The Mode Books

The Principles of Improvisation Collection
available in secure pdf format.
They Show 21st Century Concepts
on Improvisation and Composition
To Assist Any Musician To Develop Their Own Ideas.

 

Each books preview includes the Table of Contents, Text and Music Charts.
Click “preview”  below each book cover for a look inside.

 

This Collection of Books are designed to be used
with ALL INSTRUMENTS
– strings, brass, woodwind, keyboards, percussion –
in ALL GENRES of music
– Classical, Blues, Jazz, Country, Rock, Latin, HipHop, Rap, Oriental –
for ALL musicians of ANY PLAYING ABILITY
–  Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced –
when your aim is to create unique musical improvisation and composition.

How do I know which Improvisation Book is right for me?

For Beginners we recommend Book One – An Introduction. It is full of essential information for the budding composer and those interested in improvisation. It is a great primer for all those starting out in the World of Music.   

For Intermediate players, those with some experience, we recommend one of The 7 Mode Companions. Books 2 through 8 each examine the relationship between the Ionian Mode and respective Mode (note of the scale) to show how best to make use of the information to develop your own ideas on the improvised line.   

For Advanced players with reasonable experience, composers and music students we recommend one of The 3 Complete Handbooks. Books 9 through 11 contain everything you need to know about all the Occidental, Oriental and Chromatic scales and their alterations.
Please Note: they are complete encyclopedia in themselves guaranteed to help you generate a new ideas every day for the rest of your life.

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The Beginners Book

Book One – An Introduction to Music Improvisation  

Essential information on music, not only for beginners, but for those who do not wish to remain in the 20th century when creating the improvised line.

As you read this, as with any of the books on the improvised line, don’t expect it to be of any academic excellence or historic accuracy. Read it for what it is – an honest attempt to explain what music is and how it came to be what it is today. This is a theory on improvisation that anyone from novice to academia can understand.

This Introductory Book should be an invaluable reference for those who haven’t the advantage of a formal education in music. Welcome to the wonderful world of music literacy. – Donald A Ahern

01 - An Introduction to Music Improvisation

  • Essential information on music, not only for beginners, but for those who do not wish to remain in the 20th century when creating the improvised line. Perhaps if I could read music I could play my instrument better - if I understood what all the symbols meant, maybe I could write my own music, songs or symphony - If you’ve ever been plagued by these statements, this Book might just be the opening to solving your problem. This Introductory Book should be an invaluable reference for those who haven’t the advantage of a formal education in music. Welcome to the wonderful world of music literacy. - Donald A Ahern  

The Players Seven Mode Companions

Book Two – The Ionian Companion

This give a complete list of the alterations to the Natural Major Scale and suggestions on how to create more imaginative improvised lines and melodies.

This is the first innovation in music theory since the 17th century. Reducing the Scale to a Common Tonic is the gateway to developing ideas for improvisation. miAim is to create a level playing field where all who wish to reach their full potential at improvisation can find the most comprehensive materials to assist them with the greatest expediency to attain their goal.   Improvisation will cease to be an intangible phenomenon.

02 - The Ionian Companion

  • This is the first innovation in music theory since the 17th century. Reducing the Scale to a Common Tonic is the gateway to developing ideas for improvisation. miAim is to create a level playing field where all who wish to reach their full potential at improvisation can find the most comprehensive materials to assist them with the greatest expediency to attain their goal. Improvisation will cease to be an intangible phenomenon.

Book Three – The Dorian Companion

Ideal for forming cadences in jazz-rock, rock, country and country rock improvisation.

The Dorian was considered a masculine mode. In ancient Greece ‘masculine’ alluded to anything that was dominant, strong and forceful. This book exploits the relationship between the Ionian and the Dorian, and how best to make use of the information to develop ideas for the improvised line.

It lists the alterations ending with the 2nd (Dorian) note of a scale; creating Dorian Cadences.

03 - The Dorian Companion

  • Ideal for forming cadences in jazzrock, rock, country and country rock improvisation. The Dorian was considered a masculine mode. In ancient Greece ‘masculine’ alluded to anything that was dominant, strong and forceful. This book  lists the alterations ending with the 2nd (Dorian) note of a scale; how best to create Dorian Cadences and develop ideas for the improvised line and creative composition.  

Book Four – The Phrygian Companion

Ideal for solo cadences used in Afro-american spirituals, blues, jazz, latin,
country and contemporary improvisation.

While the Greeks thought of the Dorian mode as masculine, they thought the Phrygian mode was feminine; a bit effeminate. Early church music refers to the Phrygian as an angelic mode. History aside, this book is about how best to make use of the information using the Phrygian to develop ideas for the improvised line.

It lists the alterations ending with the 3rd (Phrygian) note of a scale; creating Phyrgian Cadences.

04 – The Phrygian Companion

  • Ideal for solo cadences used in Afro-American spirituals, blues, jazz, Latin, country and contemporary improvisation. While the Greeks thought of the Dorian mode as masculine, they thought the Phrygian mode was feminine; a bit effeminate. Early church music refers to the Phrygian as an angelic mode. History aside, this book is about how best to make use of the information using the Phrygian to develop ideas for the improvised line. It lists the alterations ending with the 3rd (Phrygian) note of a scale; creating Phrygian Cadences.

 Book Five – The Lydian Companion

Suitable for most genres in music especially swing, rock, jazz rock, country,
country rock, rhythm & blues composition and improvisation.

The Lydian is called Sub-Dominant because it lies just under the Dominant, the second most important mode after the Ionian/the Tonic/ the Naming Note. Today, in song writing and jazz improvisation, we tend to think of the Lydian as the ‘go to’ mode after you’ve made your opening music statement. This doesn’t have to be so; in this set of books you’ll learn how to ‘go to’ any mode. Here the focus is on the Lydian and how to make the best use of the information using the Lydian to develop ideas for the improvised line.

It lists the alterations ending with the 4th (Lydian) note of a scale; creating Lydian Cadences.

05 - The Lydian Companion

  • The Lydian is called sub dominant because it lies just under the Dominant, the second most important mode after the Ionian, the Tonic. Today, in song writing and jazz improvisation, we tend to think of the Lydian as the ‘go to’ mode after you’ve made your opening music statement. This doesn’t have to be so. In this set of books you’ll learn how to ‘go to’ any mode. Here the focus is on the Lydian and how to make the best use of the information using the Lydian to develop ideas for the improvised line.

Book Six – The MixoLydian Companion

Used in modern composition such as techno, rap, hip-hop and house.

This is the most important mode to remember; it is the Dominant mode. If you thought that the natural major scale was the only scale to produce a Dominant 7th then you’ll be delighted to know you can learn there are eight more. This means that there are nine possible ways of varying your opening statement without shifting from the original key.

miAim.com.au is the only site on the planet where you will find scales with 1, 2 and 3 Dominant 7th’s suitable for creating the improvised line.

Because the Dominant 7 is so crucial to cadences, it doesn’t necessarily follow that a cadence must be formed using the MixoLydian. You’ll find a complete list cadence-forming Dominants in the books on the improvised line.

This book lists the alterations ending with the 5th (MixoLydian) note of a scale; creating MixoLydian Cadences.

06 – The MixoLydian Companion

  • This is the most important mode to remember; it is the Dominant mode. If you thought that the natural was the only scale to produce a G7 then you’ll be delighted to know you can learn there are eight more. This means that there are nine possible ways of varying your opening statement without shifting from the original key. miAim.com.au is the only site on the planet where you will find scales with one, two and three Dominants suitable for creating the improvised line.

Book Seven – The Aeolian Companion

Used in all forms of composition and improvisation such as jazz, rock, country, blues,
rhythm & blues and latin.

Once the way was found for the Ionian (Tonic Major Key) and the Tonic Aeolian Minor to share the same Dominant 7, the other modes seemed to have got lost in the wake of the Classic era. This is the best and most complete investigation of the Aeolian mode anywhere. I guarantee you won’t find its contents anywhere in the world!

This book will show you how to make the best use of the information, past, present and future when using the Aeolian to create the improvised line. It lists the alterations ending with the 6th (Aeolian) note of a scale; creating Aeolian Cadences.

 

07 - The Aeolian Companion

  • Used in all forms of composition and improvisation such as jazz, rock, country, blues, rhythm & blues and latin. Once the way was found for the Ionian (Tonic Major Key) and the Tonic Aeolian Minor to share the same Dominant 7, the other modes seemed to have got lost in the wake of the Classic era. This book will show you how to make the best use of the information, past, present and future when playing in the Aeolian Mode to create the improvised line. It lists the alterations ending with the 6th (Aeolian) note of a scale; creating Aeolian Cadences.

Book Eight – The Locrian Companion

Used in blues, classic, country, disco, grunge, hip-hop, jazz, latin, rap, rock, swing, techno and rap.

The Locrian has a lot to offer; it is only a half tone either away above and below the Tonic key; i.e. the Relative Minor is a half tone below and the Tonic Minor is a half tone above. Sweet! But I have absolutely no idea where the word comes from. But if your intention is to learn all there is about the Locrian, this book will show you how to use the information when using it to create the improvised line.

It lists the alterations ending with the 7th (Locrian) note of a scale; creating Locrian Cadences.

08 - The Locrian Companion

  • The Locrian has a lot to offer; it is only a half tone either away above and below the Tonic key; i.e. the Relative Minor is a half tone below and the Tonic Minor is a half tone above. Sweet! I have absolutely no idea where the word comes from. But if your intention is to learn all there is about the Locrian, this book will show you how to use the information when using it to create the improvised line.

The Three Advanced Books    

 Book Nine – The Complete Occidental Handbook

An ideal platform for advanced students of Jazz and Classical composition and improvisation

This is a 1st edition book with everything from the Ionian to the Locrian (as listed above) all in one complete volume. You may never need to purchase another book on composition or improvisation for the rest of your life.

09 - The Complete Occidental Handbook

  • An ideal platform for advanced students of Jazz and Classical composition and improvisation. This is a 1st edition book contains everything from the Ionian to the Locrian Modes all in one complete volume. You may never need to purchase another book on composition or improvisation for the rest of your life. It is the Complete Handbook for all students who wish to be become proficient at everything Occidental (western) music has to offer, regardless of your style, genre or instrument.

 Book Ten – The Complete Oriental Handbook

This is a 1st edition book and contains a complete list of the 9 penta-tonic scales and their alterations. It gives you everything you ever wanted to know about penta-tonic scales and how to created Cadences in Chi, Yu, Pien-kung, Kung, Chiao and the Chien-chi Zones.

10 – The Complete Oriental Handbook

  • This is a 1st edition book and contains a complete list of the 9 penta-tonic scales and their alterations. It gives you everything you ever wanted to know about penta-tonic scales and how to create Cadences in Chi, Yu, Pien-kung, Kung, Shang, Chiao and the Chien-chi Zones.

 Book Eleven – The Complete Chromatix Handbook

This is the third and final 1st edition book in the series. It contains the complete 33 variations to the classic 12-note Chromatic Scale. The potential here is to create 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12-note sequences with cadences you never even dreamed of previously.

11 - The Complete Chromatix Handbook

  • This is the third and final 1st edition book in the series. It contains the complete 33 variations to the classic 12-note Chromatic Scale. The potential here is to create 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12-note sequences with cadences you never even dreamed of previously.

 

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Music Improvisation An Innovative Method