Earlier posts look at how to form -- and play -- different permutations (or "modes") of a key.
And these principles apply to any key -- including the key of E, as we'll explore here. When you take the 7 notes of the E major scale -- E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, E -- you create 7 modes starting on each respective note.
Each pattern is a distinct sound because each mode begins and ends on a different note (or "tonic"), . In this example, the tonic of E Ionian is E ... while the tonic of F# Dorian is F# ... and so on.
Each sequence of notes sounds nice. But they sound especially good (and complete) when played as chords -- like these chords of E Ionian (a.k.a., E major):
The E Ionian mode sounds good fleshed out as harmonies because it's really just the major scale pattern. 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 you can see here....
The result is a visually complex system of blotches and squiggles that’s confusing and even counterintuitive.
