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Thanks for the help guys. To be honest, I don't know what to think anymore. I mean, I know how scales are constructed, and to compose you simply stay within that scale. No matter how much I look at it, I don't know what I'm doing, yet it seems so simple and straight forward. I'm just finding it really hard to execute a decent chord progression with the mood setting I want, yet it doesn't work. So, A. I'm just stupid or B. I'm even more stupid than I thought :ermm:

Quick question: This theme is in D Major, and am curious why the composer would choose this key? Also, is it playing in a mode? YouTube - Shadow Of The Sun

Makes alot of sense! Thanks for that. They're not that hard as I'd thought it'll be. I hear many people stay away from modes... which brings me to another question. Once you know how modes work in a key, what's next? Does it get much harder in composing music with modes?

Ohh, I understand now. Took me some time :P But I always tend to have to write it down first so I find out the correct key used for that specific mode. So if I want to know the F Dorian, I'd write the intervals first and start from there to know which scale to use, which is Eb. Correct? :blush: What's an easier way to do this?

Just something I need to be cleared with. I own a book and a chart that has modes, but this confused me as they are both in key C, yet differnet notes. So in dorian mode, it starts off D in the C major - D,E,F,G,A,B,C. On the chart as it's also in key C, it has a flattened E and B. Why is this?

Thanks for the replies guys, does help out :) Another quick question :P There's an instrumental that is in F major, and starts off on D. Does this simply mean it's based on the F major Dorian mode? The piece later changes to E major so how is that possible? :whistling:

This is more than embarrassing, but I'm confused about what scales to use and why composers use specific scales. I play guitar and I've been interested in composing some of my own stuff. I know how scales work and their intervals, but what confuses me is how to start straight out on composing a piece of music whether it's a riff or a chord pattern. Majors are happy, minors are sad, and there's the C,E,F,G etc. of scales to choose from and the accidentals, and there are the modes! I think I'm confusing you too as I am myself... What I'm trying to say is, how do you choose the scale you want and why would a composer write in say a G# scale? :whistling: Thankyou for reading this odd post.