All About Modes: and How to Use them in Your Songwriting!

What are modes anyway? Just some dumb, complicated music theory?

Actually modes are both simple and useful !

First let me explain what modes are.

A mode is just a scale, and to play a melody in each mode, all you have to do is start, focus, and end with a different note in a given scale!

For example, let's take the key of C.

If I start with a C, focus around C, and end in C, I'll be playing in the Ionian mode, or Major Scale.

BUT, if I start with D, focus around D, and end with D, in that same C scale. I will be playing in the Dorian mode!

This works for any key, just remember that starting, focusing on and ending on a different note, in the same scale, will give you a different sound.

What are the different sounds that the modes can give you?

The first mode, the Ionian mode, or the Major Scale is the first mode, it starts with the root note of the key. So if you are in the key of C, you just start with a C. The Ionian mode has a happy/nursery-rhyme sound.

The second mode, the Dorian mode, has a Celtic/Folk sound. To play in the Dorian mode, just start with the second note in the key. So if you are in C, you would start with a D. This is called D Dorian.

The third mode, the Phyrgian mode has a Middle-eastern/Arabic sound. The Phrygian mode in the key of C is played starting with the E, called E Phrygian.

The fourth mode, the Lydian mode has a happy/mellow sound.

The fifth, the Mixolydian, sounds like the Lydian mode, only a little darker/sadder.

The sixth mode, the Aeolian mode, or Natural Minor Scale, is by far the most common mode. It sound sounds very Pop-y/Catchy.

The final mode is called the Locrian, and is the most difficult to work with of all the modes, so it's very rarely used.

If you want to remember the names of the modes, here is a neat mnemonic:

I

Don't

Personally

Like

Modes

A

Lot

Which of course stands for:

Ionian

Dorian

Phrygian

Lydian

Mixolydian

Aeolian

Locrian

Thank you for reading, and I hope this can help you!

#songwriting #modes #musictheory