A common way to warmup is to play scales, that means, a sequence of tones. The most common scales we play are call major or minor scales. But there are other kinds of scales in which the sequence of tones is a bit different. Some of these are called modus or church modes. The first of the church mode is called Ionic, and it has the same structure as a major scale. You can read more on church modes HERE.

In the exercise below we will explore the modes in the following way: we will always use the same start tone (a G) and we will break down the scale playing it 4 tones upwards and then 4 tones down from the start tone.

Based on this exercise we can explore the church modes in many different ways. One can for example play in different octaves or make variations in the articulation. An interesting way to work is to have a sounding start tone, which is called a musical drone. You can find different kinds of musical drones on the internet (for example with a cello or a tanpura. While you listen to the drone you can enjoy the different qualities of each interval you play and work at the same time with tuning.

You can also use Musiclab as a background and as tool to visualize each interval and the differences between each church mode. HERE are the same tones as the exercise above.

You can also create your own melodies after you have become acquainted with each mode. Through each mode one can explore different kinds of emotions. Here is an example where I play through the 7 different modes to a tanpura drone: