MELODY- A succession or arrangement of notes forming a distinctive sequence or theme, often repeated or revisited through out the piece. This is the horizontal aspect of music.

SCALE- A pattern of notes, arranged in whole steps and half steps, that span an octave.

MODE- An iteration of a scale where all the notes maintain the same pattern of whole steps and half steps but the starting note is shifted, based on what scale degree you decide to consider the root. The major scale has 7 diatonic scale degrees. Therefore, there are 7 seven diatonic modes that are based on the major scale pattern.

TONIC- The root or foundation of a key or scale. This is scale degree 1. The ultimate directional goal of harmony.

FINAL- The root or foundation of a mode. We discern this from a TONIC because it is not always TONICIZED by a LEADING TONE or PERFECT 5th resolution.

LOCRIAN MODE- This mode consists of scale degrees: 1 - b2 - b3 - 4 - b5 - b6 - b7

The region of Locris was in Central Greece, near Mt. Parnassus, and what is modern day Atalanti. It is about as far to the east as can be from the coast of the Ionian Sea on that piece of land. Their neighboring tribes were the Phocians and the Dorians. The Locrian tribes and territories tended to be dominated by their neighbors, and thusly played a very small role in Greek history.
The Locrian Mode consists of scale degrees:
1 - b2 - b3 - 4 - b5 - b6 - b7

1-Unlike all other modes, the Locrian scale degree 5 is not a perfect fifth! It is a FLATTED (diminished) 5th. This means resolving to the tonic, directly from the "dominant", will not have the same satisfying feeling of completion as it would from a V chord based on a PERFECT FIFTH.

2-This mode also has no LEADING TONE to the tonic (#7). Scale degree 7 is actually a b7. This happens in other modes but, in conjunction with the abscence of a PERFECT FIFTH, the abscence of a proper LEADING TONE makes this mode difficult to find good resolution to the TONIC.

3-The first part of this mode is the same as the exotic PHYRGIAN MODE (with a b2 and a b3 and a PERFECT 4th). The remaining scale degrees are a collection of WHOLE TONES, which lend themselves to a dreamy but disorienting mood. So this mode just seems to meander around with little or no direction.

4-The "TONIC" chord is actually a DIMINISHED chord. The diminished chord does NOT want to sit still (unlike a solid MAJOR or MINOR chord). So when you land on the "TONIC", the music desires nothing more than to keep moving!

YouTube educator, Adam Neely, has put together 5 composers (Samurai Guitarist, Ben Levin, Paul Davids, Nahre Sol and himself) to find ways to make the Locrain mode sound more musical. Some of the techniques they use include:

1-Choosing genres that lend themselves to this mode (surfer rock, avant-garde, exotic, contemporary classical and hip hop).
2-Omiting the 5th (b5th, in this case) from the iº chord makes it feel more like a minor chord.
3-Droning and emphasizing the final (scale degree 1 of the mode) helps to anchor you to the final.
4-Sandwiching the Locrain parts between more chaotic parts and atonal parts provide a sense of relief when you return to Locrian.

All of these composers did a great job of explaining thier processes and the equipment they used to create these fantastic sounds. Check out this video to dig further into the Locrian mode and it's many moods! Also, help us send them some love! Like, subscribe and share!

1. KEY (MODE)- E LOCRIAN (1 flat)
2. TIME SIGNATURE- 3/4
3. STARTING NOTE AND DURATION- E natural, 1/4 note

E Locrian shares the same key signature as F major but we will still be considering the E note to the first scale degree. This is referred to as the "final" in a mode. So let's notate our meter and key signature, as shown below.

On this first listen, we will focus on the rhythms and the note values. Try and count to your self as you listen. As we do this, we are still taking in the contour and overall impressions. It's a good idea to pencil in the note values above the staff, as seen below, to leave room for your notation on the staff. In this case, we have:

Measure 1= 2 quarter notes, 1 eighth note
Measure 2= 3 quarter notes

On the second listen, let's focus on the contour, the overall movement and shape of the melody. We know it starts on the root (or the final). It leaps up and then walks down in the 1st measure. It moves briely up and immediately back down in the 2nd measure. It might look like this.

Now we want to add notes to these beats. Our given starting note is on the 1st scale degree (E, in E Locrian). Following the arc, we leap up from E (final) to C (6th), down a third to A (4th)in first measure. Measure 2 begins with a whole step up to Bb (5th) then passed through F (2nd) and finally resting on the final (E).

Use this forth listen to review your work and make sure you didn't miss anything. If you can't immediately identify a note, some educated guesses might get you there. Engage your theory brain as you double check the rhythms, the contour and the cadence. When we overlay the contour from our original impressions on top of the final melody, it appears to be pretty much spot on!

-You don't need to have perfect pitch to learn good aural skills. Rather, you need to sharpen your skills of RELATIVE PITCH.

-Always try to sing DO (scale degree 1) and SOL (scale degree 5) and keep them in your head as you do these exercises. In Locrian, it's still a worthwile exercise. But because of the diminished scale degree 5, it's a bit difficult to find your bearings.

-We've talked about identifying what note you are on by singing down, or up to the tonic. This works for all notes but it comes a little easier when singing from the 3rd and the 5th. As we get into more complex modes, like Locrian, this may not be as easy.

-Consider addressing the first and last measures first. Then use the following listens to fill in the middle sections.

-Get a kick start on identifying melodies by singing (or humming or whistling) the LOCRIAN mode and some patterns based on it.