Music Modes Reference
Diatonic modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, …) with interval patterns.
Overview
The music modes reference lists the seven diatonic modes — Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian — with their interval patterns, characteristic notes, and the major-scale parent each mode is built from. Pick a root and the tool spells the full scale for the mode you choose, plus highlights the one or two pitches that give the mode its colour.
Improvisers, composers, and arrangers use modes constantly. Dorian gives a minor sound with a hopeful raised sixth; Lydian gives a major sound with a dreamy raised fourth; Phrygian gives a darker minor with a lowered second. Knowing each mode's "characteristic" note tells you which chord changes and melodic phrases will sound distinctly modal versus generically major or minor.
How it works
The seven modes are rotations of the major scale, each starting on a different scale degree. Ionian is the major scale itself (built from the first degree). Dorian starts from the second degree, Phrygian from the third, Lydian from the fourth, Mixolydian from the fifth, Aeolian from the sixth (the natural minor scale), and Locrian from the seventh. So the white keys from D to D form D Dorian; the white keys from G to G form G Mixolydian.
Each mode has a unique pattern of whole and half steps. Compared to the parallel major scale, Dorian flats the third and seventh; Phrygian flats the second, third, sixth, and seventh; Lydian sharpens only the fourth; Mixolydian flats only the seventh. These altered tones, especially when paired with the right chord, are what make a mode sound modal rather than just like a major scale starting on an off-tonic.
Examples
D Dorian → D E F G A B C (raised 6th: B)
E Phrygian → E F G A B C D (lowered 2nd: F)
F Lydian → F G A B C D E (raised 4th: B)
G Mixolydian → G A B C D E F (lowered 7th: F)
FAQ
What's the difference between A minor and A Aeolian?
They're the same scale (A B C D E F G). "Natural minor" is the functional-harmony name; "Aeolian" is the modal name. The vocabulary differs but the pitches are identical.
How do I tell if a piece is in Dorian or just in a minor key?
Look for the raised sixth. If the melody emphasises the major sixth above the tonic — like the B natural in D Dorian — and the harmony uses the IV chord as major rather than iv minor, it's Dorian.
Which mode is darkest?
Locrian is the rarest and "darkest" because it has both a lowered second and a diminished fifth, making the tonic chord itself diminished. Phrygian is next, with its lowered second creating a Spanish or metal flavour.
Can I play modes over chord changes?
Yes — modal jazz (Miles Davis's "So What") parks on one chord per section and improvises in a single mode for a long stretch. Pop and rock often use single-mode vamps too.
Are there modes outside the major-scale family?
Yes. Melodic and harmonic minor each have their own seven modes (Lydian dominant, Locrian #2, altered scale, and so on), used heavily in jazz.