Guitar UpscaleThe modes of the major scale, explained
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian: what makes each one sound different and when to use it.
By Oleg Chibikov, the author of Guitar Upscale
A mode is a scale started on another note
C major has the notes C, D, E, F, G, A and B. Play the same seven notes from D to D and you get D Dorian. Play them from E to E and you get E Phrygian. Each starting note gives a mode, so the major scale has seven.
The notes stay the same, but the root changes. With a new root, the distances from the root change too. That is what gives each mode its own sound.
The seven modes
| Mode | From C major | Formula | Chord | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ionian | C to C | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | Cmaj7 | Bright and settled. This is the major scale. |
| Dorian | D to D | 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 | Dm7 | Minor, but with a hopeful lift from the major 6th. |
| Phrygian | E to E | 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | Em7 | Dark and Spanish, from the flat 2nd. |
| Lydian | F to F | 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 | Fmaj7 | Bright and floating, from the raised 4th. |
| Mixolydian | G to G | 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 | G7 | Major and bluesy, from the flat 7th. |
| Aeolian | A to A | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | Am7 | Sad and serious. This is natural minor. |
| Locrian | B to B | 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 | Bm7b5 | Tense and unstable, from the flat 5th. |
Compare modes on the same root
The table above keeps the notes and moves the root. That shows how the modes relate, but it hides how they sound. To hear the difference, keep the root and change the notes. Play each mode from A:
- A Ionian: A B C# D E F# G#. Its key note is the 7.
- A Dorian: A B C D E F# G. Its key note is the 6.
- A Phrygian: A Bb C D E F G. Its key note is the b2.
- A Lydian: A B C# D# E F# G#. Its key note is the #4.
- A Mixolydian: A B C# D E F# G. Its key note is the b7.
- A Aeolian: A B C D E F G. Its key note is the b6.
- A Locrian: A Bb C D Eb F G. Its key note is the b5.
Next to the major scale, Lydian raises one note. Mixolydian lowers one, Dorian two, Aeolian three, Phrygian four and Locrian five. From brightest to darkest the order is Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian and Locrian.
Hear a mode with a drone
- Let the open A string ring, or play an A note in a loop.
- Play one mode slowly over it, from A to A.
- Hold the key note of the mode, from the list above, and listen.
- Switch to the next mode and compare.
Without a drone, the ear hears every mode as C major, since the notes are the same. The drone fixes the root.
When to use each mode
- Dorian over a minor chord that moves to the major chord a 4th up, such as Am to D. Funk, Santana and modal jazz.
- Mixolydian over a major chord that moves to the major chord a whole step down, such as A to G. Classic rock and blues.
- Lydian over a major 7th chord, or a major chord that moves to the major chord a whole step up. Film music.
- Phrygian over a minor chord that moves to the major chord a half step up, such as Em to F. Metal and flamenco.
- Locrian over a half diminished chord in jazz.
Want to go further? Melodic minor and harmonic minor have seven modes each. Every scale page on this site lists the modes it shares notes with.