Topmusicanswers
mode, in music, any of several ways of ordering the notes of a scale according to the intervals they form with the tonic, thus providing a theoretical framework for the melody. A mode is the vocabulary of a melody; it specifies which notes can be used and indicates which have special importance.
- How are modes used in music?
- What is the difference between scales and modes?
- What is the order of modes in music?
- How do you identify modes?
How are modes used in music?
The major scale contains seven modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. Modes are a way to reorganize the pitches of a scale so that the focal point of the scale changes. In a single key, every mode contains the exact same pitches.
What is the difference between scales and modes?
A scale is an ordered sequence of notes with a start and end. A mode is a permutation upon a scale that is repeatable at the octave, such that the start and end points are shifted. For example, the major scale is repeatable at the octave.
What is the order of modes in music?
The seven main categories of mode have been part of musical notation since the middle ages. So, the list goes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian.
How do you identify modes?
Modes are said to be parallel if they share a tonic pitch. For example, C major and C minor are parallel modes. For modes in pop music, the color note is the pitch that distinguishes a mode from major (in the case of mixolydian/lydian) or from minor (in the case of dorian/phrygian).
