Modes

The setting, the background, the mood, the attitude. Modes set the stage.

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Page 1
 Preliminary notes:

Page 2
 The Shorthand

Page 3
TRADITIONAL MODE ORDER

PROPOSED MODE ORDER

Page 4
 The Traditional Method
Easy to understand. Impossible to use.

Page 5
 This mode (C This example of the Ionian mode is called
Ionian, in this Ionian because it begins on C.
1: Ionian

case) has the

same notes as
the major
scale (C
major, in this
C D E F G A B C
case).

This mode (D This mode is played the same as if you played the major scale,
Dorian, in this (D major, in this case) but lowered the 3rd and 7th note.
2: Dorian

case) has the

same notes as
the major scale
that is 2 half steps
lower (C major,
in this case) than
the starting note . D E F G A B C D

This mode (E This mode is played the same as if you played the major scale,
Phrygian, in this (E major, in this case) but lowered the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th note.
3: Phrygian

case) has the

same notes as
the major scale
that is 4 half steps
lower (C major,
in this case) than
the starting note . E F G A B C D E

This mode (F This mode is played the same as if you played the major scale,
Lydian, in this (F major, in this case) but raised the 4th note.
4: Lydian

case) has the

same notes as
the major scale
that is 5 half steps
lower (C major,
in this case) than
the starting note . F G A B C D E F

Page 6
 This mode (G This mode is played the same as if you played the major scale,
5: Mixolydian

Mixolydian, in this (G major, in this case) but lowered the 7th note.
case) has the
same notes as
the major scale
that is 7 half steps
lower (C major,
in this case) than
the starting note . G A B C D E F G

This mode (A This mode is played the same as if you played the major scale,
Aeolian, in this (A major, in this case) but lowered the 3rd, 6th, and 7th note.
6: Aeolian

case) has the

same notes as
the major scale
that is 3 half steps
higher (C major,
in this case) than
the starting note . A B C D E F G A

This mode (B This mode is played the same as if you played the major scale,
Locrian, in this (B major, in this case) but lowered the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th note.
7: Locrian

case) has the

same notes as
the major scale
that is 1 half step
higher (C major,
in this case) than
the starting note . B C D E F G A B

Page 7
 The Useful Method
Longer to implement; More practical to use.

Page 8
RELATIVE VERSUS PARALLEL

KEY OF A MINOR

A B C D E F G A

- different root, same accidentals

- same root, different accidentals

PARALLEL

C# F# G#

A B C- D E F- G- A

RELATIVE

C D E F G A B C

Page 9
 IONIAN

This is a regular, major scale. Nothing has

the modes portion of a music theory class

H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
other aspect of your life and need to feel
superior to the tiny fraction of humanity
that knows about music modes but
C D E F G A B C
...or (3) both 1 and 2.

mode. Some of the millions of examples include:

Van Morrison (G Ionian)

Tom Petty (F Ionian)

the Beatles (F Ionian)

LYDIAN: #4

related to any of the other modes in the

it. Lydian has an ethereal, heavenly,

uplifting feel to it. Almost like the whole H H H H H H
D E F# A B D E
tone scale, but without the trippy, outer-
space, no definitely place to land feeling.
C D E G A B C
It also features the rare major 2 chord (D
major, in this case).

Entire songs in a lydian mode are going to be very rare. Some examples may be:

More commonly, portions of a song will use the lydian mode to create an unstable or
ethereal atmosphere:

Page 10
 MIXOLYDIAN: b7

We flatted the 7th note of the scale. That

gives it kind of a bluesy flavor without the
dirty, grimy feeling of the flat 3 or the flat H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
during dominant (7) chords. This would
go great during a C7.
C D E F G A C

Hear this fun-loving mode in these songs:

DORIAN: b7 b3

We also flatted the 3rd note now. Now

-y, but until
H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
minor, but in a hip way and not so much
depressed. This would go great during a
Cm7.
C D F G A C

Check out this too-cool-for-school, laid-back, minor-ish mode in these songs:

Page 11
 AEOLIAN: b7 b3 b6

We finally flatted the 3rd note! Now piano

H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E

the most common mode next to Ionian. C D F G B* C

Almost every song that is not in the Ionian mode is in this mode, so you can hear this
mode all over the place, like:

PHRYGIAN: b7 b3 b6 b2

We flatted the 2 and now the whole thing

starts off weird since the first move is a half
H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
Spanish or Gypsy feel.

C F G C

Notice the Spanish Gypsy phrygian feel in these songs:

Page 12
 LOCRIAN: b7 b3 b6 b2 b5

It is going to be difficult to describe the

feeling of this mode or find a song in it,
since there is now no perfect fifth H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
between the 1 and the 5. In other words,
the 5 chord of this scale does not
naturally lead to the 1.
C F C

While the mode gets used during parts of songs, the only example we can find is:

Page 13
 Mode Alterations
What happens if you take a weird scale and

Page 14
I know on the Phrygian mode you were

also? Well then you just land on the 3, but

yes you can do it.
And...it...sounds...AWESOME! This would H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
sound super hip on a C7 chord,
especially if the next chord was going to
be an F minor chord! H
C F C

flat

LYDIAN DOMINANT

the 7th. This is not as uncommon as you

would think.

H H H H H H
D E F# A B D E
sometimes called the overtone scale
C D E G A C

Page 15
 PHRYGIAN DOMINANT

This one will feel minor, but without the tell

-tale flat 3 that all the other minor scales
have. So the 1 chord will sound major,
but the melodies will sound minor.
H H H H H H H
Notice: this is the 5th mode of harmonic D E G A B D E
minor, so this one has the same notes as F
harmonic minor.
Hear it in: Hava Nagila & C E F G C

Phrygian Dominant)

HARMONIC MINOR

This is a variation on the Aeolian (minor)

mode, where only the 3 and the 6 are
flatted. The 3-half-step gap between the
6 and 7 gives this scale the unmistakable
H H H H H H
D E F# A B D E
sound that is often called Arabian or
Spanish or Egyptian or Middle Eastern.
C D F G B C
Hear it in: Greensleeves

HARMONIC MAJOR

This one preserves the Arabian/Spanish

feel of harmonic minor, but without the H H H H H H
flat 3, it still feels major, especially toward D E F# A B D E
the bottom.

C D E F G B C

MELODIC MINOR

Technically this one is supposed to

contain the lowered 6 and 7 as well as
the regular/raised/normal 6 and 7, but H H H H H H
the real flavor of this scale is evident with D E F# A B D E
the raised 6 and 7. The opposite feel of
the harmonic major, this one feels major
on top and minor on the bottom. C D F G A B C

Page 16
 Other Scales
Technically this is off topic, but since when has that stopped us?

Page 17
 OTHER APPROACHES TO SCALES

What if instead of altering the scales or modes, we just made up patterns and followed them?

WHOLE TONE SCALE

All whole steps! Super spacy feeling. No

place feels like home. Think Wizard of Oz
or Alice in Wonderland. But there are only
H H H H H H H
6 notes and scales are supposed to have D E G A B D E

creating emotion landscapes. C D E C

DIMINISHED HALF-WHOLE SCALE

What if we go half step whole step, half

H H H H H H H
step, whole step all the way up? Now D E G A B D E

diminished chord!
C E G A C

DIMINISHED WHOLE-HALF SCALE (OCTATONIC SCALE)

You guessed it... H H H H H H H

D E G A B D E

C D F A B C

Page 18
 HEXATONIC SCALE

This one is like the whole-half diminished

scale, but goes step-and-a-half, then a H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
half step.

C E G B C

CHROMATIC SCALE

If all-whole-steps is allowed as a scale,

then all-half-steps should be allowed too.

H H H H H H H
holding this world together now? If this is D E G A B D E
a scale, any random noises can be a

C D E F G A B C

STILL MORE APPROACHES TO SCALES

What if instead of altering the scales or using patterns we just started leaving notes out?

PENTATONIC SCALE
This is just the major scale without the 4 or
the 7, and it is extremely common! The 4
and 7 of a scale are the least likely notes
to sound good, so when improvising, this
is almost always a really safe scale to use.
Guitarists especially like this one because H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
not only is it safe and sounds good, but it
also requires minimum hand movement
because of the way it is played on guitar. C D E G A C
-atonic because it has
5 tones, or notes.

Page 19
 KANSAS CITY BLUES SCALE

This is the pentatonic scale, but with the

added flat 3 the blues note the minor
note the gutsy note. So this scale is still H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
got just a little more soul to it.

C D E G A C

MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE

This scale would be recognized by some

as a blues scale. While not technically
correct, this would work over most blues.
H H H H H H H
D E G A B D E
It is also the relative (has the same notes)
of the pentatonic scale 3 half steps
higher, so this C minor pentatonic scale
C F G C
has the same notes as E flat pentatonic.

BLUES SCALE 1

By taking the minor pentatonic and

added a lot more flavor and have a note H H H H H H H

D E G A B D E
that is somehow even more blues-y than
the flat 3.
C F G C

BLUES SCALE 2

The blues scale is missing an important

note: during one measure of a 12-bar
blues (the most common kind of blues),
H H H H H H H
the regular 7 will be important, since it is D E G A B D E
the 3 of that chord.

Long story short, this version of the blues C F G B C

scale is less safe, but more complete.

Page 20
 Why This Is All A Lie
One final can of worms to unleash before the end...

Page 21
 ConClUDinG notes:

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