In some earlier posts (#173 and #179), we looked at how to form different permutations (or "modes") of a key. Not only how to play the various chords, but also how they are all related.
And what's nice is that these principles apply to any key -- including the key of D, as we'll explore here. For example, when you take the 7 notes of the D major scale -- D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D -- you come up with 7 modes starting on each respective note.
Because each mode begins and ends on a different note (or "tonic") of the mode, each pattern is a distinct sound. In this example, the tonic of D Ionian is D ... while the tonic of E Dorian is E ... and so on.
Each sequence of notes sounds nice. But they sound especially good (and full) when played as chords. For example, if you play the D major scale (a.k.a., the first mode, D Ionian) as a sequence of chords, you get:
The D Ionian mode sounds good fleshed out as harmonies because it's essentially the major scale on steriods.
And just like the notes, these same 7 chords can also be arranged into 7 permutations -- like these three patterns, for example:
And the same idea applies to all of the other chords in this key, as shown here....
The result is a visually complex system of blotches and squiggles that’s confusing and even counterintuitive.
