Modes

From brightest to darkest (following circle of fifths), the modes are:

• Lydian
• Ionian
• Mixolydian
• Dorian
• Aeolian
• Phrygian
• Locrian

each mode has one more lowered interval relative to the tonic than the mode preceding it. Taking Lydian as reference,

• Ionian (ie. major) has a lowered fourth;
• Mixolydian, a lowered fourth and seventh;
• Dorian, a lowered fourth, seventh, and third;
• Aeolian (ie. natural minor), a lowered fourth, seventh, third, and sixth;
• Phrygian, a lowered fourth, seventh, third, sixth, and second;
• Locrian, a lowered fourth, seventh, third, sixth, second, and fifth.

Put another way, the augmented fourth of the Lydian mode has been reduced to a perfect fourth in Ionian, the major seventh in Ionian to a minor seventh in Mixolydian

nm: I Dont Pee Like Most Alien Ladies

Dorian

The same as Aeolian (minor), except with a sharpened 6th, making it sound a little bit less dark

A song can be characterized as Dorian by either the notes that are played (basically that characteristic sharpened 6th) or the chords that belong to the Dorian mode.

Dorian is commonly found in funk, where it is more common that Aeolian.

Examples

• Riders on the Storm (descending keyboard line during intro @ 0:33)
• No Quarter - Led Zeppelin Thriller michael jackson

Phrygian

Phrygian is very similar to Aeolian, with the only difference being a flattened 2nd

Much Flamenco music is in the Phrygian mode, though frequently with the third and seventh degrees raised by a semitone.

Lydian

Very similar to Ionian, with the only difference being a sharpened 4th, making a tritone interval with the tonic.