Scale in music is a set of pitches arranged at certain distances. The starting point and the ending point of a scale is octave apart, and the scale repeats in the next octave. What if you start in the middle and continue playing for entire octave? It means that you played a certain MODE in that scale. It sounds surprisingly different from how the scale sounds usually.
Example:
C Major Scale is
C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C
Now play this set of notes in the same order just starting on the 2nd scale degree, like this:
D – E – F – G – A – B – C – D
This gives a different feel, may be a little mellower than a Major scale. Why?
Because the later doesn’t follow the same sequence of distances as that of a major scale. Thus, though it started at D note, it was not D Major scale. It is called as the Dorian Mode of C major scale. If you repeat the same exercise on any other scale, you will get the same difference in the feel.
For example: Play A Major scale now
A – B – C# – D – E – F# – G# – A
Next, start at the 2nd scale degree
It will make it
B – C# – D – E – F# – G# – A – B
This is not as happy as the actual A Major scale. It is the dorian mode of A Major scale, because we started at 2nd scale degree. Each mode inherently is a scale. Dorian mode of C major scale starts with D note to make D Dorian scale.
The same way, you can start a scale at any of its scale degrees to get completely different modes from each other in terms of the feel.
In fact, we can measure the semitone distances between each of these newly created scale modes.
| Sr No | Starting Scale Degree with Reference to its Major Scale | Notes in the Mode | Mode Name |
| 1 | 1st | C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C | Ionian |
| Ionian Scale Degrees: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 | |||
| 2 | 2nd | D – E – F – G – A – B – C – D | Dorian |
| Dorian Scale Degrees: 1 – 2 – 3b – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7b – 8 | |||
| 3 | 3rd | E – F – G – A – B – C – D – E | Phrygian |
| Phrygian Scale Degrees: 1 – 2b – 3b – 4 – 5 – 6b – 7b – 8 | |||
| 4 | 4th | F – G – A – B – C – D – E – F | Lydian |
| Lydian Scale Degrees: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4# – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 | |||
| 5 | 5th | G – A – B – C – D – E – F – G | Mixolydian |
| Mixolydian Scale Degrees: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7b – 8 | |||
| 6 | 6th | A – B – C – D – E – F – G – A | Aeolian |
| Aeolian Scale Degrees: 1 – 2 – 3b – 4 – 5 – 6b – 7b – 8 | |||
| 7 | 7th | B – C – D – E – F – G – A – B | Locrian |
| Locrian Scale Degrees: 1 – 2b – 3b – 4 – 5b – 6b – 7b – 8 | |||
To learn Major Scale Modes in detail watch the following:
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3 Responses
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