Modes Flashcards
Ionian Mode
The Ionian mode is a simple ‘doh re mi’ major key. It is the modern major scale. It is composed of natural notes beginning on C.
A typical example of music in the Ionian mode would be Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto in C major, or Vivaldi ‘s Mandolin Concerto in C major.
Dorian Mode
The Dorian mode is very similar to the modern natural minor scale. The only difference is in the sixth note, which is a major sixth above the first note, rather than a minor sixth.
Good examples of the use of Dorian mode in music are ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson, ‘Smoke on the Water’ by Deep Purple and the traditional Scarborough Fair.
Phrygian Mode
The Phrygian is the third mode. It is also very similar to the modern natural minor scale. The only difference is in the second note, which is a minor second not a major. The Phrygian dominant is also known as the Spanish gypsy scale, because it resembles the scales found in flamenco music.
Music that uses the Phyrigian mode include Liszt ‘s Hungarian Rhapsody No.2, Rimsky Korsakov ‘s Scheherezade, Vaughan Williams ‘s Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis and the final aria of Philip Glass ‘s Satyagraha.
Lydian Mode
The Lydian mode has just one note changed from the Ionian, a major scale, but with the fourth note from the bottom sharpened to give a slightly unsettling sound.
Music that employs the Lydian mode includes Chopin ‘s Mazurka No. 15, the theme tune to ‘The Simpsons’, and the third movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’ s String Quartet No. 15 in A minor.
Mixolydian Mode
The single tone that differentiates this scale from the major scale is its seventh note, which is a flattened seventh rather than a major seventh.
Tunes that emply the mixolydian mode include The Beatles’ ‘Norwegian Wood’, the theme to the TV series of Star Trek and Debussy ‘s ‘The Sunken Cathedral’.
Aeolian Mode
Aeolian is the natural minor scale, heard in such popular songs as Bob Dylan’s ‘All along the watchtower’ or REM’s ‘Losing my Religion’.
Locrian Mode
The Locrian mode has five notes in its scale flattened a half-step.
There are passages in the Locrian mode in works by Rachmaninov , for example the Prelude in B minor, op. 32, no. 10, and in Sibelius ‘s Symphony no. 4 in A minor.
