What’s Up With the Modes of the Major Scale?

By: Athena Zapantis

We all know how a major scale works: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, but what happens if it were shifted around? That will give us the different modes of the Major scale. In fact, you can do this on any scale, not just the Major scale.

The Major scale has seven modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. Notice their Greek names? They are named for different regions of Greece.

The Ionian scale is named after the Ionian Islands in Greece. It is built from the tonic of a Major scale, which makes the Ionian scale a fancy name for the Major scale.

Many chords are typically built from the Ionian scale. One example is the basic Major triad: one of the most common chords in classical music, known for sounding “happy.” This chord is considered bright because of the ratio between the Major third on the bottom and the minor third on the top. Uncommonly found in classical music, the Major seventh is built from the root, third, fifth, and seventh scale degrees of the Major scale. This chord is often recognized for its prettiness, as heard in “Misty” by Erroll Garner or in “my future” by Billie Eilish. It evokes a mellowness through the half step between the seventh and the root. In jazz, the Major ninth, the Major eleventh, and the Major thirteenth can be found. These chord extensions can be used to add tension or more color to the classical, “square-sounding” Major triads and sevenths.

The Dorian scale is named after one of the four main tribes in Ancient Greece, the Dorians. It is built from the supertonic (the second scale degree) of a Major scale. This is a minor mode, which means it may sound darker or more melancholic than a brighter, Major scale. A mode having a minor tonality generally refers to if the third scale degree of the mode is a minor third up from the tonic. If the third scale degree is a Major third up from the tonic, then it is considered a Major mode.

There are also a fair number of chords that use the Dorian, or Dorian minor, scale. They are typically found in jazz, where the Dorian scale is often modified to become the “Dorian-flat-2” scale, a mode of the melodic minor scale. The main triad that can be built from the Dorian scale is a basic minor triad. It is a common chord in classical music but is not generally thought to be built from the Dorian scale because minor triads can be built from other, more common, scales in classical music. Ubiquitous in jazz, the minor seventh is often thought to be built from the Dorian scale using its first, third, fifth, and seventh scale degrees. This chord is also known for its beautiful quality, like the Major seventh. It is an integral part of the most common cadence in jazz known as a “two-five,” serving as the “two.” Like the Ionian chords, chord extensions can be added to Dorian chords to add tension or more color to a basic minor triad or seventh.

The Phrygian scale is derived from to the name of an ancient Anatolian kingdom called Phrygia. The scale is built from the mediant (third scale degree) of a Major scale. Like the Dorian scale, it is also a minor mode.

The Phrygian scale is less commonly used than other modes, but it is still a versatile scale. Like the Dorian scale, the Phrygian scale is often modified to become the “Phrygian dominant” scale, which is also a mode of the melodic minor scale. The Phrygian dominant scale is similar to the Phrygian scale, except the third is raised by a half step to create a Dominant seventh (hence the name) rather than a minor seventh, which would result from using the first, third, fifth, and seventh notes of the basic Phrygian scale. Because the Phrygian and Dorian modes are both minor modes, similarly to the Dorian scale, the main triad that can be built from the Phrygian scale is a basic minor triad, and its corresponding seventh chord is also a minor seventh. However, its chord extensions are not so tame. Relative to a Major scale, the Phrygian mode includes a “flat 2”—the second scale degree is lowered by a half step. Building a ninth chord from the Phrygian scale results in what is known as a “minor seven flat nine.” This is a beautifully dark chord, evoking several colors, especially when appropriately voiced in context. The minor seven flat nine chord includes a dominant seventh starting on the third scale degree, which makes this chord synonymous to a dominant seven, add 13, if voiced in that manner. Starting on the fifth scale degree, a diminished triad can be found, adding darkness and tension to the chord. When extending Phrygian chords even further, we can get a “minor 11 flat nine.” Like the minor seven flat nine, this chord is dark, and is synonymous with a Dominant 9 add 13 starting on the third scale degree of the Phrygian scale. Adding the 11th to the chord creates even more tension by creating a Dominant 9th starting on the third scale degree, a tense half-diminished seventh starting on the fifth scale degree, and a minor triad starting on the seventh scale degree. While these conjectures aren’t useful in jazz, it explains why the Phrygian scale and its corresponding chords evoke the response that they do.

The Lydian scale is named after an ancient country that bordered the Aegean Sea. It is built from the subdominant (fourth scale degree) of a Major scale. The Lydian scale is a Major mode, as the third scale degree of the Lydian scale is a Major third up from the tonic.

Interestingly, the Lydian scale is known for its brightness—it is even brighter than the Major scale due to the fourth scale degree being raised by a half step relative to the Major scale. As such, it is often used as a substitute for the Major scale to add brightness to chordal and scalar improvisation in jazz. In fact, some jazz scholars such as George Russell believe that the Lydian scale should take the role of the Major scale in Western music. In his book, “Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization,” Russell argued that the Lydian scale should be the basis for the bright Major chords instead of the slightly darker Major scale. The Lydian scale can serve as the basis for the same chords as the Major scale, but once you extend the chord to the 11th, differences arise. The extended Lydian scale has a “sharp 11,” which means that the fourth (11th if you are reasoning intervallically, rather than scalarly) scale degree is raised by a half step relative to the Major scale. This new chord is known as the Major seven sharp 11, which is brighter than the Major 11th chord.

The Mixolydian scale is built from the dominant (fifth scale degree) of a Major scale. The Mixolydian scale is a Major mode.

The Mixolydian scale is another frequently used scale in jazz, like the Dorian scale. The most-used chord that is built from the Mixolydian scale is the Dominant seventh. The Dominant seventh, in both classical and jazz, is used as a part of a cadence that usually resolves to the tonic. It is also an integral part of the ubiquitous “two-five” chord progression, serving as the “five” chord. When this chord is extended, it creates the Dominant 9th, 11th, and 13th, which serve the same role as the Dominant 7th in music, with extra color. In jazz, the Dominant seventh can be modified by altering the 9th, 11th, and 13th scale degrees. This results in what is known as an “Altered Dominant” chord, which is typically used in jazz to resolve to a minor tonic.

The Aeolian scale is named after one of the four major tribes in Ancient Greece: the Aeolians. It is built from the submediant (sixth scale degree) of the Major scale. It is a minor mode and is equivalent to the natural minor scale.

The Aeolian scale is primarily used in classical music as the basis for a minor triad. The minor seventh, ninth, and 11th can also be built from the Aeolian scale, similarly to the Dorian scale. However, the Aeolian scale is interesting due to its ability to be modified into different classical minor scales. For example, the harmonic minor scale can be built from the Aeolian scale by modifying it, raising the seventh scale degree by a half step. This allows a piece in a minor key to be played with the Dominant (the V chord), sounding like a Major triad or Dominant seventh, allowing for a more interesting-sounding resolution to the minor tonic. Additionally, the melodic minor scale can be built from the Aeolian scale by raising the sixth and seventh scale degrees on the ascending scale. Interestingly, the classical melodic minor scale is the same as the Aeolian scale descending. In jazz, the melodic minor scale serves as a basis for modes that can build special, “jazzy” chords, as the Major scale does for all of the aforementioned modes.

The Locrian scale is named after the ancient Greek tribe which lived in the region of Locris. It is built from the leading tone (the seventh scale degree) of the Major scale. It is a minor mode.

The Locrian scale is primarily used in jazz music as the basis for the half-diminished seventh but can also be seen in Classical music as the basis for the diminished triad. The half-diminished seventh can serve as a subdominant, or as the “two” in a minor “two-five,” which is a cadence that resolves to a minor tonic.

We’ve finished up with all the modes of the Major scale. Now, go practice!