Ionian mode

Is it possible that the Ionian mode ... as recently discovered by musicologists, goes so far back in our history that we lived in caves, the gig was the local campfire and some cats had a Neanderthal flute, jamming while folks played on drums and danced under the stars? Then, in more recent times, excluded by the Church of Rome during the early centuries of the last millenium due to its overly joyous nature ( thus no written records from this pre 1300 a.d., era or so, for written musical artifacts that we have dating this far back are nearly all church related ), which then reemerged to prominence with the formation and gradual acceptance of the equal tempered system, is today more commonly referred to as the major scale and still among the most popular of choices for music created today? Sure, anything's possible eh? Well, by the early 1700's the Ionian mode had become the main "well" for European composers to draw their melodic ideas, both in and out of sacred or church music. With the new additions of harmony ( chords ) and modulation ( to change keys ) from the equal tempering of the pitches, no other group of pitches enjoys such popularity from a American or European perspective. In American music, the Ionian mode's closest rival for preeminence is the blues scale for creating music, and if quantity of songs was the measure, the blues group would run a rather distant second.

Perhaps needless to say, that the diversity of the written material involving this grouping of pitches is truly phenomenal. From the early European orchestral masters such as Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Debussy, to the American jazz masters such as Joplin, Ellington, Parker, Davis, Coltrane, Metheny, all have used basically the exact same group of pitches to create their melodic and harmonic ideas. And even today, gorgeous new melodies are continually created with this same Ionian grouping of pitches. Is it ever exhaustible? The search for ideas from within the Ionian group of pitches goes on and on while the resource maintains it's timeless integrity.

So why is this Ionian mode potentially so important today? Well, in extending the ideas from above from a theoretical perspective, the Ionian mode can be the solid organizer and central pillar in the foundation of how one understands the theory, the theory has been taught from this perspective for decades if not more. Creating the key of C from the just the white keys of a piano, the C Ionian mode is often the first group of pitches new learners master. Here is a graphic of the piano keys of a one octave C major scale. Example 1.

As mentioned above, depending on your artistic direction, the Ionian mode can also become the pitch and sound center of one's artistic universe. With so much cool and important music in all of the American styles is based in this mode, the list of tunes to explore is potentially endless, in almost any of the styles of American music. Is the Ionian mode the core of all American music? No, of course not. The blue pitches are in many ways just as essential to the creative American artist, as are other modes that create the minor tonal environment, all of which are oftentimes the central color of how one thinks of their music.

Lets compare the Ionian mode and the major scale for pitches and intervalic formulas. Example 1.

No secrets here eh? Perhaps just two names for the same group of pitches? Here is the sound of these pitches descending while adding a particular rhythm. Example 1a.

Sound familiar? A favorite devotional, winter holiday melody for the past two hundred years or so. The Ionian mode is one of the three modal colors that creates the major tonal environment. Its intervalic character between the pitches creates the greatest sense of musical artistic stability as well as the strongest degrees of tonal gravity. How? Well, each pitch of the group simply compliments and relies on the other. By creating musical tension and a strong sense of tonal direction, upon the release of tension, tonal stability becomes manifest. Two important elements contained within the Ionian mode help contribute to this tension / release dynamic. Lets explore.  

First is the inclusion of the leading tone or seventh scale degree being a half step below the tonic. The following idea shows the leading tone in action by simply reversing the direction of the line. Example 2.

Can you sense the tension and direction of the above line? Lets resolve the tension. Example 2a.

We simply move by half step to resolve the musical tension to create stability. The second important element in this tension and release dynamic is the inclusion of the diatonic tritone within the dominant seventh chord. That the fifth scale degree is perhaps already attracted to the tonic is founded in the overtone series, the 5th degree being the closest partial to the tonic. Add in the tritone color and we can augment this "need" for the dominant to resolve to the tonic. Example 3.

Can you sense the "need" for the pitch B to resolve to C? Or does the gravitational pull of the tonic pitch C, of a key center, C major, simply draw the pitch B upward? Does the B have a choice? Of course, this is American music. Thus, the tension / stability dynamic emerges, the understanding of which is potentially crucial to the creative musician. For once realized and consciously created, the artist begins to strengthen their abilities to draw from the powers of music. We can reshape the elements to our own fancy and create potentially endless hues of this tension / release dynamic. Is there art with no tension? So our knowledge allows us to view the musical elements to create the best of both worlds, tension or stability, or mix and match to varying degrees as our artistic energies decide.

Prior to the emergence of equal temper, was it possible to play the Ionian mode, or any mode for that matter, from different pitches? Probably, but to what extent I really don't know for sure. But we do know that with the emergence of equal temper, we developed the ability to create each of the modes from 12 different pitches. These 12 pitches are contained within the chromatic scale. Here is a chart of the pitches of the Ionian mode, projected from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale, following the format provided by the cycle of fifths, starting with C Ionian. Example 4.

Here are the 12 Ionian modes contained within the equal tempered system following the key scheme of the chart above. Example 5. Jam along if ya can. Click major scales for alternative Ionian / major scale musical examples.

Are the 12 Ionian modes / major scales under your fingers? Can you play a chromatic scale on your chosen instrument? God place to start for the emerging jazz artist. Do all of our equal tempered scales come from the pitches of the chromatic scale? Pretty much.

Here is a list of jazz standards and other popular melodies created from this group of pitches. See any of your favorite titles? Most of the titles are common enough to be found in most real books from established publishers. So many cool and important Ionian mode, jazzy melodies.

What's your style of music, does the Ionian mode play a part?

Where to next?

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"There are still so many beautiful things to be said in C major." Sergei Prokofiev