Piano scales · Modes
The modes in music
Play the white keys from C to C and you get the major scale. Play the same keys from D to D, or E to E, and you get a different mood each time: those are the seven modes. Hear each one from the same note below, from the brightest to the darkest.
Jam: start the loop, then play the computer keys A S D F G H J K L: each one is the next note of the scale, so nothing you play is wrong. Or click the lit keys.Jam: start the loop and tap the lit keys. They’re all in the scale, so nothing you play is wrong.
The white-key trick
All seven modes use the same notes as a major scale. The difference is which note is home. On the white keys: C to C is Ionian, D to D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, A Aeolian and B Locrian. Moving home moves where the half steps fall, and that changes the mood.
All seven, brightest to darkest
| Mode | Formula | On the white keys | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lydian | 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 | F G A B C D E | bright, dreamy, floating |
| Ionian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | C D E F G A B | bright, settled, happy |
| Mixolydian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 | G A B C D E F | major, but relaxed and bluesy |
| Dorian | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 | D E F G A B C | minor, but brighter and hopeful |
| Aeolian | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | A B C D E F G | sad, dark, serious |
| Phrygian | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | E F G A B C D | dark, tense, Spanish |
| Locrian | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 | B C D E F G A | unstable, unresolved, eerie |
Each mode, read down the table, lowers one more note than the one above it: Lydian has a ♯4, Ionian lowers it, Mixolydian lowers the 7th, Dorian the 3rd, Aeolian the 6th, Phrygian the 2nd, Locrian the 5th.
Two ways to think about modes
From the parent scale: D Dorian is the C major scale played from D. Good for finding the notes: A Dorian is G major from A, E Mixolydian is A major from E.
From the same root: D Dorian is the D minor scale with a raised 6th. Good for hearing the colour, which is how the tool above works: keep the root, switch the mode, and listen to which note changes. That one note is the mode's character, lit in the tool.
Using a mode
A mode only sounds like itself over the right chords: play the D Dorian notes over a C major chord and you just hear C major. So each mode's loop in the tool vamps on the root chord and the chord that holds its special note (Dm and G for Dorian, C and D for Lydian). Start the jam, and play.
Exploring modes on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that drifts. Then it shows you how it should go.
Keep learning
Questions people ask
What are the 7 modes in music?
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian: the major scale started from each of its seven notes. On the white keys, they start on C, D, E, F, G, A and B.
What is the easiest way to learn the modes?
Hear them from the same root, as in the tool above: each is the major or minor scale with one or two notes changed. Lydian is major with a ♯4, Mixolydian major with a ♭7, Dorian minor with a raised 6th, Phrygian minor with a ♭2.
Which mode is the major scale?
Ionian. The natural minor scale is Aeolian.
What is the brightest mode?
Lydian, with its raised 4th. From brightest to darkest: Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian. Each one lowers one more note.
What is the difference between a mode and a scale?
A mode is a scale: the same seven notes as a major scale, but with a different note as home. That changes which steps are whole and which are half, so each mode has its own mood.
How do you work out which major scale a mode comes from?
Count down to the parent: Dorian starts on the 2nd note of its parent major scale, Phrygian the 3rd, Lydian the 4th, Mixolydian the 5th, Aeolian the 6th, Locrian the 7th. So A Dorian uses the notes of G major; E Mixolydian the notes of A major.