Some Theory: Musical Modes

At Minnich Music, I teach more than how to sing or play an instrument. I also teach subjects like music history and theory, which is an integral part of understanding music itself.
 
The first thing many beginning students learn is the musical scale: doh, re, mi, and so on. But did you know that’s not the only scale, or mode?
 
What is a Mode?
A mode is a scale, like the “doh re me fa sol” scale made famous by Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music. “Mode” is Latin for “method, or “manner”. However, the modes originated in ancient Greece.
 
ClassicFM.com writes, “The modes were named after various regions, perhaps to represent the people who lived there, because Greek musical theorists were philosophers too, and associated the arts with aspects of morality.” In other words, each Greek mode represented a philosophy about the culture of the people in certain areas of ancient Greece.
 
The Modes
The modes were often used by the Church when putting psalms to music, and all music belong to at least one mode. The list of Greek modes are:
 

• Ionian

Ionian is the simple “doh re mi” major scale that begins on C. An example is Mozart’s “Flute and Harp Concerto in C major”
 

• Dorian

Like the natural modern minor scale except for the sixth note which is major instead of minor. The traditional favorite “Scarborough Fair” is in the Dorian mode.
 

• Phrygian

Phrygian is different from the modern minor mode because of the second note which is major instead of minor. This is the scale used in flamenco music and is also known as the “Spanish gypsy scale”.
 
A beautiful example of the Phrygian mode is “Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis” by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
 

• Lydian

Lydian is similar to Ionian but the fourth note is sharpened. The mode is in a major key.
 
A fun example? “The Simpsons” theme song!
 

• Mixolydian

Instead of a major seventh, the Mixolydian mode’s seventh note is flat. Both the original Star Trek theme and “Norwegian Wood” by The Beatles are in the Mixolydian mode.
 

• Aeolian

This mode is the natural minor mode. The pieces of music known as both “Greensleeves” and “What Child is This?” is in the Aeolian mode.
 

• Locrian

Five of the notes in the Locrian scale are flattened half a step. Sibelius’s Symphony no. 4 in A minor is in the Locrian mode.
 
If you’d like more information on how these modes work in music, this YouTube video explaining modes is a wonderful resource!
 
For more music education, you can contact me any time for lessons! I offer a comprehensive instruction for students of all ages and skill levels.