Gerador de Modo Grego

Greek modes, seven flavours of the diatonic scale

The Greek modes — also called church modes — are the seven scales you get by starting the major scale on each of its seven degrees and treating that note as the new tonic. They share the same set of pitches but rearrange the interval pattern, and that rearrangement produces seven very different emotional flavours. The names (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian) come from ancient Greek theory, although medieval scribes scrambled the original Greek meanings — what we now call "Dorian" is not what Plato called Dorian.

From C, the seven modes are: Ionian C D E F G A B (= the major scale), Dorian D E F G A B C (minor with a natural 6th — the jazz favourite), Phrygian E F G A B C D (minor with a flat 2nd — flamenco and Spanish music), Lydian F G A B C D E (major with a #4 — dreamy, ethereal), Mixolydian G A B C D E F (major with a b7 — blues and rock), Aeolian A B C D E F G (= natural minor), and Locrian B C D E F G A (diminished — rarely used as a tonic).

Characteristic notes — what makes each mode feel unique

Each mode has a characteristic note: the single degree that distinguishes it from the parallel major or minor. Dorian's calling card is the natural 6, Lydian's is the #4, Phrygian's is the b2, Mixolydian's is the b7, and Locrian's is the b5. Composers who want to evoke a mode lean on its characteristic note constantly — Joe Satriani's Flying in a Blue Dream hammers the Lydian #4, while flamenco players pivot endlessly on the Phrygian b2.

Modal music in the wild

Modal music dominated medieval and Renaissance Europe — Gregorian chant is almost entirely modal. After centuries of major/minor hegemony, Miles Davis's Kind of Blue (1959) brought modes back: So What is sixteen bars of D Dorian, eight bars of Eb Dorian, eight more of D Dorian. John Williams uses Lydian for magic and wonder (the Force theme), Phrygian Dominant for villainy. Metal guitarists love Phrygian and its dominant cousin for evil-sounding riffs; The Beatles' Norwegian Wood is pure Mixolydian.

Modal interchange and improvisation

Modal interchange — borrowing chords from a parallel mode — is one of the most powerful tools in pop and jazz. A bVII in a major key (e.g. Bb in C major) is "borrowed" from C Mixolydian, and you hear it in Sweet Child o' Mine, Hey Jude, and a thousand other hits. For improvisers, the mode that matches a chord lets you solo "inside" — Dorian over a m7, Mixolydian over a dominant 7, Lydian over a major7. Mastering this chord-to-mode mapping is the rite of passage from blues guitarist to jazz player.

FAQ

Which mode plays over which chord? The standard pairings are Dorian over minor 7, Mixolydian over dominant 7, Lydian over major 7 (#11), Aeolian over minor 7 (natural), and Locrian over minor 7 b5 (half-diminished).

Is Aeolian the same as natural minor? Yes — Aeolian is literally the natural minor scale. The other "minor modes" (Dorian, Phrygian, Locrian) are variations with one or two altered degrees.

How can I remember the order of the modes? The mnemonic I Don't Particularly Like Modes A Lot (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian) works for most students.

Are Greek modes the same as ancient Greek scales? No. Medieval theorists borrowed the names but applied them to a totally different system. What we call modal music today is essentially a medieval invention, not classical Greek.