It really has no sense of continuity, it is far and away the least practical, but those are the modes. Like I say, they are a great way to sort of enhance your entire musical repertoire."