This started out as a reply to a online posting and question. I realized a lot of players don’t know the difference between and scale and a mode or scale mode. So, I though I’d spin out a little Internet lesson and post it. I’ll be posting this to my site at some point. So here is my take on the Scale and Mode thingy.

This is not a light read. And, as with most music things, the understanding of something is a lot easier that the application of the same.

What is the different between a Scale and a Mode?

As my music guru has said many times, “Tools not rules.”

The term scale and mode are used interchangeably and in a strict theory sense there is a big difference between a scale and a mode or modal scale. They are NOT the same, even if they are the same notes.

Music is best explored and explained in context. So I’ll use the G major scale as that context.

G A B C D E F# G’ is the G Major Scale. It can be anyone of the those funny Greek sounding mode names that end in “ian”, like Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian and Ionian is all notes are equal. Sounds like one of the TLC shows with all the kids.

Even starting on one scale degree vs another doesn’t define one mode from another.

Dorian: A B C D E F# G A’
Phrygian: B C D E F# G A B’
Lydian: C D E F# G A B C’
Mixolydian: D E F# G A B C D’
Aeolian: F# G A B C D E’
Locrian: F# G A B C D E F#’
Ionian: G A B C D E F# G’

Most confusion when learning about modes, I feel comes from using the same major scale as the basis for study. Like we are doing here. But for our purposes this will really help clarify why a scale is different than a mode. And, you get seven modes for the price of one major scale.

To complicate matters. there are common traditional scale names for some of the modes that are in common use.

Dorian A B C D E F# G A’ is frequently called a minor scale. As it is a minor scale.
Phrygian B C D E F# G A B’ is also a minor scale. I don’t know of any other common name for Phrygian. I’m sure there are some.
Lydian C D E F# G A B C’, is a major scale.
Mixolydian D E F# G A B C D’ is often referred to as the Dominant scale.
Aeolian E F# G A B C D E’ this is the same as the Natural Minor scale.
Locrian F# G A B C D E F#’ a diminished scale. No other common names that I’m aware of.
Ionian G A B C D E F# G’. This is the common Major Scale.

Dorian, Aeolian and Mixolydian are common modes in use in contemporary music. Moondance is part Dorian and part Minor, Sweet Home Alabama is Mixolydian, although they didn’t know it when they wrote it.

All seven modes are just a collection of the notes G A B C D E F#. If all notes of the scale are equal it is just a scale and you can name it whatever you like. If one note is emphasized over the other six then it is one of the scale modes.

Melodically

Each mode has a characteristic scale step. When emphasized in a melody will give it’s characteristic modal sound. You then have a scale mode or mode.

The characteristic scale steps are:

Dorian: A B C D E F# G A’, characteristic scale step is F#, the sixth scale degree.
Phrygian: B C D E F# G A B’, characteristic scale step is C, the second scale degree.
Lydian: C D E F# G A B C’, characteristic scale step is F#, the fourth scale degree.
Mixolydian: D E F# G A B C D’, characteristic scale step is C, the seventh scale degree.
Aeolian: E F# G A B C D E’, characteristic scale step is G, the third scale degree.
Locrian: F# G A B C D E F#’, characteristic scale step is C, the fifth scale degree.
Ionian: G A B C D E F# G’, characteristic scale step is G, the first scale degree.

Even more to confuse you. Using triads, a three note chord. Mot common are built in thirds. Each mode has the same G Am Bm C D Em F#dim chords in it’s “chord collection”. Although modes are typically triad in nature when talking about the the primary and secondary chord’s of a mode. We should add the D7 to the collection. As a 4-part chord it is so often used as the V chord in the G Major key. In a blues the chords are typically 4-part seventh chords.

Harmonically

Just as each mode has a characteristic scale step for the mode. Each mode has characteristic chords. The characteristic chords of each mode help define the modal sound.

It is the characteristic scale step that identifies the primary chords for each mode. The primary chords of any one of the modes are the I chord of the mode and the major and minor triads that contain the characteristic scale step.

One example and I’m out of here.

A Dorian:
A B C D E F# G A’
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 scale degrees
I II III IV V VI VII chord functions

Characteristic scale step is the sixth, F#. So the primary chords are the I chord of the mode and the major and minor triads: Am, Bm and D
I Am (A C E)
II Bm (B D F#)
IV D (D F# A)

The C, Em and G are secondary chords of the mode and the F#dim is the lone diminished chord.

OK, one more to show that the G Ionian mode is different that the G Major scale.

Characteristic scale step is the one, G. So the primary chords are the I chord of the mode and the major and minor triads: G C and Em:
I G (G B D)
IV C (C E G)
VI Em (E G B)

In the traditional key of G major the I IV and V chords are primary chords.

Alright, one more example. D mixolydian D E F# G A B C D’. The characteristic scale step in mixolydian is the seventh, C. The primary chords are the I V and VII. D, Am and C.

Here is a 12 bar, D Mixolydian blues

|| D | C | D | D | G | G | D | D | Am | C | D | Am ||
|| I | VII | I | I | IV | IV | I | I | V | VII | I | V ||

Each mode contains notes and chords common to the major scale. So it is easy to inadvertently slip into a mode’s related major scale. When that happens, you have lost the mode and have actually moved into a major key. This can occur melodically or harmonically or both. Basically avoid or handle with care the D to G as that is the V I in our G major example.

One of the keys to all this mode or modal stuff is that the harmonic function of a chord, its I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII is different in each mode for each chord. Here is how the AM chords functions in each mode:

Am in A Dorian is a I chord.
Am in B Phrygian is a VII chord.
Am in C Lydian is a VI chord.
Am in D Mixolydian is a V chord.
Am in E Aeolian is a IV chord.
Am in F# Locrian is a III chord.
Am in G Ionian is a II chord.

My brain hurts after that one!

Their harmonic function is completely different from mode to mode. Just like a G in the key of C is different than a G in the key of G, or G in the key of D in traditional tonic/dominant harmony.

With printed music only using key signatures for major and their relative minor keys. It is this harmonic knowledge that will allow you to determine if a song is in a major key or a mode. Yu might not need this to just play chords but to embellish the chords and improvise it is a definite plus.

This is a classic case for only naming things IN CONTEXT. In music there isn’t a lot that can be named out of context.

Here is my secert, mystical key that I use to get all the chords from any mode based on a major scale: For triads: maj, min, min, maj, maj or 7th, min dim. For 4-art 7th chords: maj7, m7, m7, maj7, 7th, m7, m7b5 or half-diminished.

This allowed me to remember the chords for this example and the related modes. I can get any mode’s chords from this sequence of chords by starting at a different point in the sequence. You don’t have to remember so much stuff. Just this tool and your major scales.

See you in New York.

PS. I’ll be giving an “Advanced Jazz” workshop. But – you definitely don’t need to be advanced to attend. If you know a few 7th chords you won’t get lost. Plus, I have great handouts.