Beginner's Guide To Modes In Music | Part 2: The Source Of Their Sound

In Part 1 of this series on modes, I explained the absolute fundamentals of where modes come from and how they are named. I described the concept of Relative Modes and Parallel Modes.

In this part, we are going to build on that knowledge and develop an understanding of the "sound" of modes and where it comes from. If you need a refresher, take a look at the first part, then come back here to continue learning about modes.

P.S.- For this part, you need to understand what are triads, and be familiar with the concept of diatonic triads of the major scale. Also, some knowledge of the minor scale is required.

Introducing Tonic Triads of Modes

I am going to assume that you already know the basic triads of major scale: Major, Minor and Diminished.

Just in case you are having trouble remembering, read this quickly

The quality of a triad depends on the intervals used in it.

Major 3rd (3)= 4 Half Steps

Minor 3rd (b3)= 3 Half Steps

Perfect 5th (5)= 7 Half Steps

Diminished 5th (b5)= 6 Half Steps

If the notes of the triad are Root, Major 3rd and Perfect 5th, it is a major triad. 1 3 5 = Major If the notes are Root, Minor 3rd and Perfect 5th, it is a minor triad. 1 b3 5 = Minor If the notes are Root, Minor 3rd and Diminished 5th, it is a diminished triad. 1 b3 b5 = Diminished

The tonic triad of a mode is built by taking its 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees, and looking at what kind of triad it becomes. We are learning this right now, because tonic triad is like the base of the entire mode/scale. Every note in the mode has a particular sound in relation to the tonic triad, which gives each mode its flavor. I'll expand on it soon.

For now, let's take the example of Ionian Mode. The degrees of this mode are:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Here, the tonic triad will be made of

1 3 5

Looking at the degrees, this is a major triad. Therefore, we now know that the tonic triad of the Ionian mode is major.

Let's do the same thing with Dorian. Before reading further, try to remember the degrees of Dorian mode yourself)

The degrees of Dorian are:

1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7

Making a triad out of its 1st, 3rd and 5th degree, we get

1 b3 5

This is a minor triad. So, the tonic triad of the Dorian mode is minor.

The same can be done for every other mode. Go ahead, give it a shot before looking at the table. It'll be good practice.

Mode	Degrees	Tonic Triad	Quality Of Triad
Ionian	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	1 3 5	Major
Dorian	1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7	1 b3 5	Minor
Phrygian	1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7	1 b3 5	Minor
Lydian	1 2 3 #4 5 6 7	1 3 5	Major
Mixolydian	1 2 3 4 5 6 b7	1 3 5	Major
Aeolian	1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7	1 b3 5	Minor
Locrian	1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7	1 b3 b5	Diminished

Based on this information, we can divide all the modes into 2 groups: Modes with a major tonic triad, and modes with a minor tonic triad. There is the Locrian mode with a diminished triad, but for now we will club it with minor triads, because they both have b3.

Major Tonic Triad	Minor Tonic Triad
Ionian	Dorian
Lydian	Phrygian
Mixolydian	Aeolian
	Locrian

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Why do we need tonic triads? The magic of Aeolian Mode.

We are almost there. There is one final piece of the puzzle that we need to discuss. The almighty Aeolian mode.

If you were paying very close attention in part 1, you might have noticed that I talked about how common the major scale is. But I never said anything about the minor scale.

The minor scale is just as common as major scale in western music. You might have heard it in a lot of rock music. It revolves around this scale.

Let me write down the notes of the A-minor scale, and its scale degrees as well.

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

A B C D E F G

Does that remind you of something?

That, my friend, is what we have been calling the "Aeolian Mode".

Minor scale is the 6th mode of the major scale, also called Aeolian Mode.

Look at the tonic triad of this mode: 1 b3 5. Minor.

So, we have a very common scale with a major tonic triad: The Major Scale, or Ionian Mode.

We also have a very common scale with a minor tonic triad: The Minor Scale, or Aeolian Mode.

Now consider the concept that I introduced in Part 1.

A mode can surprise the listener by changing one of the notes of a familiar scale, thus making it a unique experience. Are the pieces of this puzzle coming together yet?

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Get dazzled by the beauty of modes: Characteristic Notes.

The major and minor scales are so common that people have memorized their sounds subconsciously. That is because the intervals in these scales have a very stable and strong relationship with each other. This makes them very flexible while making music. Now if we play a mode that is close to either of those, but change a few notes to surprise the listener, the impact is just breathtaking.

Here's where everything that we have learnt comes together in a spectacular fashion.

All the modes with the major tonic triad are closely related to the the major scale. All the modes with a minor tonic triad are closely related to the Aeolian Mode. And every little change that we make that differentiates a mode from one of those 2 scales results in a unique sound of that mode.

The note(s) that gives a mode its unique sound is called the Characteristic Note of that particular mode.

Finally, it's time to take a look at each mode individually.

• IONIAN MODE Scale Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Quality: Major Difference from Major Scale- Not Applicable This is the vanilla ice-cream of modes. The classic, stable mode that will always sound good. Is it cliché? Maybe, but it will never go out of fashion, because people will always listen to it. Ionian is simple to use. The movement from 7 to 1 is satisfying, and is used often to end melodies. Every note sounds very good when played with the root of the scale. So let's move on to the more exciting stuff.
  

• DORIAN MODE Scale Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 Quality: Minor Difference from minor scale: b6 → 6 Characteristic Note: 6 Dorian mode has a minor quality. It is supposed to sound sad... but there comes the natural 6th degree. Unlike the minor scale (or Aeolian Mode), this interval from the root is bright and happy sounding. It's a combination of the sadness of Aeolian, and the cheerfulness of Ionian. That 6th will throw you off your prediction while listening to music, but be careful when using it. It's very easy to misuse it and lose sight of what you were trying to achieve.
  

• PHRYGIAN MODE Scale Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 Quality: Minor Difference from minor scale: 2 → b2 Characteristic Note: b2 Phrygian is what most western musicians consider to be "Exotic". It is often explained as a Middle Eastern or Indian Sound, which is fair, since this characteristic note is used very frequently in Arabic Maqams, Hindustani and Carnatic Music. That b2 in this mode takes the minor scale, and cranks the darkness of the scale up to 11. It is serious, it is adventurous, and most of all, it feels like a never-ending journey.
  

• LYDIAN MODE Scale Degrees: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 Quality: Major Difference from major scale: 4 → #4 Characteristic Note: #4 Lydian is often considered "Spacey" due to the presence of the most infamous interval in the mode, starting from the root. The 1 - #4 interval is a tritone. This tritone exists in every mode (obviously, because all modes are built from the same scale) but this time, the root of the mode itself is a part of it. That makes the sound of this mode a little surreal, like it needs more exploration. It is still a bright sounding mode because it is of the major quality, but that #4 will make you question your feelings while listening to it. It's popular in music that is a little bit out there, with space and stuff, giving off a very sci-fi vibe. Fun Fact: An equivalent concept of the Lydian Scale in Indian music has been used for a long time in romantic context, so this scale will be interpreted differently by Indians who have always listened to it in songs about love. It's interesting how cultural context shapes our perception of music.
  

• MIXOLYDIAN MODE Scale Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 Quality: Major Difference from major scale: 7 → b7 Characteristic Note: b7 Mixolydian is like the Ionian's more mature cousin. It is still mostly bright and happy, but without that obnoxiously peppy sounding 7-1 interval, because the 7 has now been replaced with a b7. It makes this mode more grounded, and easier on the ears. It's not in-your-face. It takes a back seat and settles into the music.
  

• AEOLIAN MODE Scale Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 Quality: Minor Difference from minor scale: Not Applicable This mode is the driving force behind the entire Rock genre. It's dark and yet very stable. Minor scale is one of the most used concepts of music theory, and it is not hard to understand why.
  

• LOCRIAN MODE Scale Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 Quality: Minor? Difference from minor scale: 2 → b2 | 5 → b5 Characteristic note: b5 Locrian is like the black sheep of the family. Since its tonic triad (diminished) is unstable by itself, it has very limited use cases. But don't be afraid of it. With some practice, you can tap into its potential and use it in ways that just take your music to a new level. Just like Lydian, this also has a tritone from the root in it, but unlike Lydian, there is no perfect 5th here. That perfect 5th happens to be important for making a mode sound stable, and its absence is very noticeable in Locrian.
  

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Is that it? Are we done with modes?

No. Not by a long shot. We have just scratched the surface of what's possible with modes. You have learnt to identify modes, construct them, and learnt the theory behind them.

In Part 3, I will tell you all about the ways of using these modes creatively. And I promise, it will be worth the time you have spent understanding the basics.

Let's conclude this part with a list of all I have covered here.

Tonic Triad of a mode is made by stacking its 1st, 3rd and 5th degree together.

Depending on the quality of tonic triads, the modes are divided into 2 groups. Major quality modes are Ionian, Lydian and Mixolydian. Minor quality modes are Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian and Locrian.

Each mode is compared to either Major or Minor scale to see which note makes it special. This note is called the Characteristic Note of the scale.

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