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Humans are walking paradoxes! You know those times when you’re feeling two contradicting emotions at the same time? Like when you’re in a difficult situation but you feel hopeful about the future, while simultaneously doubting your own optimism. How on earth would you reflect those contradicting feelings in music?

As we cover in our Songwriting & Producing PDF, each mode conveys a general emotion. Feeling optimistic in a difficult situation would be well represented by the Dorian mode, which is the natural minor scale* with a major 6th (i.e. the cloud’s silver lining). Cancelling out that optimism with doubt would revert back to the natural minor scale, where the cloud doesn’t have a silver lining.

So you may be thinking now that it can’t be too difficult to write something using the Dorian mode then switch to the Aeolian mode. And you’re right, that’s not difficult. However, using one mode first and then moving into the other one, does not reflect the paradox of feeling both of the contradicting emotions simultaneously.

But you can’t use two modes at the same time, can you? Yes my friend, yes you can!

This is where things get juicy. Are you ready? Right, so in the title-track of their album “Pain & Bliss”, The Brooks play in both the Dorian and Aeolian modes at the same time. The guitar plays in Dorian while the bass simultaneously plays in Aeolian. It’s awesome! So, inspired by this great song, here’s our 6-step method for writing music in two modes that will be played at the same time. But first… Tea!

*Natural minor scale is another name for the Aeolian mode.

Firstly, the title of this tutorial is technically a misnomer, as the bass doesn’t play in both modes, it sticks to one mode (Aeolian) while the guitar plays the other (Dorian). This is the only way for the listener to hear two modes at the same time!

If the bass played in both modes, it would have to switch back and forth between them. As mentioned above, this is easy to do: just write half the bass line in Dorian, and the other half in Aeolian. But, this results in a linear experience for the listener, as they feel one emotion first and then the other emotion afterwards. That does not create the contradiction of feeling different emotions at the same time. The only way to reflect this paradox in music is to use both modes simultaneously.

By the way, regarding genre. The Brooks is a funk band, so this example is particularly funky. Get up! We’re big funk fans, but if you’re not, no problem. As with all our tutorials, this method will work in any genre. Just use different instruments, and depending on the genre, maybe less syncopation and fewer rests.

Right, we’re gonna start with the bass line (in Aeolian). Set your tempo to 90 BPM, then create a one-bar loop on your bass track, with the grid on 1/16 triplets – this is a funk fave! If you’re working in another genre, you can use straight 1/16 notes.

Next, write a cool rhythm on the root note (D in our example). As always, you can do whatever you want, but try to use mainly 1/16 note triplets. Also, start on a longer note, and play one other long note somewhere else. This second long note is where we’re going to create the climax of our two-mode paradox (in Step 5).

Lastly, be sure to use lots of rests in your rhythm. Space is a vital element in a great bass line, so don’t be stingy with rests (unless your genre tends to use fewer rests).

Bass: one-bar rhythm on root note (D)

Now it’s time to move that second long note in your bass line to the climax note. The Brooks bassist Alexandre Lapointe (who’s an incredible bassist, by the way) plays a ♭7 here, so let’s do that too – the ♭7 is C in our example. This lays the foundation for that paradoxical clash of the two modes, but more on that later.

As you know, the only difference between Aeolian and Dorian is their 6th note. So the minor 7th (♭7) in our bass line is actually a “neutral” note, as it’s in both modes.

Bass: root note and ♭7 (highlighted)

Now that you’ve got your two long notes in place, move your short notes around to create a pleasing contour up to the ♭7 and back down to the root. You can use any notes from D Aeolian (D E F G A B♭ C) when writing this contour, but be sure to play the ♭6 (B♭ in our example) at least twice. Why?

Well remember, Aeolian contains the ♭6 and Dorian contains the 6, that’s the only difference! So if you don’t play the ♭6 in your bass line, then it will end up sounding like Dorian, because that’s the mode the guitar riff will be in.

Bass: final line with “contour” notes (highlighted)

Alright, now that your bass line is done and you’ve established the Aeolian mode, it’s time for Dorian. Once again, The Brooks plays this Dorian riff on guitar, but if you’re working in a different genre, just use whatever instrument is appropriate.

Right, let’s start with the rhythm again. Same guidelines apply from Step 1, but try to write a rhythm that’s not exactly the same as your bass rhythm. They should be similar, however, you can use more notes here. Also, it’s important that the two long notes in your guitar rhythm align with the two long notes in your bass rhythm.

Guitar: one-bar rhythm on root note (D)

[ dark notes below are the bass line, which is muted and only there for reference ]

Now it’s time to move that second long note. This is where The Brooks guitarist plays the 6 (B in our example), so let’s do that too, as it’s this major 6th on the guitar that clashes with the minor 7th (C in our example) on the bass.

What’s so cool here, is that they could actually have played the two modes simultaneously without a big clash. But, the 6 (B) and ♭7 (C) are one semitone apart, and whenever you play adjacent notes like this together, they clash big time!

So, that’s why The Brooks are exceptionally creative here. Not only are the two melodies playing against each other by being in different modes, but then they also zoom in on these two long notes and create an additional clash. It’s brilliant!

Just to clarify. This note-against-note clash (6 against ♭7) could still have happened if the bass was playing in Dorian too, because both of those notes are in Dorian. But, as the bass plays the ♭6 from Aeolian in its line, there’s two levels of clashing!

Guitar: root note and major 6th (highlighted)

Finally, it’s time to move the short notes around to create a pleasing contour up to the 6 and back down to the root (if you started on the root). You can use any notes from D Dorian (which is all the white notes) when writing this contour.

But, if you play the 6 again somewhere else, check that your bass isn’t playing the ♭6 at that exact same moment. You definitely don’t want both 6ths played at the same time, as that will sound like one of your instruments hit a wrong note. Ouch!

Lastly, feel free to lengthen a note or two in the contour, if it helps your riff flow. We extended the 5, as it creates a nice smooth run up to the 6, which is the climax of our riff. And with that, you’re done!

Right, so now if you mute the bass and play only the guitar, you’ll hear that the riff sounds optimistic. But, mute the guitar and play only the bass, and that optimism is gone! Now sit back, play them together, and enjoy the musical paradox you’ve created.

Guitar: final riff with “contour” notes (highlighted)

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

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