Loreena Mckennitt and Mixolydian

SATURDAY, May 1, 2021 – 1:02 AM

Loreena Mckennitt and Mixolydian

I put this in modes years ago, and I think most people never saw or heard. Then I put it in spotlight about a year and a half ago, but still no comments, so I don’t know if it was ever noticed.

This is in Mixolydian, giving the tune a much older feel. Apparently no one knows how old this song is, but it has been around for centuries. No one knows who wrote it.

The important thing about Mixolydian is that it has a very old feel, but it is also very popular right now in both rock and pop. So it is truly timeless. It is also the absolute backbone of blues in major, so for people learning jazz it is absolutely essential.

She Moved Through the Fair…

Loreena Mckennitt has a wonderful voice, so I think this is a great way to experience this mode.

Mixolydian is also used in a fair number of older folk tunes all around the world. It was, perhaps, at least as common as Ionian (major) a few centuries ago.

Rick Beato’s Take

Rick Beato is not easy to understand, at least for students. He wanders a lot, getting lost in his own world, and he’s not brief. I also wish he would introduce Mixolydian as major with b7, because that’s what it really is. I don’t find this video good for understanding, but you may just want to listen to his sounds.

David Bennett’s Take

Bennett is very good. His idea is not new, but he presents it very well. The idea that he is highlighting ranks modes in the order of their “brightness”, and this idea comes from the idea of using major and then thinking about how many notes are raised or lowered. So the brightest is Lydian, also the most hopeful, and the darkest is Locrian, with five notes in the major scale lowered.

Leave a Reply