Musical modes
A reference sheet for the 7 musical modes.
Interactive scales
This is a quick tool for finding notes of a specific scale. Read on for references around the theory.
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | |
| root | C | D | E | F | G | A | B |
| triad third | E | F | G | A | B | C | D |
| triad fifth | G | A | B | C | D | E | F |
| diatonic chord | Cmaj | Dmin | Emin | Fmaj | Gmaj | Amin | Bdim |
Pattern of intervals between notes
T - Tone
: s - semitone
| Mode | Mode name | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ionian (major) | T | T | s | T | T | T | s |
| II | Dorian | T | s | T | T | T | s | T |
| III | Phrygian | s | T | T | T | s | T | T |
| IV | Lydian | T | T | T | s | T | T | s |
| V | Myxolydian | T | T | s | T | T | s | T |
| VI | Aeolian (natural minor) | T | s | T | T | s | T | T |
| VII | Locrian | s | T | T | s | T | T | T |
Starting with the major scale (the Ionian), we find out the difference between each scale degree. That gives a pattern of tones and semitones. By "shifting" the order of the pattern, we end up with other scales. These scales are called modes. Each mode has a different feel/flavour to it, from happy (Ionian), to sad (Ionian), to exotic (Phrygian), to dissonant (Locrian).
Example We get the Phrygian mode/scale by shifting the pattern of the Ionan up by 2.
[Ionian] Tone , Tone | Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone
|
|<---shift-<-'
|
[Phrygian] |Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone
/```````````
shifted to the back--'
Intervals
Overview of what intervals are in scale.
| Mode | Mode name | tonic | m2 | M2 | m3 | M3 | perfect 4 | tritone (#4/♭5) | perfect 5 | m6 | M6 | m7 | M7 | octave | shortcut to help remember |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ionian (major) | majors | |||||||||||||
| II | Dorian | m3, m7 | |||||||||||||
| III | Phrygian | minors | |||||||||||||
| IV | Lydian | majors, #4 | |||||||||||||
| V | Myxolydian | majors, m7 | |||||||||||||
| VI | Aeolian (natural minor) | minors, M2 | |||||||||||||
| VII | Locrian | minors, ♭5 |
Triad patterns
These are the chords you end up with when constructing triads that start at each scale degree and use only the notes from the scale.
M - major triad : m - minor triad : dim - diminished triad
| Mode | Mode name | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ionian (major) | M | m | m | M | M | m | dim |
| II | Dorian | m | m | M | M | m | dim | M |
| III | Phrygian | m | M | M | m | dim | M | m |
| IV | Lydian | M | M | m | dim | M | m | m |
| V | Myxolydian | M | m | dim | M | m | m | M |
| VI | Aeolian (natural minor) | m | dim | M | m | m | M | M |
| VII | Locrian | dim | M | m | m | M | M | m |
Some observations:
- There are 2 consecutive major chords in each mode. Their position w.r.t the root chord (a.k.a the I chord) is a good sign of what mode we're playing in. e.g. If your 1 chord is major and you play a major 7 chord, you're in Myxolidian. If your 1 and 2 chords are Major, you're in Lydian.
- There are 3 major chords, even in minor scales. By focussing on them, it's possible to still play major/"happy" sounding chords, while allowing someone to solo using a minor scale. e.g. In Aeolian, you can focus on the 3, 6 and 7 chords, all of which are major, alongside with the minor 1 chord to make a more uplifting chord progression, despite being in the minor key.