Ionian sharp 5 mode, any love for this mode ?

[Rusty Strings]

Recently I have revisited the harmonic minor modes. I got there through inverting the harmonic major modes, namely the phrygian b4 mode also known in arabic world as maqam Saba Zamzam. The inverted/mirrored (intervals up side down) Saba Zamzam maqam I treated as the fifth of Lydian #2, which would be the ionian sharp5 scale. However I was getting more of the lydian sound with spicy/shouty #2.
I tried various modal progression but then I really wanted to hear the ionian #5 without sounding muddy or atonal.
In the E ionian #5 mode I have settled on this:
G#/E and A/E. (=E in bass)
Improvising from the E ionian root, 3rd, #5th, 7th. The sound of the #5 is wonderful especially when approached the #5th from above.
I got some riff going here plus loads of shreading, tremolo picking, some downpicking and palmuting (practice):

 

[Matthews Guitars]

I won't be critical but I'll just say that I can't love that mode. Not in the slightest. A liittle dissonance and tension is spice in the music, but that's just way too spicy a meat-a-ball for me! It may work well for YOU, though, and that's what counts.

I find that modes are still somewhat confusing to me.

 

[Sapient]

Ummm ...isn't that just "wordy" Major scale with the 5th augmented?

Ionain and Aeolian are a given.

 

[Rusty Strings]

I won't be critical but I'll just say that I can't love that mode. Not in the slightest. A liittle dissonance and tension is spice in the music, but that's just way too spicy a meat-a-ball for me! It may work well for YOU, though, and that's what counts.

I find that modes are still somewhat confusing to me.

Yes, modes are confusing but eventually they make sense. Then when they make sense, one needs to hone on the sound which set them apart from the other modes.
and yes I was getting dissonant results until I tried whats in the video, to my ears it gets warm and slightly dreamy but not dissonant unless it is used only over the home chord. The main riff is dissonant but in a good way, i hope

 

[IOSEPHVS]

The primary chords for this scale are:

I - E Aug
ii - F# min
III - G# Maj
IV - A Maj
v - B# dim
vi - C# dim
vii - D# dim

I just whipped up some progressions with those chords, and instead of playing the Ionian #5 scale over it, I switched to the coresponding scale of each chord. I haven't encountered a scale or mode that I don't like.

 

[Rusty Strings]

Ummm ...isn't that just "wordy" Major scale with the 5th augmented?

Ionain and Aeolian are a given.

You can look at it as Major scale with the 5th augmented indeed, you are right.
But if treated as Major scale with the 5th augmented it sounds atonal and muddy, it needs a special treatment

 

[Sapient]

I won't be critical but I'll just say that I can't love that mode. Not in the slightest. A liittle dissonance and tension is spice in the music, but that's just way too spicy a meat-a-ball for me! It may work well for YOU, though, and that's what counts.

I find that modes are still somewhat confusing to me.

Ionian and Aeolian modes are not confusing:

Ionian = Major scale (C Major)
Aeolian = Minor scale (A minor = C's relative minor)

 

[Sapient]

You can look at it as Major scale with the 5th augmented indeed, you are right.
But if treated as Major scale with the 5th augmented it sounds atonal and muddy, it needs a special treatment

True. To be modal you'll want to focus on #5 as root.

 

[Rusty Strings]

The primary chords for this scale are:

I - E Aug
ii - F# min
III - G# Maj
IV - A Maj
v - B# dim
vi - C# dim
VII - D Maj

I just whipped up some progressions with those chords, and instead of playing the Ionian #5 scale over it, I switched to the coresponding scale of each chord. I haven't encountered a scale or mode that I don't like.

the #C is harmonic minor and the d is sharp = #D dim. toggling between #G major and A major with E note in the bass gives solid consonant sound rather than using the home chord E aug chord, try it

 

[Sapient]

I just listened though. It's quite jarring.

 

[IOSEPHVS]

The v chord is B# - D# - F#. That's B# dim. You are correct on the vii being D# dim. I was trying to deal with a puppy and left the D natural in my brain.

 

[IOSEPHVS]

Just a suggestion, but try E Maj7/#5 for the I chord. It's not as dissonant as E Aug.

 

[Rusty Strings]

Just a suggestion, but try E Maj7/#5 for the I chord. It's not as dissonant as E Aug.

Yes, Emaj7 #5 are the same notes as G#/E.
For me, if I want a bit of movement in a mode and dont want to leave the mode, slash chords are the way to go with modal progressions).
My observation of G#/E <-> A/E :
the E bass note gives its tonality to the progression. It feels like when up on A, it wants to go down to G# and visa versa. After all, the full G# major and full A major chords are only semitone apart. Maybe dont double up on the "a" note and make sure the voicing of Amajor does not have the "a" note at the top or it will spill into A Lydian #2 through the high "a" note very quickly even more.
And this is very very important to get the sound, it sounds more full and consonant when compared with just the static Emaj7 aug chord and no modal progression.
Then focusing on chord notes of Emaj7 aug chord in soloing sounds great, try it in your playing, I hope you will be surprised in a good way
I am quite enthusiastic with what I found and wanted to share this

 

[Im247frogs]

I get everything I need from A, E, and D.

 

[Sapient]

I get everything I need from A, E, and D.

I'd try throwing in some Zinc and magnesium too.

 

[Michael Roe]

I think of theory like toilet paper....it's good to have when you need it.

 

[ricksdisconnected]

I think of theory like toilet paper....it's good to have when you need it.

and everything gets pretty shitty when you dont.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Very interesting, because I don’t know much about all these modes and stuff , I just like to play things that sound decent to my ears.
Rusty thanks for posting your work brother.
Cheers

 

[axe4me]

 

[Wildeman]

Which one is on Iron Man?