A “musical mode” is what results from starting scale on a note other than its root. Modes can be formed from any scale. If a scale is not specified, then it is usually assumed the diatonic scale is being used, which is what will be discussed in this article.  It is important, however to remember that modes can be derived from any scale.

When used properly, the musical modes open the door to vast tonal possibilities and are capable of inducing unique and exotic moods. But it’s not as simple as just starting the scale on a different note–most of what causes a mood’s unique characteristics is the underlying chord structure. I’ll talk more about this in the latter section of this article.

Same Intervals, Different Starting Point

As I mentioned earlier, each of the seven modes we will discuss here will be formed from the diatonic scale, which is:

W - W - h - W - W - W - h

Now to derive the seven diatonic modes we just start each on a different note:

Ionian (Major)    W - W - h - W - W - W - h
Dorian                W - h - W - W - W - h - W
Phrygian                  h - W - W - W - h - W - W
Lydian                        W - W - W - h - W - W - h
Mixolydian                        W - W - h - W - W - h - W
Aeolian (Natural Minor)               W - h - W - W - h - W - W
Locrian                                   h - W - W - h - W - W - W

So say we wanted to find C Ionian, we would first take the intervals for the Ionian mode:

Ionian              W - W - h - W - W - W - h

…and apply them starting with C as our root:

C Ionian            C - D - E - F - G - A - B

If we do the same thing for A Aeolian we get:

A Aeolian           A - B - C - D - E - F - G

If you notice C Ionian, and A Aeolian have the same notes. This is because each mode has a set of relative modes that have the same notes, but in different orders. For example: C Ionian = D Dorian = E Phrygian = F Lydian = G Mixolydian = A Aeolian = B Locrian. An easy way to remember the order of the modes is this mnemonic: I Don’t Particularly Like Modes A Lot.

In the next sections I’ll present each of the diatonic modes:

• Ionian Mode
• Dorian Mode
• Phrygian Mode
• Lydian Mode
• Mixolydian Mode
• Aeolian Mode
• Locrian Mode

After discussing each I’ll tie in how to apply them musically.

Ionian Mode (Major Scale)

The Ionian mode is the technical name for the major scale. It has a very bright, happy, and resolved feeling to it.

Formula:	1-2-3-4-5-6-7
Intervals:	W-W-h-W-W-W-h
Notable Chords:	Triad: Major Defining Chords: Maj7
Notable Compositions:	Happy Birthday To You Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Example:	C Ionian Mode
Movable Scale Shape:

Dorian Mode

The Dorian mode has the potential to sound soulful or bluesy depending on how it is applied.

Formula:	1-2-♭3-4-5-6-♭7
Intervals:	W-h-W-W-W-h-W
Notable Chords:	Triad: minor Defining Chords: m7
Notable Compositions:	Light My Fire – The Doors Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf Halo Theme
Example:	C Dorian Mode
Movable Scale Shape:

Phrygian Mode

The Phrygian mode has a Middle-Eastern or Spanish mood. It is commonly used in flamenco music, and is sometimes referred to as the “Spanish” mode.

Formula:	1-♭2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7
Intervals:	h-W-W-W-h-W-W
Notable Chords:	Triad: minor Defining Chords: sus4(♭9)
Notable Compositions:	White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane Not to Touch the Earth – The Doors
Example:	C Phrygian Mode
Movable Scale Shape:

Lydian Mode

The Lydian mode is very similar to the Ionian mode, but with a sharpened fourth. This interval gives Lydian its dreamy and spaced out feel.

Formula:	1-2-3-♯4-5-6-7
Intervals:	W-W-W-h-W-W-h
Notable Chords:	Triad: Major Defining Chords: Maj7(♯11)
Notable Compositions:	Flying in a Blue Dream – Joe Satriani Simpsons Theme
Example	C Lydian Mode
Movable Scale Shape:

Mixolydian Mode

The Mixolydian mode is cabaple of sounding funky or folky, depending on how you use it. It has been used on a huge number of popular songs from the ’60s and ’70s.

Formula:	1-2-3-4-5-6-♭7
Intervals:	W-W-h-W-W-h-W
Notable Chords:	Triad: Major Defining Chords: dom7 sus4
Notable Compositions:	Dear Prudence – The Beatles Norwegian Wood – The Beatles The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – Gordon Lightfoot Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynkyrd Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones
Example:	C Mixolydian Mode
Movable Scale Shape:

Aeolian Mode (Natural Minor Scale)

The Aeolian mode is the same as the natural minor scale. It has a dark and sad mood to it. It also has the potential to sound tough and “mean” when used in heavy rock songs.

Formula:	1-2-♭3-4-5-♭6-♭7
Intervals:	W-h-W-W-h-W-W
Notable Chords:	Triad: minor Defining Chords: m(♭6)
Notable Compositions:	Achilles Last Stand (Guitar Solo) – Led Zeppelin The Ants Go Marhcing In
Example:	C Aeolian Mode
Movable Scale Shape:

Locrian Mode

The Locrian mode is easily the strangest of the seven diatonic modes. It was originally just a hypothetical mode. Similar to the Phrygian mode, the Locrian mode has a Spanish vibe to it, but with a much darker and more unresolved quality. It isn’t a very practical mode because of the fact that its triad is diminished, which is very hard to resolve to.

Formula:	1-♭2-♭3-4-♭5-♭6-♭7
Intervals:	h-W-W-h-W-W-W
Notable Chords:	Triad: diminished Defining Chords: min7(♭5)
Notable Compositions:	Jeux – Debussy Three Fantastic Dances – Dmitri Shostakovich
Example:	C Locrian Mode
Movable Scale Shape:

How to Use the Modes

When applying the modes you have three options:

• Relative Approach
• Pitch-Axis Theory
• Mixed Approach

Relative Approach

The most common way to apply the modes is to use a relative approach. This is useful when you want to stay in one mode for the entire progression. Take a look at the following chart:

Mode	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
Ionian	Maj (I)	min (ii)	min (iii)	Maj (IV)	Maj (V)	min (vi)	dim (vii°)
Dorian	min (i)	min (ii)	Maj (III)	Maj (IV)	min (v)	dim (vi°)	Maj (VII)
Phrygian	min (i)	Maj (II)	Maj (III)	min (iv)	dim (v°)	Maj (VI)	min (vii)
Lydian	Maj (I)	Maj (II)	min (iii)	dim (iv°)	Maj (V)	min (vi)	min (vii)
Mixolydian	Maj (I)	min (ii)	dim (iii°)	Maj (IV)	min (v)	min (vi)	Maj (VII)
Aeolian	min (i)	dim (ii°)	Maj (III)	min (iv)	min (v)	Maj (VI)	Maj (VII)
Locrian	dim (i°)	Maj (II)	min (III)	min (iv)	Maj (V)	Maj (VI)	min (vii)

All you have to do is pick chords that are within the mode you want to stay in, and find some way to imply the tonic chord. So if we wanted to write a progression in C Lydian, we would do something like the following:

C Lydian
CMaj7(#11)      Amin            Dmaj7           GMaj9

This method should work, however you run the risk of resolving to the related major or minor scale.  This idea is grounds for an entire new article that could get very theoretical, so I’ll leave it at that, and introduce the next method:

Pitch-Axis Theory

The next way to apply the modes is pitch-axis theory, which is simply keeping the same root note for the entire chord progression, but altering the chord types. Each chord is chosen carefully to reflect a specific mode which is played when that chord occurs. This is possible because certain chords imply certain modes.

Here’s a useful chart of which chords can be found in each of the seven diatonic modes:

Mode	Triad	7th	9th	11th	13th
Ionian	Maj	Maj7	Maj9	Maj11	Maj13
Dorian	min	min7	min9	min11	min13
Phrygian	min	min7	min9(♭9)	min11(♭9)	min11(♭9♭13)
Lydian	Maj	Maj7	Maj9	Maj7(♯11)	Maj13(♯11)
Mixolydian	Maj	7	9	11	13
Aeolian	min	min7	min9	min11	min11(♭13)
Locrian	dim	min7(♭5)	min7(♭5♭9)	min11(♭5♭9)	min11(♭5♭9♭13)

So let’s make a progression using pitch-axis theory:

C IONIAN      C LYDIAN      C MIXOLYDIAN
CMaj11        CMaj7(#11)    C11

C AEOLIAN     C Dorian      C PHRYGIAN
Cmin11        Cmin13        Cmin11(b9)

Mixed Approach

The final way to apply the modes is to combine the previous two methods in what I’ll call the “mixed approach” for lack of a better term.

To do this you would basically write a progression using the relative approach, but change modes for each chord as you would using pitch-axis theory. Here’s an example:

C IONIAN      A DORIAN        G MIXOLYDIAN
CMaj11        Amin13          G7

In summary, The trick is to find chordal intervals that are unique to the mode you’re trying to imply.

Another interesting thing to note is that sometimes more than one mode can be used over a chord. In the above example if we change the Amin13 chord to an Amin7 chord, we would be able to play A Dorian, A Phrygian, or A Aeolian over that chord.