Welcome! This table allows you to see all the possibilities for modal interchange around a chosen tonal center. To perform modal interchange is to use chords and notes from parallel keys in your chord progressions and melodies. Each row of the table contains all the possible chords within each mode. Most often, a song will use chords from only one mode, but occasionally chords from other modes are included to change the color or mood of the song. So start off my choosing a tonal center, and then experiment with starting with playing chords in one mode, and then insert some chords from other modes to create interesting sounds. There are so many possibilities!
Mode | Chord 1 | Chord 2 | Chord 3 | Chord 4 | Chord 5 | Chord 6 | Chord 7 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ionian | |||||||
Dorian | |||||||
Phrygian | |||||||
Lydian | |||||||
Mixolydian | |||||||
Aeolian | |||||||
Locrian | |||||||
Harmonic Minor | |||||||
Melodic Minor |
EXAMPLES
Here's a chord progression written with modal interchange. The tonal center is C:
CMaj7| D min | EbM | FMaj7
While on the CMaj7, D min, and Fmaj7, play C Ionian. But on the EbM play either
C Dorian or C Aeolian.