"that piece of music that you have put up is really in the key of G and everything on it relates to that so why are you even talking about D major melody notes and chords in the first place?"






 All I can say is that I never found anything to play using a G major, or rather a G Ionian mode.

 I kept at it "by ear" and when I found a melody and bass line that I liked, it appeared...  ...it appeared to me as if I played the bulk of it rooted on the D while playing notes that are part of the Ionian mode and then I would go over to what I thought I recognized as the notes in the D Mixolydian mode.

 ... and that's when I realized I was confused.





Thank you for the additional comments... they seem to help clarify a few things for me.


best regards,
mike

All I can say is that I never found anything to play using a G major, or rather a G Ionian mode. ... That is a limitation with you and has nothing to do with key choices. 

Many years ago I attended a workshop with Don Burrows who is a great Australian Jazz musician . (very old now and unfortunately cannot play anymore due to arthritis) He demonstrated playing a C Major scale (ie used the Ionian mode only) over a C Maj 7 vamp from the band. It was breath taking and he went on for ages just soloing and soloing and the solo just got more ridiculous as time went on yet he was only using the same notes. It was amazing, interesting, inventive, unusual etc you name it. Talk about using a few standard things to create something so amazing. He used the interval jumps from the inside scale notes just so well.

You just need to practice more doing this and it is good thing to do as well.  I believe you have to get this sort of thing down before you start using scales from other keys. But yes I agree that can sound great too. But imagine having the skills to do a killer solo with the obvious scale choices then what you could do with using outside keys to do the same. 

On second thought; Beepster has pointed out that D Mixolydian uses the same notes as G Major so it seems like I did find something in G major to play... but I called it something different.




I tend to play what I want to hear... I am not trying to play with other keys on purpose... when I'm playing something in a situation like this I just play the most natural thing as it reflects my personal sensibility at that moment. I'm not trying sound different or anything like that... I'm just trying to interact and commune with the song.

If I hadn't transcribed the piano part I would not have thought much about the song key until after I was done working up a part I liked to listen too.


Thanks.


best regards,
mike

  Major chord? Try Ionian, Lydian, Mixolydian or their numerous variations. 

Minor chord? Try Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian or their numerous variations.

Any ole chord? Choose from the above suggestions based on the quality of the chord and use chromatics/symmetricals to slip around between accenting the notes defined by said diatonic scales.

 Mike you sure have a lot of information...I'll had to it LOL.

If you are going to switch your thinking from "key center" to "modal" then
I feel like saying;

Make sure you understand that D mixolydian contains the same notes as the key of "G". (which you know doesn't include a C#)
Should you "think" key of "D" then don't think mixolydian.

Also- if you're thinking key of "D" then realize the tone that may be played, that is not in
the key of "G", will be the C#.

For some reason "modal" and "key center" seems to be a blurred area to you. I could
surely be wrong so...sorry if this is no added value.

My head is spinning... I've been up since 3am.

It's my birthday tomorrow.

My Christmas present to myself... a new tube microphone built in Kansas just arrived a few minutes ago.



I hate to think I might be wasting every ones good efforts.

I am going to come back to this when I'm fresh.

Thank You!

best regards,
mike

@Mike: In no way, shape or form are you doing such, but spacey is right, I also think you have modal and key center mixed up. The reason this occurs is the way modes are traditionally taught. Note, it isn't wrong, just confusing and you can't interchange key with mode.

This is why the charts of seven scales highlighting certain color tones are a better way to learn the modes:

Ionian = Identical to the Major Scale (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1)

Dorian = Natural Minor - #6 (b6 becomes natural 6. In D: Bb becomes B; In F: Db becomes D. (D-E-F-G-A B-C-D; F-G-Ab-Bb-C-D-Eb-F}

Phrygian = Natural Minor - b2 (E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E)

Lydian = The Major scale - #4 (C-D-E-F#-G-A-B-C)

Mixolydian = Major - b7 - (D-E-F#-G-A-B-C (Dom7/9/13 chords come from this mode)

Aeolian = Identical to Natural Minor (or the relative minor) (A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A)

Locrian: The oddest of them all where all notes are flat except 1 and 4 - C-Db-Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb-C (If I started on B, same. I didn't as all the notes are white; therefore, by starting on C, the notes become black - 2 and 3, 5-7)

This chart will be very advantageous to you, but remember that modes even the "Key based" modes (Ionian and Aeolian) are clearly different from Major and minor.

Modes (Even Ionian and Aeolian) are used to convey moods; however, when it comes to those inparticularly, it is not nomenclature to say: "I'm playing in Ionian or Aeolian mode," as that will be picked up based on the mood and whether there's a definite progression or not. IOW, folks say, "I'm playing in this KEY!" if there any indication of a key center or scale!


Modes are generally used for improvisation or soloing, generally vamps that sit for awhile. ii-Vs, most often (Dm9-G13). Now, when you look at this, you're thinking: "I'm in the key of C." You would be, but don't play a C of any kind or you would have gone from the Dorian vibe to the Ionian one (ii-V-I).

Listen to "So What," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNTltOGh5c  there's no "tonic" although you're expecting one - even when it temporarily modulates. This tune isn't like "A-Train" (Diana Krall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZEK8dvfXuQ) where there is a definite tonic. The former has the Dorian vibe/feel/mood while the latter has that of Ionian.

I hope this helps clear up the confusion between mode and key!


EDIT: I'll to decihper the sheet you posted later.

  Overall it's in D major, regardless of the key signature shown in the staff. 

Sort of tenuously related. I was doodling in D Major and started to flatten the sixth. I really liked what was happening. A bit of research showed this to be the reasonably obscure Double Harmonic scale. (D E F# G A Bb C# D)

hmm... now this might show my lack of formal training but why exactly do both staves have a bass clef? I've never seen that.