What do you think would be good scales/modes to fit over this chord progression, (the aim being to change mode as few times as possible).

DMaj7, GMaj7, E7/G#, A7/G, FMaj7, BbMaj7, A7sus4, A7 (and repeat)

I think diatonically its doing something like:

D Major: I, IV, V of V, V, V of bVI, bVI, V(4-3)

Any ideas? Would really appreciate the help, thanks.

D Lydian, G Lydian, E Mixolydian, A Mixolydian, 5th mode of Harmonic Major scale, Bb Harmonic Major Scale, A Mixolydian, a Mixolydian


Respectively....

Hi debrucey, The opening 4 chords look like a I,VI,II,V with the II being brightened up with Major third. In other words make the GM7 a Bm9 and that makes everything eaiser there. I don't really care for a sharp 4 in the 2 opening chords as you would have with Lydian scale but that's a matter of taste I guess. Also, the last 4 chords look like an extended cadence back to DM - notice E-Eb-D-C#. I would emphasize those notes in a solo. My best suggestion is that you play what you like to hear.
Joe Gargiulo

Hi Claude56, It's been a while since I've studied harmony but I have never seen the term Harmonic Major Scale. (Harmonic minor, yes) Is that something new?
Thanks,
Joe Gargiulo

Harmonic Major is as follows:

you take a major scale and flat the 6th note of the scale. C Harmonic Major would be:

C D E F G Ab B C



whereas harmonic minor would be:

C D Eb F G Ab B C



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_major_scale

I would imagine your best bet would to be to use just D major throughout all of it, making the necessary chromatic alterations to accommodate the modal mixture being used with bIII and bVI!

The song is in the key of D.

DMA7 = tonic = ionian
GMA7 = subdominant = lydian
E7/G# = V7/V7 = mixolydian
A7/G = dominant with deceptive resolution = mixolydian
FMA7 = bIIIMA7 = lydian
BbMA7 = bVIMA7 = lydian
A7sus = dominant = mixolydian
A7 = dominant = mixolydian



E7/G# is a secondary dominant. Its related key is A.
FMA7 and BbMA7 are modal interchange chords. Its related key is C and F.
All other chords are diatonic to the key of D.