Musical modes are seven scales built by starting a major scale on each of its seven notes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. They contain the same notes but different tonal centres, so each has a distinct colour. Dorian sounds hopeful-minor, Mixolydian relaxed-major, Lydian floating, Phrygian dark, and Locrian unstable.
Last reviewed: October 2026
What are the seven modes?
Take the white keys of the piano. Play from C to C and you hear the major scale (Ionian). Play from D to D, still only white keys, and you hear Dorian. Every starting note gives a different pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H):
- Ionian (from C): W W H W W W H
- Dorian (from D): W H W W W H W
- Phrygian (from E): H W W W H W W
- Lydian (from F): W W W H W W H
- Mixolydian (from G): W W H W W H W
- Aeolian (from A): W H W W H W W
- Locrian (from B): H W W H W W W
Ionian is the major scale and Aeolian is the natural minor scale. The other five are what most people mean when they say "the modes".
Reference table: formulas, character and use
Formulas are given as scale degrees compared with a major scale. A flat sign (b) means lowered by a semitone, and # means raised.
| Mode | Formula | Character | Example use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ionian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | Bright, resolved | Main themes, safe hub areas |
| Dorian | 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 | Minor but hopeful, warm | Folk-flavoured towns, journeys |
| Phrygian | 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | Dark, tense, exotic | Deserts, ancient ruins, menace |
| Lydian | 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 | Dreamy, floating, wonder | Magic, skies, discovery |
| Mixolydian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 | Major but relaxed, bluesy | Adventure, travel, rock-style themes |
| Aeolian | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | Sad, serious, natural minor | Drama, melancholy, quiet boss build-ups |
| Locrian | 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 | Unstable, dissonant | Horror, glitches, brief tension |
Each mode has one characteristic note, the degree that distinguishes it from its nearest relative: natural 6 in Dorian, b2 in Phrygian, #4 in Lydian, b7 in Mixolydian, b6 in Aeolian, and b5 in Locrian (with b2 as well). Emphasise that note and the colour comes through.
How can you hear and use each mode?
Dorian is a natural minor scale with a raised sixth. D Dorian is D E F G A B C. That major sixth (B) lifts the minor sound. A two-chord vamp of Dm and G (i and IV) is the textbook Dorian sound.
Phrygian has a lowered second. E Phrygian is E F G A B C D, and the semitone from E to F above the tonic is the signature. A vamp of Em and F (i and bII) gives instant tension.
Lydian raises the fourth of the major scale. F Lydian is F G A B C D E, where B natural replaces the Bb of F major. Alternate F and G (I and II) for a bright, weightless feel.
Mixolydian lowers the seventh of the major scale. G Mixolydian is G A B C D E F. Alternate G and F (I and bVII) for a relaxed, open sound.
Aeolian is the natural minor. A Aeolian is A B C D E F G. It underpins most minor-key progressions; see RPG music theory: minor keys.
Locrian has a diminished fifth above the tonic, so the tonic chord itself is diminished. B Locrian is B C D E F G A. It rarely supports a full piece. Use it in short bursts for dread.
Should you think in parallel or relative modes?
There are two ways to organise modes, and mixing them up is the main cause of confusion.
Relative thinking keeps the notes fixed. D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian and A Aeolian are all C major's notes with a different home note. This is useful for reading music and for staying in one key signature while changing the centre of gravity.
Parallel thinking keeps the tonic fixed and changes the colour. Compare the modes all on C:
- C Lydian: C D E F# G A B
- C Ionian: C D E F G A B
- C Mixolydian: C D E F G A Bb
- C Dorian: C D Eb F G A Bb
- C Aeolian: C D Eb F G Ab Bb
- C Phrygian: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb
- C Locrian: C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb
Composers usually benefit more from parallel thinking, because you can hear exactly what one altered note does to the same tonic. It also makes it easy to shift mood mid-piece by changing a single note.
How do you write in a mode so it sounds modal?
- Choose the tonic and write the mode's notes out using the parallel list above.
- Pick a drone or pedal on the tonic, or a two-chord vamp that contains the characteristic note (for Dorian, the major IV chord).
- Build the melody around the tonic and emphasise the characteristic note on a strong beat.
- Avoid strong dominant-to-tonic cadences that pull the ear back to plain major or minor. In Mixolydian, for example, use bVII to I instead of V to I.
- Keep harmonic rhythm slow, a chord every one or two bars, so the colour has time to register.
- Test by playing the tonic alone under your melody. If the characteristic note still sounds distinctive, the mode is working.
How do modes fit game music?
Modes are shorthand for mood, which is what game music is for. A hub town in Dorian feels lived-in and gently hopeful. A forest or sky area in Lydian reads as wonder. A desert or ruin in Phrygian feels ancient. Because Dorian and Aeolian differ by a single note, you can use a Dorian exploration layer and an Aeolian combat layer, and the transition between them barely clashes. This single-note-shift trick is a lightweight way to change mood in an adaptive score; see what is adaptive music? for how states and transitions are structured. For how modes compare with the harmonic language of other genres, see jazz vs classical harmony.
In the Mowjera piano-roll editor you can write a scale into a track, loop two chords, and hear the characteristic note immediately, which makes it a handy way to ear-train each mode.
FAQ
What is the difference between Dorian and natural minor?
Dorian is natural minor (Aeolian) with a raised sixth degree. D Dorian is D E F G A B C, while D Aeolian is D E F G A Bb C. The major sixth gives Dorian a brighter, more hopeful sound, while Aeolian sounds darker and more final.
What is the difference between Mixolydian and major?
Mixolydian is the major scale with a lowered seventh. G major has F#, while G Mixolydian has F natural. That flat seventh removes the leading-tone pull to the tonic, giving a relaxed, open, slightly bluesy sound. The bVII chord (F in G) is its signature.
Which mode sounds the brightest?
Lydian is the brightest, because its raised fourth is the only note in any of the seven modes that sits higher than in the major scale. Ordered from brightest to darkest: Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian. Each step lowers one more note.
Are modes the same as keys?
No. A key establishes a tonic and a set of chords through cadences, while a mode describes the pattern of whole and half steps from that tonic. D Dorian shares notes with C major, but the music sounds in D Dorian only if D feels like home. Emphasising the tonic and characteristic note makes the mode audible.
Which modes are most useful for a beginner?
Start with Dorian and Mixolydian. Both are one note away from familiar scales (natural minor and major), both work with simple two-chord vamps, and both are common in games, folk and film music. Add Lydian next for wonder, then Phrygian for tension.