Modes - Part 2
There are two different perspectives to view modes from to help you understand how they are constructed: the relative view and the altered/parallel view.
The relative view involves looking at the different modes of a scale whilst staying within the same set of notes. Below you can see that if you start on D and travel through the C major scale you end up with the D Dorian mode. D Dorian has the same notes as C Ionian but it is a different scale. This is because it has a different interval pattern (shown in modes part 1).
Relative modes of the C major scale
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C | C Ionian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||
| D | E | F | G | A | B | C | D | D Dorian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | b7 | 1 | |||||||||
| E | F | G | A | B | C | D | E | E Phrygian | ||||||||
| 1 | b2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b6 | b7 | 1 | |||||||||
| F | G | A | B | C | D | E | F | F Lydian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | #4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||
| G | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | G Mixolydian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | b7 | 1 | |||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | A | A Aeolian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b6 | b7 | 1 | |||||||||
| B | C | D | E | F | G | A | B | B Locrian | ||||||||
| 1 | b2 | b3 | 4 | b5 | b6 | b7 | 1 |
The parallel or altered view involves looking at different modes that are all in the same key. This enables you to easily see the different intervals. For example the C Ionian and C Dorian mode (below) both have an interval of a tone between their 1st and 2nd degrees (C to D). This would not be so easy to see using the relative view (check the diagram above).
Parallel modes with a root of C
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C | C Ionian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||
| C | D | Eb | F | G | A | Bb | C | C Dorian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | b7 | 1 | |||||||||
| C | Db | Eb | F | G | Ab | Bb | C | C Phrygian | ||||||||
| 1 | b2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b6 | b7 | 1 | |||||||||
| C | D | E | F# | G | A | B | C | C Lydian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | #4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||
| C | D | E | F | G | A | Bb | C | C Mixolydian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | b7 | 1 | |||||||||
| C | D | Eb | F | G | Ab | Bb | C | C Aeolian | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b6 | b7 | 1 | |||||||||
| C | Db | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | Bb | C | C Locrian | ||||||||
| 1 | b2 | b3 | 4 | b5 | b6 | b7 | 1 |