This is a PDF download. After purchase, you will immediately get the link to download this file. (You’ll also receive an email with the link, which expires in 24 hours.) You’re all set to use the file on your screen, or you can print a copy.

This book uses colors to differentiate the modes and highlight which notes are different when comparing them. If you don’t have a color printer, it won’t look terrible, but it won’t look awesome. Want a hard copy? Buy the spiral-bound book.

This book contains practical information for all musicians and is written especially for harpers. The scores are in keys from two sharps to three flats. They fall within the range of a 22-string harp starting with the lowest note of G below middle C.

Change the key, not the starting note

Other books teach modes using the white keys of the piano, comparing the sounds of starting on each note: C,D,E,F,G,A,B (C Ionian) to D,E,F,G,A,B,C (D Dorian) to E,F,G,A,B,C,D (E Phrygian) and so on. As you move the starting note higher and higher, it becomes more and more difficult to hear the difference caused by the mode versus the difference caused by the higher starting note.

The pieces in my book are in a mode of G. Listening for the difference between G Ionian, G Dorian, and G Phrygian focuses your attention more precisely, making it easier to come away from the book with a lasting, practical understanding of the modes.

Flip levers or pedals to compare modes on the same strings

On a harp, keeping the melody at the same home base means you can change the mode of the melody by flipping levers or pedals. No other book takes advantage of harps like this. If you really want to hone in on the difference between Mixolydian and Ionian, then just keep playing this melody over and over, changing from F to F♯ and back:

Learn the modes with chords, too

Hearing the modes doesn't just come from the melody. I've isolated two or three chords in each mode to set a foundation. These provide a basis for learning the modes to begin with, and then they set a great jumping off point for improvisation and segueing.

Chapters

• Modes: Why aren’t they obvious? (read the first chapter)

  • How to use this book

  • What is LIMDAP?

  • Where’s the bass clef? Using a lead sheet (this section begins with the lead sheet picture below)

  • What are the Roman numerals for?

  • The best way to hear mode differences: Chords with the third

• Comparing sound palettes

  • How to use the comparisons

  • Ionian versus Aeolian (major versus natural minor)

  • Ionian versus Mixolydian (see the start of this chapter in the images at the top of the page)

  • Aeolian versus Dorian

  • Mixolydian versus Dorian

  • Aeolian versus Phrygian

  • Ionian versus Lydian

  • Mixolydian versus Lydian

  • Creating your own modal transformations

• What mode is this? Identifying the mode

  • Easy as 1, 2, 3…4

  • Practice identifying the mode

  • What if there are accidentals?

  • Statistically, it’s never Lydian

  • Identifying the modes by ear

  • Let’s not pretend we don’t have the internet

  • Now you try: What modes are these in?

• Use the modes: Arrange, compose, improvise

  • Which mode should I use?

  • Next steps for using any mode

  • Are there special rules for composing?

  • Using Ionian

  • Using Aeolian (part of this section is in the pictures at the top of the page for adding chords to “Thomas the Rhymer”)

  • Using Mixolydian

  • Using Dorian

  • Using Phrygian

  • Using Lydian

  • Add your own chords and key signatures

• From mode to mode: Segues

  • G Ionian to E Aeolian (part of this section is in the pictures at the top of the page for with “Good King Wenceslas” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”)

  • G Aeolian to G Ionian

  • G Aeolian to G & C Dorian

  • G Ionian to G & D Mixolydian in 3/4 to 4/4

  • G Mixolydian to G & D Dorian in 4/4 to 3/4

• Who defines modes? Physics plus culture

  • Table of scales and chords for each LIMDAP mode

  • Music theory for LIMDAP modes (part of this section is in the pictures at the top of the page for the essential chords of each mode)

  • The modes based on scale step

  • Is G Mixolydian in the key of C?

  • Finding the key signature of any mode

• Now what?

  • PS: Isn’t it more complicated than this? What I’m not telling you

Pieces

For pieces provided in multiple modes, the first mode listed is the original. I haven’t included the modes here for the tunes that the book lets you experiment with, but their original modes are listed in the back of the book.

• “All the Pretty Little Horses” in Aeolian. United States.

• “All Through the Night” (Ar hŷd y nôs) in Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, & Phrygian. Wales.

• “Bold William Taylor” for you to add chords and key signature. England.

• “The Bonny Laboring Boy” in Mixolydian & Ionian. England.

• “The Brisk Young Lover” in Mixolydian & Ionian. England/United States.

• “Can you rokka Romanes?” (Can you speak Romany?) in Lydian & Ionian. Roma.

• “Canção do trovador” (Song of the troubadour) as an example for how to find the mode. Brazil.

• “The Crafty Ploughboy” in Aeolian & Phrygian. England.

• “De aquel cerro verde” (From yon mountain verdant) where you try to find the mode. Peru.

• “The Dhu Hill” (The Black Hill) in Phrygian & Aeolian. Scotland.

• “Glencoe” in Aeolian & Ionian. England.

• “Do You Remember That Night?” for you to add chords and key signature. Ireland.

• “Earl Brand” where you try to find the mode. England/United States.

• “En mai, quant li rossignolet” (In May, when the nightingale) in Ionian. France.

• “Good King Wenceslas” in Ionian. Finland/Vatican.

• “Happy Birthday” in Ionian, Lydian, Mixolydian, & Aeolian. United States.

• “I Will Give My Love an Apple” in Aeolian. England.

• “In vernali tempore” (In springtime) as an example for how to find the mode. Finland/Vatican.

• “The Island of St. Helena” in Ionian & Lydian. Ireland/Scotland.

• “Jag gick mig ut en aftonstund” (I went out for an evening) for you to add chords and key signature. Sweden.

• “Joy to the World” excerpt in Ionian, Lydian, Mixolydian, & Aeolian. Anglo-Saxon.

• “Kak po sadēku” (In the shade of the garden) in Ionian & Aeolian. Russia.

• “Konpira Fune-Fune” for you to add chords and key signature. Japan.

• “Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard” for you to add chords and key signature. England/United States.

• “Lord Mayo” as an example for how to find the mode. Ireland.

• “Margaret Sheehan” where you try to find the mode. Ireland.

• “Mear Tune” in Mixolydian. England/United States/Wales.

• “Molly Bawn” in Aeolian & Dorian. Ireland.

• “Mundanis vanitatibus” in Dorian & Aeolian. Finland/Vatican.

• “Novele amors qui m’est au cuer entrée” (New love, which has entered my heart) in Dorian. France.

• “O Arranmore” in Aeolian & Phrygian. Ireland.

• “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” in Aeolian with excerpts in Ionian, Dorian, & Phrygian. England/France/Vatican.

• “On Board a Ninety-Eight” where you try to find the mode. England.

• “Ossian’s Lament for his Father” where you try to find the mode. Scotland/Ireland.

• “Poor Old Horse” in Mixolydian & Dorian. England.

• “Pretty Saro” for you to add chords and key signature. England/United States.

• “Queres que eu chore?” in Ionian & Lydian. Brazil.

• “Scarborough Fair” in Dorian, Mixolydian, & Aeolian. England.

• “She Moved Through the Fair” excerpt in Mixolydian, Lydian, Ionian, & Dorian. Ireland.

• “A Sweet Country Life” where you try to find the mode. England.

• “Takai-Yama” (High mountain) as an example for how to find the mode. Japan.

• “Thomas the Rhymer” in Aeolian. Scotland.

• “Thula Baba” (Hush, baby) in Ionian & Mixolydian. Zulu.

• “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” with chords in Ionian & Mixolydian, plus melodic variations in Lydian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, & Phrygian. France.

• “The Unquiet Grave” in Mixolydian. England.

• “Var det du eller var det jag?” (Was it you or was it me?) in Dorian & Mixolydian. Sweden/Norway.

What if my harp is tuned in C?

Enjoy the Modes uses keys with three flats to two sharps. You will need levers (or pedals) to change these keys easily.

If you have a fully levered harp, but you are tuned in C with all levers down, then I encourage you to transition to E♭ tuning. If you are ready for this book, then congratulations: you’re ready to play in flats.

Some harpers are worried that levers degrade the sound of their harp. Harp builders have had access to excellent levers for the past 25 years or more. If there is any lessening of the sound when the lever is engaged, it is minimal. But consider this: if your lowest note is C, then tuning in E♭ allows you to play in C minor, utilizing the lowest strings on your harp. If you’re tuned in C, then you have to play in A minor, 5 notes higher up. The access to those low notes is overwhelmingly valuable in comparison to a potentially slight degradation of sound.

What level is this book?

Enjoy the Modes is appropriate for someone who has no background in music theory and doesn't want to get mired in academic writing. You don’t need to have any prior knowledge of modes to enjoy this book.

You can read the first chapter here. I’ve also listed more books and videos on my modes resources page that are great starting points.

Most of the scores are lead sheets:

There are no brackets or finger numbering. If you’re new to creating your own finger placements, I highly recommend Harp Fingering Fundamentals➚ by Sylvia Woods.

Therapeutic musicians can get CEUs

Enjoy the Modes is on the list of books that are approved by the Music for Healing & Transition Program as eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). Find out more about MHTP CEUs➚, and see the full list of approved books and videos.

If you’re not sure if Enjoy the Modes is right for you right now, email me with your concerns, and I'm happy to point you in the best direction to help you enjoy the modes.

What people are saying about Enjoy the Modes

“Enjoy the Modes is how music should be taught. Musicians, pick up this book. It is a manual for survival in the densely forested wood of Music Theory. It will be your best friend in unfamiliar places – like Lydian, or open mic nights… Theory can be complicated. It’s hard to reconcile what is printed on the page in front of you with what you’ve heard through your speakers, live, anywhere. How does John Coltrane make this alphabet soup of chord symbols sound like the majesty of ‘Lush Life’? How can I, as a musician, put these progressions and lead sheets and the music I hear in my head onto the strings? At this point, it’s usually tears for me, but Enjoy the Modes changes that. Here is an explanation, not of what you’re hearing, but of how to figure it out for yourself. The work is made all the better by the steadfast presence of the author. She guides you through dense concepts with the firm tone of an older sister who has been there, done that, and doesn’t want you to have to suffer – all presented clearly, shortcuts (and cautions) included. Examples pulled from all over the world and across many genres keep practice lively and dynamic. You’re encouraged to experiment with what sounds good, to ask questions, to figure out what it is about a particular song that makes you want to cry, to laugh, to scream. If you feel like you’re struggling to make progress as a musician, give this book a try. It’s probably exactly what you’re looking for – or something quite close to it. A guide into the wilderness of Music Theory, tackled in a straightforward manner. Enjoy the Modes is indeed a friend in unfamiliar places.” —A. Gaither, musician