Earlier posts in this series look at how to form and play different permutations (or "modes") of a key.
These principles apply to any key, including the key of Gb (a.k.a., F#), as we'll explore here. When you take the 7 notes of the Gb major scale -- Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, Gb -- 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 Gb Ionian is Gb ... while the tonic of Ab Dorian is Ab ... and so on.
Each sequence of notes sounds nice. But they sound especially good when played as chords -- like these chords of Gb Ionian (a.k.a., Gb major):
The Gb 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.
