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Modes · Section index

Piano modes

Seven modes of the major scale, ordered brightest to darkest. Each entry opens with a keyboard you can play, in any of the eighteen keys.

The seven modes, bright to dark

Same seven notes, seven different starting points. Read top to bottom and you hear the light drain out of them.

The brightness spectrum

The one thing worth memorising: the order, and the single note that sets each mode apart.

Lydian is one note brighter than major; each step down flattens one more degree until Locrian.

Browse by key

Pick a mode above, then any of the eighteen keys, both enharmonic spellings included.

New to the idea? Start with the modes guide, or see how modes relate to their parent scales on the scales hub.