Creating Moods with Modes

Composers use specific modal chord qualities and diatonic sequences in conjunction to create music that imbues the mood they want in their audiences. With the intent of improving music pedagogy, the purpose of this research was to examine how students learning the differences between modes helped them advance their interpretations of music. The particular problems of this study included (1) analyzing music to find the standard modes, (2) examine their usage in music, and (3) finding the best way to communicate this to students. The standard modes can be found using the major scale and altering the first note while keeping the same key signature. Each mode has a specific set of moods it can be associated with. Exceptions can be found by analyzing music in modes that create a different mood than expected. After learning about modes and music analysis, students will be able to interpret their music more expressively. Students could also learn how to compose music more effectively and learn to use different modes. Future research could include how students react to the modes and whether they believe the standard modes based on the major scale are able to accurately create a certain mood. Another idea could be looking at the modes of other scales such as the pentatonic and double harmonic scales to decipher more complex moods