By Owen McCabe

What are They?

Modes are different expressions of a parent scale, starting from each degree of the scale. For example, if we start the C major scale from D and finish on D, we end up with our second major mode – the Dorian mode. Even though the notes are all the same, the reconfiguration of the notes gives the scale a different sound. This sounds extremely simple but there is more to it than this. 

Each mode expresses a different chord in the scale, so the Dorian mode expresses the sound of the chord we can make from stacking thirds from the second scale degree. This means that we can also get the sound of our mode by simply playing the C major scale over a D minor chord. This works because the changed root note gives each note in the scale a different function. This is what we call a chord-scale relationship.

We can see that each mode expresses not only the key chord tones of its corresponding chord (the root, third, fifth, and seventh) but also different extensions that are possible to apply when either playing melodies or constructing more complex chords. This is best exemplified when comparing two modes with similar chord tones but different extensions. 

The Dorian mode has a flattened third, a natural fifth, and a flattened seventh, as does the Aeolian mode (the sixth mode of the major scale), but the major difference between the two is the flattened sixth in the Aeolian mode. This flattened sixth gives the mode a much darker sound than the Dorian mode.

Understanding the modes

There are multiple ways to understand and practice modes. For each scale, there are different modes, but I will focus on the Major modes as they are more widely used. We can begin by playing each mode of the scale from each scale degree — for an instrument like the piano, it’s a lot easier than the guitar where we have multiple positions to play from, and can be a good way to expand your fretboard knowledge. But to truly understand the modes, we need to understand the new function of each note in the major scale. This understanding can be achieved by playing each mode from the same root note. This allows us to see the shape of each mode and can help us to conceptualise the sound of each mode.

Image credit: AVCSS Guitar World

In the diagram above, we can see the different qualities of each mode as distinct from one another. There isn’t a binary to understanding this concept, as they must be seen within the context of their parent scale, but also as distinct sounds pools to pull from.

Modal Interchange

Modal interchange is where we take the sounds from one mode and play them over a chord with similar chord tones but a different function within the harmony. For example, if we play the Aeolian mode over the two chords (the Dorian chord), we will have interchanged the sounds of the modes. We must bear in mind that we cannot play a minor mode over a major chord or vice versa.

Final Warnings

We mustn’t see the modes as solutions to our melody making, as if playing up and down them makes us more conceptual musicians. Instead, we must use them as banks for different sounds over chords and resources to understand the extensions and functions of chords within the scale. Learning the modes does not substitute learning triads and arpeggios but only enhances these areas. We must also remember that learning the names of each mode does not mean we have understanding, it is better to understand the sounds and functions than to know the names.

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