Melody & Ear
Mode Dictionary
Seven scales beyond major and minor: learn the modes (Dorian, Lydian, and more) with keyboard visuals and audio, and hear how each one changes the mood.
Melody & Ear
Mode Dictionary
Melody & Ear
Mode Dictionary
Seven scales beyond major and minor: learn the modes (Dorian, Lydian, and more) with keyboard visuals and audio, and hear how each one changes the mood.
Feel & mood
Bright and stable — the foundation of pop and classical.
Characteristic interval
Major 3rd (E) defines its brightness
Notable songs
Happy Birthday, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Related key
Same as the major key
Feel & mood
Bright and stable — the foundation of pop and classical.
Characteristic interval
Major 3rd (E) defines its brightness
Notable songs
Happy Birthday, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Related key
Same as the major key
What is this tool?
A reference for the seven modes of the major scale — Ionian through Locrian. Switch modes to compare their feel, characteristic notes, famous songs, and related keys, all in one view.
When it helps
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Identify a song's mode
Hearing a piece that feels neither major nor minor? Match its color to one of the modes.
-
Add new flavors to your writing
Swapping from Ionian to Dorian, Lydian, or Mixolydian instantly reframes a progression — an easy way to break out of major/minor defaults.
-
Expand your playing vocabulary
Focus on each mode's characteristic note when improvising and your lines start to express a specific mood, not just a scale.
How to use
- 1 Pick a mode (Ionian through Locrian) from the tabs at the top.
- 2 The piano highlights that mode's notes — press Play to hear the scale.
- 3 Read the mood, characteristic note, example songs, and related keys cards to get a feel for the mode.
- 4 Switch modes on the same root to hear how the character changes.
- 5 Use the bottom action to jump to the diatonic chord tool for the matching key.
Related Tools
Learning courses that include this topic
Following the course in order gives you a structured foundation.