You're welcome!

Originally Posted by: btoby61

In the song example you would play the key, any quick simple ways to tell if a song is "modal or tonal" (does that question even make sense?)

Most tonal music has modulations (notes & chords not in the key), accidentals. Some doesn't necessarily follow functional harmony. But if the chords & melody outline a key signature, then you have a tonal piece.

Modal music does not have a clearly defined key signature. For example a piece that only has 2 distantly related chords & a melody that uses a diatonic mode with no functional harmonic motion or resolution.

The classic modern example of modal music is Miles Davis's Kind of Blue album. Here's one of the tunes 'So What'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNTltOGh5c

It's essentially just a basic framework to solo over. The song chart is a D minor 7 chord over a dorian bass line for 16 bars with the indication to use dorian to solo over it. Then it changes to an E-flat minor 7 chord for 8 bars with the indication to also use dorian to solo over it. Repeat.

Here's an example of Celtic Renaissance music that is essentially modal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwR2iTPvRbw

Notice that there are chord changes, but it's essentially just a dorian melody over a D minor & G major chord. There's also a C major implied. And you could say that all this info implies the key of C major. But that's not really accurate because the piece doesn't sound like a melody or chord progression in C major.

Most modern music (pop, rock, country, blues) is a mixture of tonal concepts with some modal elements mixed in. Which makes it sometimes difficult to sort it all out. :)

Finally, here's my tutorial on the basics of functional harmony.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=495

And here's my tutorial on practicing the modes of the major scale.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=770

Hope this helps!