Guitar Modes: The Seven Modes of the Major Scale

Every mode is one note away from a scale you already know. Dorian is natural minor with one note raised. Mixolydian is the major scale with one note lowered. Learn which note, and which chord brings it in, and the modes stop being theory and start being sounds.

Most lessons teach modes the other way round: D Dorian is the C major scale starting on D, E Phrygian is C major starting on E, and so on. That’s true, and it’s why so many players learn all seven and can’t hear the difference between any of them. Seven scales with the same notes all sound like C major. Put all seven on the same root instead, and each one has its own sound. That’s how this series works: every mode in A, so you hear what changes.

The seven modes, side by side

Here are all seven in A, from brightest to darkest. Read down the table: each mode changes exactly one note from the one above it, marked in black. That’s the whole system.

Brightest at the top, darkest at the bottom

Mode	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Lydian	A1	B2	C#3	D##4	E5	F#6	G#7
Ionian	A1	B2	C#3	D4	E5	F#6	G#7
Mixolydian	A1	B2	C#3	D4	E5	F#6	G♭7
Dorian	A1	B2	C♭3	D4	E5	F#6	G♭7
Aeolian	A1	B2	C♭3	D4	E5	F♭6	G♭7
Phrygian	A1	B♭♭2	C♭3	D4	E5	F♭6	G♭7
Locrian	A1	B♭♭2	C♭3	D4	E♭♭5	F♭6	G♭7

Lydian raises the 4th. Drop it and you’ve got the major scale. Drop the 7th and you’ve got Mixolydian. Drop the 3rd and it turns minor: Dorian. Keep going and each step gets darker, until Locrian loses the perfect 5th and stops sounding like it has a home at all.

Two families and an outsider

Major: Lydian, Ionian, Mixolydian

All three have a major 3rd (C# in A). They sound major. The difference is in the 4th and the 7th.

Minor: Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian

All three have a minor 3rd (C in A). They sound minor. The difference is in the 2nd and the 6th.

Locrian

A minor 3rd and a flat 5th. Its home chord is diminished, so it never quite settles. Use it last.

So the first question is never “which mode?” It’s “major or minor?” That narrows it to three. Then one note decides.

How to tell which mode you’re in

Look at the chords. Each mode has one chord that brings its note in and rules the others out. In A:

Home chord	If you also see	It’s	Because
A	B	Lydian	B brings the D#
A	D and E7	Ionian	D and G# together
A or A7	G	Mixolydian	G brings the flat 7th
Am	D	Dorian	D brings the F#
Am	F	Aeolian	F brings the flat 6th
Am	B♭	Phrygian	B♭ brings the flat 2nd

That table only works for A. In another key the notes and chords move with it, and each mode page has a table for all twelve keys. If none of the chords decides it, the choice is yours. That’s not a gap in the system. It’s where you get to pick the sound.

One page per mode

Each page shows you the notes, four one-octave patterns that run from root to root, the chord the mode lives on, and where it fits and where it clashes.

1Ionian The major scaleThe note in A: D, the 4th The plain major scale. The 4th is the note to handle, and the reference every other mode is measured against.Read it → 2Dorian Minor, brighterThe note in A: F#, the 6th Natural minor with a raised 6th. The sound of minor vamps, funk and minor blues. The chord that brings it in is D.Read it → 3Phrygian Minor, darkestThe note in A: B♭, the ♭2 Natural minor with a flat 2nd. Pedal riffs, metal and the half-step cadence. The chord that brings it in is B♭.Read it → 4Lydian Major, brightestThe note in A: D#, the #4 The major scale with a raised 4th. Film scores and floating chords. The chord that brings it in is B.Read it → 5Mixolydian Major, bluesyThe note in A: G, the ♭7 The major scale with a flat 7th. Rock, blues and dominant chords. The chord that brings it in is G.Read it → 6Aeolian Natural minorThe note in A: F, the ♭6 Natural minor. Most minor-key songs, plus the one note they borrow. The chord that brings it in is F.Read it → 7Locrian The odd one outThe note in A: E♭, the ♭5 A flat 2nd and a flat 5th. No stable home chord, which is why it’s rare and why it’s last.Read it →

Where to start

Blues and rock: Mixolydian first, then Dorian. Between them they cover most of what you’ll play over.
Minor-key songs: Aeolian, mainly for the one note most minor songs borrow.
Metal and heavy riffs: Phrygian.
Film, ambient and instrumental: Lydian.
Everyone: leave Locrian until last.

New to modes?

Modes for People in a Hurry is a free PDF that gets the basics in place before you start on the pages above.

Get the free PDF

The Modes: From Theory to Fretboard

If you want the systems behind the modes rather than one mode at a time, this bundle has five books in it: Beyond Pentatonics, Major Scale Modes Designed for Guitar, Quickstart Guides: Modes, The Dorian Improvisation System, and Scale Fluency: Major Scale Modes.

Get the bundle$48

Common questions

What are guitar modes?

Seven scales that come from the major scale. Each one has a different set of whole and half steps above its root, which gives it its own sound. On guitar the useful way to think of them is as major or minor scales with one note changed.

Which mode should I learn first?

If you play blues or rock, Mixolydian, then Dorian. They’re the two you’ll use most, and each is one note away from a scale you probably know already.

Are modes just the major scale starting on different notes?

On paper, yes. D Dorian has the same notes as C major. But that’s not how you hear them. Over a D minor chord those notes sound like D Dorian, not like C major. Comparing modes on the same root is how you learn to hear the difference.

Which mode is the brightest, and which is the darkest?

Lydian is the brightest and Locrian the darkest. Phrygian is the darkest one you’ll use regularly. The table above runs from one end to the other.

Do I need to learn all seven?

No. Most players get the most out of Mixolydian, Dorian and Aeolian. Learn the one that matches the music you play, and the rest are one note away when you need them.