so it sounds like the fiddle tunes that I know that utilize a flat 7 chord and have the flat 7 note in the melody are mixolydian.
is gold rush mixolydian too? I know none of this actually matters, but i think knowing this might help me understand why certain tunes seem connected.
Edited by - Texasbanjo on 02/16/2025 04:23:19
You're absolutely right about the flat seventh indicating a mixolydian tune. A great example of how this can make a tune great is "Kitchen Girl"; a G sharp in this tune is just all wrong, but a G natural gives the tune a wonderful distinctive quality. On a banjo, set t up for A, usually with a capo on 2, but leave the 5th string at G natural. (Kitchen Girl is a great tune to play for contra dances.)
As far as I know Gold Rush is a straightforward tune, either A major or G major. But these tunes have so many versions and variations that I wouldn't be surprised to find a modal version of it somewhere around.
Gold Rush is an Ionian tune. Kitchen Girl is Ionian in the A part and Aeolian in B part.
Thanks!
Gold Rush is one of those tunes where it’s mixolydian during the one chord of the key only
Red Haired Boy is a good example of a modal tune, it uses the notes of the C major scale, but with the root note G, so it's mixolydian. Modes can be useful for playing over changes, especially in jazz. Not so useful in bluegrass, except perhaps for just understanding the relationships between Key, scale and mode. If your interest is more academic you can go quite deeply into the topic.
