Topmusicanswers
Named after Ancient Greek tribes, they each have a different character or feel and are as follows: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. Like the scales, each mode has its own formula, which are as follows.
What are the Greek modes?
The eight modes
Seven of them were given names identical with those used in the musical theory of ancient Greece: Dorian, Hypodorian, Phrygian, Hypophrygian, Lydian, Hypolydian, and Mixolydian, while the name of the eighth mode, Hypomixolydian, was adapted from the Greek.
Where do the Greek modes come from?
These names are derived from an Ancient Greek subgroup (Dorians), a small region in central Greece (Locris), and certain neighboring peoples (non-Greek but related to them) from Asia Minor (Lydia, Phrygia).
Do pianists use modes?
Modes are types of scales that are super common in jazz piano. They are similar to major and minor scales, but they each have their own characteristic. You can call them modes OR scales, but they are most often called modes.
