I know the modes from the major scale pretty well, and I've come to know that other scales like the melodic minor scales also has modes. So my question is, what other scales can modes be based off of besides the major scale? Or is it just that modes can be based off of the scales major, minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, harmonic major, etc.. A list if possible would be good. Thanks.
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2 Answers
You can have modes off every scale. To simplify what a mode is, try to think of it as a different note to start each scale. Even if you don't know the notes/name of some mode, just play the notes of the scale you want and each time start from a different note of the scale.
Here is a list of the modes from the Melodic Minor scale:
answered Jun 23, 2017 at 21:38
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1This is exactly right. I'd just add that when people say "the modes" they usually mean the modes of the major scale.– AlexJun 23, 2017 at 22:08
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Yep; "rotations" of scales is the general term for such "modes" of all scale types. "Rotations" thus indicates that you "rotate" the scale to begin on a pitch other than tonic.– Richard ♦Jun 24, 2017 at 0:19
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1All good stuff - but should the 2nd be Phrygian natural 6, and the 6th Locrian natural 2?– TimJun 24, 2017 at 6:48
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You can even theoretically get modes of scales like the whole tone scale and the chromatic scale this way--although modes of those scales sound just like transposed versions of the original, so they're pretty boring. Jun 24, 2017 at 16:04
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1@Tim, writing these as ♯6 and ♯2 is a convention that seems to have some logic and precedence.
Phrygian ♯6is a way of saying "the sixth tone of this scale is a half step above the sixth tone of the normal Phrygian scale." I don't know whether one is more accepted than the other--I'm used to seeing like you, I'm used to seeing the ♮ symbol, like you.– jdjazzJun 25, 2017 at 0:34
You're exactly right that modes can be created from virtually any scale. Below, I've included the modes of harmonic minor, melodic minor, harmonic major, and major (which you already know).
Modes of Harmonic Minor Scale
Harmonic Minor:
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7Locrian ♮6:
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7Ionian ♯5:
1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7Dorian ♯4:
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7Phrygian major:
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7Lydian ♯2:
1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 7Altered ♭♭7:
1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭♭7
Modes of Melodic Minor Scale
Melodic Minor:
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7Phrygian ♮6:
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7Lydian Augmented:
1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7Lydian Dominant:
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7Mixolydian ♭6:
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7Locrian ♮2:
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7Altered Scale:
1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Modes of Harmonic Major Scale
Harmonic Major:
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7Dorian ♭5:
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7Phrygian ♭4:
1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 5 ♭6 ♭7Lydian ♭3:
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 7Mixolydian ♭2:
1 ♭2 3 4 5 6 ♭7Lydian Augmented ♯2:
1 ♯2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7Locrian ♭♭7:
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭♭7
Modes of Major Scale
Ionian:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7Dorian:
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7Phrygian:
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7Lydian:
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7Mixolydian:
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7Aeolian:
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7Locrian:
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Major Pentatonic Scale:
1 2 3 4 5Suspended Pentatonic Scale:
1 2 4 5 ♭7Blues Minor Pentatonic Scale:
1 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7Blues Major Pentatonic Scale:
1 2 4 5 6Minor Pentatonic Scale:
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
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1thank you for the awesome post, a beginner question: when you say, e.g. Lydian Augmented ♯2: 1 ♯2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7 - can one replace sharps with flats in this notation so that you have consistency with flats only? i.e. this would be: Lydian Augmented ♯2: 1 ♭3 3 ♭5 ♭6 6 7, is that correct or is there a reason that sometimes sharps are preferred?– Amc_rttyAug 24, 2021 at 9:55
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1@Amc_rtty, that's a great question. Your suspicion is correct that there's a reason to avoid that notation. While ♭3 and ♯2 are enharmonically the same, they're not the same theoretically. The theoretical difference between them creates a lot of practical differences in our playing. As just one example, the ♭3 will be one of the bottom 2 notes in a chord far more often than the ♯2 will be.– jdjazzAug 24, 2021 at 20:44