Modes: It's All Greek To Me!! Part 7

Locrian Mode (VII): A natural minor scale with the 2nd and the 5th lowered a half step

B (the tonic)
C (a minor 2nd)
D (a minor 3rd)
E (a perfect 4th)
F (a diminished 5th)
G (a minor 6th)
A (a minor 7th)
B (upper-octave)

Good To Know!!! *The distinctive degree here is the diminished 5th. This makes the tonic triad diminished, so this mode is the only one in which the chords built on the tonic and dominant scale degrees have their roots separated by a diminished, rather than perfect, fifth. Similarly the tonic seventh chord is half-diminished.

• Tonic triad: Bdim or B°
• Tonic seventh chord: Bm7♭5 or Bø
• Dominant triad: FM
• Seventh chord on the dominant: FM7, a major-seventh chord type. By contrast, the "dominant seventh" type in this mode is found on scale-degree 6.

Modes: It's All Greek To Me!! Part 6

Aeolian Mode (VI): A natural minor scale

A (the tonic)
B (a major 2nd)
C (a minor 3rd)
D (a perfect 4)
E (a perfect 5th)
F (a minor 6th)
G (a minor 7th)
A (upper octave)

• Tonic triad: Am
• Tonic seventh chord: Am7
• Dominant triad: Em
• Seventh chord on the dominant: Em7, a "minor-seventh" chord type. By contrast, the "dominant seventh" type in this mode is found on scale-degree 7.

Modes: It's All Greek To Me!! Part 5

Mixolydian (V): A major scale with the 7th lowered a half step

G (the tonic)

A (a major 2nd)

B (a major 3rd)

C (a perfect 4th)

D (a perfect 5th)

E (a major 6th)

F (a minor 7th)

G (upper-octave)

• Tonic triad: GM
• Tonic seventh chord: G7 (the "dominant-seventh" chord type in this mode is the seventh chord built on the tonic degree)
• Dominant triad: Dm
• Seventh chord on the dominant: Dm7, a "minor-seventh" chord type.

Modes: It's All Greek To Me!! Part 4

Lydian (IV): A major scale with the 4th raised a half step

F (the tonic)

G (a major 2nd)

A (a major 3rd)

B (an augmented 4th)

C (a perfect 5th)

D (a major 6th)

E (a major 7th)

F (upper-octave)

Good To Know!!! *The single tone that differentiates this scale from the major (Ionian), is its fourth degree, which its an augmented 4th above the tonic.*

• Tonic triad: FM
• Tonic seventh chord: FM7
• Dominant triad: CM
• Seventh chord on the dominant: CM7, a "major-seventh" chord type. By contrast, the "dominant seventh" type in this mode is found on scale-degree 2.

Modes: It's All Greek To Me!! Part 3

Phrygian (III): A natural scale with the 2nd lowered half a step

 

E (the tonic) 

F (a minor 2nd)

G (a minor 3rd)

A (a perfect 4th)

B (a perfect 5th)

C (a minor 6th)

D (a minor 7th)

E (upper-octave)

• Tonic triad: Em
• Tonic seventh chord: Em7
• Dominant triad: Bdim
• Seventh chord on the dominant: B7♭5 (or Bø), a "dominant-seventh-flat-five" or "half-diminished seventh" chord type. By contrast, the "dominant seventh" type in this mode is found on scale-degree 3.
• Modern minor scale has a minor 3rd, 6th, and 7th. The minor 2nd in addition here makes the scale Phrygian, not Aeolian (natural minor).

Modes: It's All Greek To Me!! Part 2

Dorian (II): A natural minor scale with the 6th raised a half step

D (the tonic)
E (a major 2nd)
F (a minor 3)
G (a perfect 4th)
A (a perfect 5th)
B (a major 6th)
C (a minor 7th)
D (upper-octave) 

• Tonic triad: Dm
• Tonic seventh chord: Dm7
• Dominant triad: Am
• Seventh chord on the dominant: Am7 (a "minor seventh" chord type). By contrast, the "dominant seventh" type in this mode is found on scale-degree 4. 

Modes: It's All Greek To Me!

Question: What is a Mode

Modes are scales that are formed by taking the notes of an existing scale but starting from a note other than the original keynote. This results in each mode having a unique tonality. The most common modes played on the guitar are those of the major scale, particularly the Dorian, Lydian and Mixolydian.

Ionian (I)

*Identical to the modern major scale, and begins on C. 

C (the tonic),  
D (a major 2nd above the tonic),  
E (a major 3rd above the tonic),  
F (a perfect 4th),  
G (a perfect 5th),  
A (a major 6th),  
B (a major 7th),    
C and the upper-octave to complete the scale

• Tonic seventh chord: CM7
• Dominant triad (in modern tonal thinking, the next-most important chord root after the tonic): G
• Seventh chord on the dominant: G7 (a "dominant 7th" chord type, so-called because of its position in this—and only this—modal scale)