Modes

A mode uses the notes of a major scale but treats a different note as home. Play the white keys from D to D and you get D Dorian; from G to G, G Mixolydian. The degree a mode starts on names it: 1 Ionian, 2 Dorian, 3 Phrygian, 4 Lydian, 5 Mixolydian, 6 Aeolian, 7 Locrian.

By Dan Vrancic, music theory teacher · Reviewed October 2026

Same notes, a new home

The white keys from C to C make the C major scale. Played from its 1st degree, the major scale is the Ionian mode.

C Ionian is the C major scale: semitones from 3 to 4 and from 7 to 8.

Keep exactly the same white keys but begin and end on D, the 2nd degree. E–F and B–C are still the semitones, but under the new tonic they fall in new places. The pattern now reads tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone, tone: this is D Dorian.

D Dorian: the same notes as C major, with D as home.

The seven modes

Start on each degree of C major in turn and you get seven modes, one on each white key.

DegreeTonic in C majorModeTones (T) and semitones (S)
1CIonian (the major scale)T T S T T T S
2DDorianT S T T T S T
3EPhrygianS T T T S T T
4FLydianT T T S T T S
5GMixolydianT T S T T S T
6AAeolian (the natural minor scale)T S T T S T T
7BLocrianS T T S T T T

The modes in degree order

  1. II
  2. DDon’t
  3. PParticularly
  4. LLike
  5. MMushrooms
  6. AAt
  7. LLunch

What each mode sounds like

Compare a mode with the major or natural minor scale on the same tonic and only its color note changes: one note for most modes, two for Locrian.

ModeSounds closest toColor note
DorianNatural minorRaised 6th (♮6)
PhrygianNatural minorLowered 2nd (♭2)
LydianMajorRaised 4th (♯4)
MixolydianMajorLowered 7th (♭7)
LocrianDiminishedLowered 2nd and 5th (♭2, ♭5)

Natural minor, lowered 2nd

E Phrygian

E natural minor has F♯.
E Phrygian lowers the 2nd: F♯ becomes F.

Major, raised 4th

F Lydian

F major has B♭.
F Lydian raises the 4th: B♭ becomes B.

How to build a mode on any note

  1. Find the parent major

    The mode's degree tells you where its tonic sits. A Dorian starts on degree 2, and A is the 2nd degree of G major.

  2. Keep its key signature

    The mode uses all of the parent's notes, so write the parent's key signature: G major has one sharp, F♯.

  3. Begin and end on the tonic

    Write the notes from A up to A.
A Dorian: G major's key signature, from A to A.

The same steps work for every mode: D Phrygian uses B♭ major's two flats, E Locrian uses F major's one flat, and B Aeolian uses D major's two sharps.

How to identify a mode

Run the same steps backwards.

  1. Read the key signature

    It gives the parent major. Two flats are B♭ major.

  2. Find the tonic

    The note the music starts on, returns to and ends on: here, D.

  3. Count its degree

    D is degree 3 of B♭ major, and degree 3 is Phrygian.
Two flats and a tonic of D: D Phrygian.

Try it: name the mode

Scale 1 of 5

A mode on A: which one is it?

See it step by step

The interactive explainer from Lesson 11, with sound. Step through it at your own pace.

Practice on paper

Free printable worksheets on this topic, each with an answer key.

Scale worksheets with answer keys

Questions about modes

What are the seven modes in order?
Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian, starting on degrees 1 to 7 of a major scale. Remember them with “I Don’t Particularly Like Mushrooms At Lunch.”
What is the difference between a mode and a scale?
A mode is a scale built from another scale’s notes with a different note as home. D Dorian uses exactly the notes of C major, but D is the tonic, so the tones and semitones fall in different places.
Which modes are major and which are minor?
Ionian, Lydian and Mixolydian have a major 3rd above the tonic and sound major. Dorian, Phrygian and Aeolian have a minor 3rd and sound minor. Locrian has a minor 3rd and a diminished 5th.
What is the Dorian mode?
The mode that starts on the 2nd degree of a major scale. Its pattern is tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone, tone. It sounds like natural minor with a raised 6th: D Dorian is D E F G A B C D.
What is the Mixolydian mode?
The mode that starts on the 5th degree of a major scale. It sounds like a major scale with a lowered 7th: G Mixolydian is G A B C D E F G, with F instead of F♯.
Is Aeolian the same as natural minor?
Yes. The Aeolian mode, starting on the 6th degree of a major scale, is the natural minor scale. A Aeolian is A natural minor: the white keys from A to A.
How do you find the key signature of a mode?
Find its parent major: the major scale the mode’s tonic is a degree of. A Dorian starts on degree 2, and A is degree 2 of G major, so A Dorian uses G major’s key signature of one sharp.

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Watch Dan teach modes. Lesson 11 at the staff and the keyboard, with lesson notes and a graded quiz at the end.

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