Understanding the Modes of the Major Scale

When it comes to scales, major and minor are only the beginning.

As an example, there are seven modes of the major scale, each with its own distinctive sound and characteristics.

In this post, we’ll look at two methods to find (and understand) the modes of the major scale. These are:

1. The Derivative Method: use the same notes as the major scale, but begin and end on a different note.

2. The Parallel Method: begin on the same note as the major scale, but play some notes flat (and in the Lydian mode, one sharp).

Once we understand what modes are and how to find them, we’ll see how to order them from “more major” to “more minor”. This will illustrate their distinctive sounds and help you choose the right mode for your next song.

Start with the major scale

The easiest way to think of the modes is in terms of the white keys on the keyboard. Playing the white notes from C to C gets you the C major scale:

Each note in the scale has a number representing its scale degree:

We can create 3-note chords (triads) on each scale degree. We do this by skipping notes. Here are the first three chords in C major formed this way:

C major chord (C)

D minor chord (Dm)

E minor chord (Em)

We can assign a Roman numeral to each chord on a scale to indicate the type of chord it is (uppercase for major, lowercase for minor, ° for diminished):

C - Dm - Em  - F  - G - Am - B°
I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii°

The modes of the major scale

We can find a new scale starting on each note in the major scale. These scales are called modes of the major scale.

The major scale can actually be considered the first mode, called the Ionian mode. We can represent the Ionian mode this way:

         Note: C - D  - E   - F  - G - A  - B
        Chord: C - Dm - Em  - F  - G - Am - B°
Roman numeral: I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii°

This lists all of the notes in the scale (in order). It also lists the 3-note chord starting on each note (and the Roman numeral for each chord).

Now, if we play all the white notes, but start and end on D, that gives us a new scale called the D Dorian mode:

Just as we formed chords on each note in the major scale, we can form chords on each note in the Dorian mode.

Let’s look at the first three:

D minor chord (Dm)

E minor chord (Em)

F major chord (F)

Here are all the notes, chords, and Roman numerals for D Dorian:

         Note: D  - E   - F    - G  - A  - B   - C
        Chord: Dm - Em  - F    - G  - Am - B°  - C
Roman numeral: i  - ii  - bIII - IV - v  - vi° - bVII

I’ll explain why some of these chords (bIII and bVII) are flat later on.

We can follow this same procedure starting on each note in the major scale. For each scale degree, this will give us a new scale (sequence of notes) and a new list of chords.

Since there are 7 notes in the major scale, there are 7 modes of the major scale, one for each note. Below is the complete list (with scale degrees relative to C major in parentheses):

    C Ionian (1): C - D - E - F - G - A - B
    D Dorian (2): D - E - F - G - A - B - C
  E Phrygian (3): E - F - G - A - B - C - D
    F Lydian (4): F - G - A - B - C - D - E
G Mixolydian (5): G - A - B - C - D - E - F
   A Aeolian (6): A - B - C - D - E - F - G
   B Locrian (7): B - C - D - E - F - G - A

Listen to how each mode has a distinctive sound when played up and down:

1. C Ionian (major)

2. D Dorian

3. E Phrygian

4. F Lydian

5. G Mixolydian

6. A Aeolian (natural minor)

7. B Locrian

Each of the modes has a distinctive sequence of half-steps (H) and whole-steps (W).

A half-step is the distance between two adjacent keys on the keyboard (between a white key and the next black key, for example). A whole-step is two half-steps.

The major scale (Ionian mode) sequence is:

W - W - H - W - W - W - H

For the C major scale, you can see that the two half-steps are between E-F and B-C, which are scale degrees 3-4 and 7-8:

The Dorian mode shifts the sequence of half-steps and whole-steps one to the left since it starts on the second note of the major scale:

W - H - W - W - W - H - W

You can see that, in D Dorian, the two half-steps (E-F and B-C) correspond to scale degrees 2-b3 and 6-b7:

We can continue in this way for all the other modes. The placement of the two half-steps is an important part of what gives each mode its characteristic sound.

Parallel modes

So far we have been deriving the modes from the notes of a major scale. This is sometimes called the derivative method.

For example, the Dorian mode derived from the C major scale is the D Dorian, as listed above. This is because D is the second note of the C major scale. And the Dorian mode starts and ends on the second note of the relative major scale.

Similarly, the Dorian mode derived from the F major scale is G Dorian. This is because G is the second note in the F major scale.

But there is also another approach to finding modes: the parallel method.

Parallel modes are different kinds of scales that begin on the same note.

For example, let’s take C again as our home note. Each of the modes we have discussed above (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc.) can also begin on C.

Here are the parallel modes for C:

    C Ionian (1): C - D  - E  - F  - G  - A  - B
    C Dorian (2): C - D  - Eb - F  - G  - A  - Bb
  C Phrygian (3): C - Db - Eb - F  - G  - Ab - Bb
    C Lydian (4): C - D  - E  - F# - G  - A  - B
C Mixolydian (5): C - D  - E  - F  - G  - A  - Bb
   C Aeolian (6): C - D  - Eb - F  - G  - Ab - Bb
   C Locrian (7): C - Db - Eb - F  - Gb - Ab - Bb

The flats (b) and sharp (#) arise because of the distinctive sequence of half- and whole-steps for each mode.

For example, in C Ionian (the major scale), the two half-steps are E-F and B-C, as we’ve already seen:

But in the C Dorian mode, the two half-steps are D-Eb and A-Bb:

Look through the table of modes above and notice that each row has a different combination of flats (b) and sharps (#). The placement of those flats and that one sharp give us useful clues about how each mode differs from the parallel major scale.

Let’s explore how…

Ordering the modes from “more major” to “more minor”

As we’ve seen, each mode starts on a particular scale degree of its relative major. For example, the Dorian starts on the 2nd degree and the Mixolydian on the 5th degree.

If we use these numbers to reorder the parallel modes in terms of the Circle of 5ths, we will notice an interesting pattern. I’ve placed the relative scale degree for each mode in parentheses:

    C Lydian (4): C - D  - E  - F# - G  - A  - B
    C Ionian (1): C - D  - E  - F  - G  - A  - B
C Mixolydian (5): C - D  - E  - F  - G  - A  - Bb
    C Dorian (2): C - D  - Eb - F  - G  - A  - Bb
   C Aeolian (6): C - D  - Eb - F  - G  - Ab - Bb
  C Phrygian (3): C - Db - Eb - F  - G  - Ab - Bb
   C Locrian (7): C - Db - Eb - F  - Gb - Ab - Bb

The Lydian has a single sharp. The Ionian has no sharps or flats. And then each mode that follows adds one more flat.

Notice that once a flat appears in this order, it also appears in all the following modes.

What’s cool about this way of looking at it is that it also orders the modes in terms of some characteristic feelings associated with them.

Lydian/Ionian/Mixolydian are the most major and brightest sounding. Aeolian/Phrygian/Locrian are the most minor and darkest sounding. Dorian is somewhere in the middle.

This is somewhat subjective (and culturally conditioned), but it seems to map onto a lot of connotations in European and American popular music. For example, Aeolian is often said to create a sadder or more melancholy feel. And Phrygian and Locrian are often used in metal to capture more intense feelings.

In my opinion, the “major is happy” and “minor is sad” story is a serious oversimplification. But if we consider major and minor as scales with a variety of expressive possibilities, it can still makes sense to imagine a spectrum from “more major” to “more minor”.

Listen to the modes in this order and see how you experience their relationships:

C Lydian

1 - 2 - 3 - #4 - 5 - 6 - 7
C - D - E - F# - G - A - B

C Ionian (major)

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
C - D - E - F - G - A - B

C Mixolydian

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - b7
C - D - E - F - G - A - Bb

C Dorian

1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - b7
C - D - Eb - F - G - A - Bb

C Aeolian (natural minor)

1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7
C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb

C Phrygian

1 - b2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7
C - Db - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb

C Locrian

1 - b2 - b3 - 4 - b5 - b6 - b7
C - Db - Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb

Modes and chords

Just as the major scale has a sequence of associated chords (one for each note), every mode also has a sequence of chords.

Here is the complete list (again ordered from “most major” to “most minor”):

    Lydian: I  - II  - iii  - #iv° - V  - vi  - vii
    Ionian: I  - ii  - iii  - IV   - V  - vi  - vii°
Mixolydian: I  - ii  - iii° - IV   - v  - vi  - bVII
    Dorian: i  - ii  - bIII - IV   - v  - vi° - bVII
   Aeolian: i  - ii° - bIII - iv   - v  - bVI - bVII
  Phrygian: i  - bII - bIII - iv   - v° - bVI - bvii
   Locrian: i° - bII - biii - iv   - bV - bVI - bvii

Compare this to our list of notes in the parallel modes of C:

    C Lydian: C - D  - E  - F# - G  - A  - B
    C Ionian: C - D  - E  - F  - G  - A  - B
C Mixolydian: C - D  - E  - F  - G  - A  - Bb
    C Dorian: C - D  - Eb - F  - G  - A  - Bb
   C Aeolian: C - D  - Eb - F  - G  - Ab - Bb
  C Phrygian: C - Db - Eb - F  - G  - Ab - Bb
   C Locrian: C - Db - Eb - F  - Gb - Ab - Bb

You’ll notice that wherever there is a flat in a mode of C major (like Eb or Ab), there is also a flat chord (like bIII or bVI).

This is because C major has no flats (it’s all white keys). So anything flat relative to C major is written with a flat sign. And this is part of why learning the modes starting with C major makes it easier to see the relationship between modes.

In other keys, we still have the same patterns of flats and sharps compared to the relative major. But the note names don’t make this as obvious.

For example, compare the G major scale to the parallel G Mixolydian mode:

              1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7  - 8
     G Major: G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G

G Mixolydian: G - A - B - C - D - E - F  - G
              1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - b7 - 8

The G Mixolydian mode still has a b7. But since the 7th degree of G major is F#, taking the flat of the 7th degree gives us F (not Fb).

The flat chords help shape the sound of a mode

Look at the modes in “more major” to “more minor” order again. But this time, we’ll list the distinctive flat (or sharp) chords for each mode relative to major:

    Lydian: #iv°
    Ionian: [None]
Mixolydian: bVII
    Dorian: bVII, bIII
   Aeolian: bVII, bIII, bVI
  Phrygian: bVII, bIII, bVI, bII
   Locrian: bVII, bIII, bVI, bII, bV

The four most common modes in European and American popular music are Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, and Aeolian. Notice how they are all in order here.

Ionian is also known as the major scale. Aeolian is also known as the natural minor scale. We can think of the characteristics of Mixolydian and Dorian as being somewhere in between major and minor.

The three flat chords in Aeolian (bVII, bIII, and bVI) help create the distinctive minor sound.

Mixolydian has the bVII, and Dorian has both the bVII and the bIII.

Those flat chords help create the spectrum we’ve been discussing between the major and minor sounds.

Lydian and Phrygian do also show up in popular songs. But Locrian is basically never used outside of metal (in part due to its extremely unstable diminished home chord).

My recommendation is to begin by familiarizing yourself with the common modes. They can help you generate an endless variety of sounds.

And if you want to dig more into concepts from music theory most useful for songwriters, check out my introduction.

Appendix: A note on chord notation in this post

I have been writing the modal chords as, for example, bIII and bVI.

Some sources will write these modal chords as III and VI since they are on the third and sixth notes in the mode. But on this site I use the increasingly common convention of notating chords relative to the major scale.

The reason this is powerful is that popular music frequently borrows chords from other modes. So a consistent way of naming chords relative to a home note allows us to describe chord progressions without assuming we’re in a certain mode.