Modes
Scales created by starting on a different degree of a parent scale. The same notes with a different tonal center. Each mode is two stacked tetrachords. Swapping the lower tetrachord changes the tonic flavor; swapping the upper changes the dominant flavor.
| Mode | Tetrachord Combo | Example (C root) |
|---|---|---|
| Ionian | Major + Major | C D E F G A B C |
| Dorian | Minor + Minor | C D E♭ F G A B♭ C |
| Phrygian | Phrygian + Phrygian | C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C |
| Lydian | Lydian + Major | C D E F♯ G A B C |
| Mixolydian | Major + Minor | C D E F G A B♭ C |
| Aeolian | Minor + Phrygian | C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C |
| Locrian | Phrygian + Lydian | C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C |
| See the sections below for diagrams for a given mode (All diagrams rooted in C). |
Ionian
The major scale, the most foundational mode in Western music. Bright, stable, and fully resolved. All other modes are derived by starting on a different degree of this scale. The major 7th (B) creates a strong pull toward the root, and the tritone between scale degrees 4 and 7 drives harmonic tension.
See [Tetrachords] for its Major + Major construction.
| 3NPS | Index | Pinky |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Dorian
A minor mode with a raised 6th (A♮). Darker than Ionian but brighter than Aeolian, with the major 6th over a minor 3rd as its defining color. Built from two minor tetrachords.
| 3NPS | Ring | Pinky |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Phrygian
A minor mode with a ♭2 (D♭). Very dark and exotic, defined by the minor 2nd above the root. Built from two Phrygian tetrachords. Closely related to the dominant of harmonic minor.
| 3NPS | Ring | Pinky |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Lydian
A major mode with a ♯4 (F♯). Dreamy, floating, and ethereal. The sharpened 4th is a tritone above the root rather than a perfect 4th, lifting the gravitational pull and creating an unresolved brightness. Built from Lydian + Major tetrachords.
| 3NPS | Index | Pinky |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Mixolydian
A major mode with a ♭7 (B♭). The “rock major” scale, combining Ionian’s brightness with a minor 7th that adds blues and folk character. Built from Major + Minor tetrachords. Foundational in a dominant 7th chord context.
| 3NPS | Ring | Pinky |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Aeolian
The natural minor scale, the most common minor mode in Western music. Darker than Dorian due to its minor 6th (A♭) rather than a major 6th. Built from Minor + Phrygian tetrachords. The foundation of most minor-key compositions.
See [Scales] for its relationship to relative major.
| 3NPS | Ring | Pinky |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
Locrian
A diminished mode with both ♭2 and ♭5. The only diatonic mode without a perfect 5th, its tonic chord is diminished. The tritone above the root replaces the perfect 5th, making it rarely used as a tonal center but essential for half-diminished (m7♭5) chords in jazz. Built from Phrygian + Lydian tetrachord.
| 3NPS | Ring | Pinky |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
On the Fretboard
- Lower swap → changes tonic flavor: Ionian → Dorian → Phrygian
- Upper swap → changes dominant flavor: Ionian → Mixolydian → Lydian
- From root, ascend to the upper 5th then descend to the lower 5th to hear the full modal color
Exercises
- Play each mode using the tetrachord swap approach from [Tetrachords]
- Drone practice: pick a key, play each mode over a drone track