The Language of Music

More “Modes” of the Major Scale

The major and minor scales are the two most popular scales in western music. You can play a lot of different music with these scales, and it’s perfectly fine to stick to just these two scales for an entire musical career. If you want to stick to these two scales, skip this section. But if you want more options, keep reading.

As you’ve seen, the minor scale is related to the major scale. The A minor scale uses the same notes as C major, just starting and ending on A rather than C. What other scales could you play using these same seven notes? You could start on D, E, F, G, and B as well. That’s five new types of scales! Each of these scales, including A minor, are called “modes” of the C major scale. They each have a different pattern of tones and semitones, and a different emotional quality. Each of these scales also has a name. Below is a table showing all the scales you can play using only the white notes on the piano. To play any of these scales on the piano, start on the starting note, then play the white notes in ascending order until you reach the note an octave higher than the starting note. This is the easiest way to play these types of scales. If you plan on doing a jazz degree, you might want to memorize these names.

All seven of these scales can be played starting on any note. Let’s briefly look at what happens if you start all of these modes on C. This is important because if you play D dorian right after playing C major, your brain might still unconsciously emphasize C. So even though you’re playing D dorian, your brain still hears C major. Let try playing C dorian! The table below shows all seven modes starting on C. If you want to master an instrument, I recommend learning these scales starting on all twelve notes.

To practice these scales, you could try adapting the previous melody exercises but it’s best to try Melody Ear Training Exercise 5.