[__tsidewinder__]

Ok, it makes sense to a degree now. I understand what tonal music is now.

So from what I read, can we agree that modal music is ALSO tonal music, but generally with a weaker tonal center? Besides Ionian and the modified aeolian modes of course.

I mean, basically what you are saying is anything that is governed by a key (practically all of music) is tonal music

"the key identifies the Tonic triad, the Major or Minor chord, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. Although the key of a piece may be determined from the key signature, the establishment of key is actually brought about through functional harmony, a sequence of chords leading to one or more cadences."

So that makes modal music Tonal music as well.

Which means there IS no difference between tonal and modal music. Which means that the original statements You (monk) made are perhaps misleading:

"There are two types of Western music: Tonal and Modal.

If you want to improvise in modal music, it's probably easier to use Modes.

If you want to improvise in tonal music, it's easier if you understand chords and key centers.

If you try to improvise in tonal music using modes, it'll be frustrating & difficult. More so than it needs to be.

If you try to improvise in modal music with chords, it will be just as easy as using modes."

So my question is: What does it mean to "improvise using modes"? My understanding of it before this was you used a different mode (which to me used to mean scale which sounded good in a specific mode) for each chord level (I ii iii IV V vi VII). So for one chord level, you use the ionian mode, for another chord level you use the lydian mode, and it would sound good that way.

So I am very confused at this point. This is my fractured understanding of modes and tonal music:

Tonal music is all western music.

Modal music is music built on modal chord progressions

Western music uses just the two modes (Ionian and Aeolian) because they make the "best" chord progressions.

The easiest way to improvise starting out is using chord tones.

To make your improvisation more interesting, you can use modal scales.