Let’s begin in the key of C. We’ll do this so that key signatures and accidentals don’t run the risk of confusing us. Just as there are seven notes in any given major key, there are seven basic 7^th chords we can build, and seven modes that can be derived. Let’s unpack this a bit. Here’s the C major scale, which can also be called C Ionian.

And now, by stacking three 3^rds over each tone, we get seven 7^th chords.

Doing this gives us the vertical harmonies diatonic to C major. Notice a few characteristics:

• There are two major 7 chords on the 1^st and 4^th notes.
• There are three minor 7 chords on the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 6^th notes.
• There is a dominant 7^th chord on the 5^th note.
• And there is a half-diminished chord on the 7^th note.

Each of these chords has a different quality to it. We often use terms like tonic, dominant, and subdominant to describe the feelings they create, but I like to think of how they move. Major and minor chords are relatively stable. The five major and minor 7^th chords here don’t have a ton of urgency to them. The dominant and half-diminished chords however both contain tritones and have an unstable tension that moves us forward.

And something even more subtle is going on here. There are two major chords, but if we play them back-to-back, there’s something different between them. They’re not identical. The I feels very “home” while the IV is more brilliant. And the minor chords have differences as well. The ii doesn’t have the same heaviness I hear in the vi. And the iii often feels a little like a major chord in first inversion (like the 9^th bar of Miles Davis’s “Four”).

If the chords can have these feelings, so too should the scales that go with them. Here’s where modes kick in. Just like the seven possible 7^th chords, we have seven unique modes that match up with and share characteristics with these seven chords.

• Two scales that express major, but with an important difference.
• Three scales that express minor, but varying shades from bright, to weighty, to brooding.
• A single scale that brings dominant to life.
• And a very peculiar and unstable scale that captures the half-diminished chord.

Let’s spend some time looking at each of the seven modes of major. And I’ve written the likely chord symbol above each scale to help you make connections.

Ionian (better known as Major)

The mode built on the 1^st degree of major is the major scale. It’s also known as Ionian but in practice no one uses that term. Call it Major and everyone will be happy.

Major is everywhere. I’m sure you already know the sound of it. That said, for the sake of being thorough, here are a few songs to check out:

• “Peace Piece” by Bill Evans
• “The Creator Has a Master Plan” by Leon Thomas, as played by Pharoah Sanders

Dorian

Starting on the 2^nd scale degree, spells the Dorian mode. Given that ii chords are extremely common to jazz, the mode that goes with the ii chord is common as well. Dorian is the minor scale you’ll use the most. The major 6^th interval makes this minor mode brighter when compared to the other two minor modes.

Dorian is the most common minor sound in jazz, in no small part because it has no avoid notes, and more importantly, is the mode that goes with the ii in the ii-V-I progression. To get used to the sound, check out:

• “So What” by Miles Davis
• “Recordame” by Joe Henderson

Phrygian

The 3^rd mode is rare. While also a minor scale, iii chords aren’t particularly common. They mostly show up as substitutes for I chords or in the iii-VI7-ii-V chord progression. Phrygian has a dark, dissonant sound due to its minor 2^nd and 6^th intervals.

• “La Fiesta” by Chick Corea
• The bridge of “After the Rain” by John Coltrane

Lydian

Lydian is a major scale with a raised 4^th degree. As it has all the other characteristics of major, it has a bright sound. Interestingly, the raised 4 means there are no “avoid-notes” in the scale, meaning all notes are consonant against a major chord. IV chords aren’t exactly rare, but they don’t show up as often in their basic form.

Lydian is a go to sound in modern jazz, working extremely well on major chords regardless of whether they are Is or IVs. I use Lydian any time I see a major chord that doesn’t appear to be a I chord, or when it’s not clear I’m in a key.

• “Inner Urge” by Joe Henderson
• “Tell Me a Bedtime Story” by Herbie Hancock (the really rhythmic bit especially)

Myxolydian

The 5^th mode is extremely important to jazz music, maybe even more than the major scale itself. Due to the prevalence of the Blues, and dominant 7 chords in our music, you’ll use this mode constantly. It has a tritone between its 3^rd and 7^th giving it its characteristically active and “bluesy” sound.

Any blues will give you the sound of this scale. And there are a few famous modal tunes as well. Check these out:

• “Adam’s Apple” by Wayne Shorter
• “All Blues” by Miles Davis

Aeolian (better known as Natural Minor)

The 6^th mode is the minor scale we usually refer to as natural or relative minor. It is a darker, weightier scale than dorian. It’s commonly found as the tonic chord in minor key songs from the Great American Songbook, and in the I vi ii V chord progression in rhythm changes.

Locrian

The 7^th mode is paired up with the most unstable chord found in major, the half-diminished chord (often written ø7). This chord has a diminished 5^th—the only chord in major with this interval. The mode then has a tense, aggressively active quality to it. You’ll use this mode a lot in minor keys as the ii chord.

A quick summary…

Another way to think about what we’ve just covered is that modes express the full color of the chord they match up with. For example, the 2^nd mode dorian is like a ii chord but with all of the additional colors the chord has but are usually left out when played in a piano voicing.

Putting Modes in Context