Modal music is music organized around a central note or chord — a modal tonic — but without relying on the dominant-to-tonic relationships that define traditional tonal harmony.

Like tonal music, modal music has a sense of “home.” But the way we establish and return to that home is different.

In tonal harmony, one of the strongest signals of a key is the dominant-to-tonic resolution:

V7 → I

In modal harmony, that kind of resolution can immediately make the music sound tonal instead of modal.

So writing convincing modal music is not simply a matter of choosing a mode and using its notes. We also need to think about:

harmonic motion
bass movement
modal tonic
cadential and non-cadential chords
characteristic tones
and how strongly the harmony implies traditional tonality

In this lesson, we’ll use A Aeolian and Aloy’s Theme from Horizon Zero Dawn to see how those ideas work in practice.

Modal Music vs. Tonal Music

Both tonal and modal music can have a central pitch.

The difference lies largely in how the harmony establishes that center.

In tonal harmony, our ears are strongly conditioned to recognize progressions such as:

V7 → I

The dominant chord creates tension, and the tonic resolves it.

This relationship is so powerful that when we use it in modal music, it can overpower the modal character and make the passage sound conventionally tonal.

For that reason, one practical rule when writing modal music is:

Treat dominant-function harmony and V7–I resolutions with care.

If you want the modal center to remain clear, it is often useful to emphasize other kinds of motion instead.

Use Lateral Harmonic Movement

Traditional tonal harmony frequently uses root movement around the circle of fifths.

For example, a bass moving down a fifth or up a fourth strongly suggests functional tonal motion.

Modal harmony often benefits from what we can call lateral movement:

stepwise bass motion
movement by thirds
neighboring chords
pedal points
progressions that do not repeatedly move by descending fifths

The goal is not to ban circle-of-fifths motion entirely.

Rather, it is to avoid creating such strong dominant-to-tonic expectations that the mode loses its identity.

In Aloy’s Theme, much of the bass motion behaves this way, helping A remain the center without relying on a conventional dominant cadence.

Three Types of Chords in Modal Harmony

A useful way to organize modal harmony is to divide chords into three groups:

1. Modal Tonic

This is the home chord of the mode.

In A Aeolian:

Am or Am7

functions as the modal tonic.

It should feel like the main point of rest.

2. Cadential Chords

These are chords that lead strongly back toward the modal tonic without creating an overly tonal dominant relationship.

3. Non-Cadential Chords

These chords are used more freely.

They can:

connect other chords
create passing motion
provide color
return to the modal tonic
extend the progression without creating a strong traditional cadence

This gives modal harmony its own hierarchy, even though it does not behave exactly like tonic–subdominant–dominant harmony.

The Chords of A Aeolian

The A Aeolian scale is:

A – B – C – D – E – F – G

If we build diatonic triads on each scale degree, we get:

Degree	Triad
i	Am
ii°	Bdim
III	C
iv	Dm
v	Em
VI	F
VII	G

Using seventh chords:

Degree	Seventh chord
i	Am7
iiø7	Bm7♭5
III	Cmaj7
iv	Dm7
v	Em7
VI	Fmaj7
VII	G7

The i chord, Am or Am7, is our modal tonic.

Why the Minor v Chord Is So Important

One of the clearest differences between Aeolian and conventional minor-key tonal harmony is the minor v chord.

In A Aeolian:

Em → Am

is:

v → i

Compare that with tonal A minor, where the fifth degree is commonly altered to create:

E7 → Am

or:

V7 → i

That E7 contains G♯, creating a leading tone that strongly pulls toward A.

The Aeolian mode instead uses G natural, giving us Em rather than E7.

That minor-v-to-i sound is extremely useful for reinforcing a modal rather than strongly tonal environment.

Avoiding Too Much Tonal Gravity

Some diatonic Aeolian chords contain tritones.

For example:

Bm7♭5

and

can introduce stronger functional implications depending on how they are used.

This doesn’t mean that modal music can never contain a tritone.

But if your goal is to establish a very clear modal sound, it helps to use dominant-type relationships carefully.

A practical strategy is to favor chords and progressions that reinforce the modal tonic without sounding like traditional V7–I harmony.

Characteristic Tones: What Makes a Mode Sound Like Itself?

One of the most important ideas in modal music is the characteristic tone.

A characteristic tone is a scale degree that helps distinguish one mode from closely related modes.

The seven diatonic modes can be grouped broadly into:

Major-type modes

Ionian
Lydian
Mixolydian

Minor-type modes

Dorian
Phrygian
Aeolian

Diminished-type mode

Locrian

The characteristic tones help us tell these closely related modes apart.

For example:

Lydian: ♯4
Mixolydian: ♭7
Phrygian: ♭2
Dorian: natural 6
Aeolian: ♭6
Locrian: ♭5

For Aeolian, the important note is the flat sixth degree.

In A Aeolian, that note is:

That F is one of the strongest clues that tells us:

this is A Aeolian rather than A Dorian.

How Aloy’s Theme Establishes A Aeolian

In Aloy’s Theme, the characteristic F natural appears prominently in the harmony.

For example, it can appear in:

F major

where F is the root,

and in:

Dm7

where F is the third.

Both chords strongly reinforce the Aeolian color.

The progression then returns to:

the modal tonic.

This is an effective way to establish the mode without needing a traditional dominant cadence.

Using the Characteristic Tone in the Melody

There is another option:

use the characteristic note melodically over the modal tonic.

In A Aeolian, F over Am7 functions as a ♭13.

But there is a complication.

The F sits a half step above E, the fifth of Am7.

If both notes are sustained together, that creates a very strong dissonance.

Aloy’s Theme solves this elegantly by using F as a neighboring tone rather than simply holding it as a chord extension.

That allows the melody to emphasize the essential Aeolian color without creating an unnecessarily harsh sonority.

This is a useful compositional technique:

a characteristic tone does not always need to be sustained as a chord tone. It can be emphasized melodically through passing or neighboring motion.

A Simple Recipe for Writing Aeolian Music

If you want to write a piece with a clear Aeolian sound, try these four principles.

1. Start with the Aeolian chord collection

Use the chords derived from the Aeolian mode.

But be careful with chords that create strong dominant-function implications.

2. Make the i chord feel like home

Give the modal tonic high priority.

Start on it, return to it frequently, and consider ending important phrases on it.

3. Favor lateral bass movement

Use:

steps
thirds
inversions
neighboring chords
pedal points

instead of relying constantly on descending-fifth motion.

4. Emphasize the characteristic ♭6

For A Aeolian, that means emphasizing F natural.

Use it:

as a chord tone
within the harmonic progression
melodically as a passing tone
as a neighboring tone around the modal tonic

Borrowing from Other Modes

Aloy’s Theme contains another interesting technique:

modal borrowing.

At one point, we encounter D major.

But D major does not belong to A Aeolian.

A Aeolian contains:

D minor

So where does D major come from?

It can be heard as borrowed from A Dorian, where the scale contains F♯ rather than F natural.

That temporary shift from Aeolian to Dorian introduces an unexpected color without destroying the modal center.

This is an especially effective technique in film and video-game music because it creates contrast while preserving the overall modal atmosphere.

Modal Harmony Is About More Than Using a Scale

This is the central idea.

Writing modal music does not simply mean:

“Choose a mode and use its seven notes.”

The harmony must also help establish that modal identity.

You can strengthen the modal sound by:

avoiding overly strong V7–I gestures
establishing a clear modal tonic
using lateral harmonic motion
emphasizing characteristic tones
using modal cadential relationships
borrowing selectively from neighboring modes

That is why two pieces can use exactly the same collection of notes yet create completely different harmonic experiences.

Key Takeaways

Modal music has a tonal center, but it does not organize harmony in the same way as conventional tonal music.

To create a convincing modal sound:

establish a strong modal tonic
avoid letting traditional dominant harmony take over
favor lateral harmonic movement
distinguish modal-tonic, cadential, and non-cadential chords
emphasize the mode’s characteristic tones
use modal borrowing when you want additional color

In A Aeolian, the characteristic ♭6 — F natural — plays an especially important role in establishing the sound of the mode.

Aloy’s Theme shows how these ideas can work together in actual music: harmony, bass motion, characteristic tones, and modal borrowing all reinforce the same modal center.

mDecks Music

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