Modes

Same seven notes, seven different homes.

Seven homes, one set of notes

Start the major scale on a different note and you get a different mode — a different mood, with the same raw material.

The lineup

Ionian    bright, major
Dorian    minor but hopeful
Phrygian  dark, Spanish
Lydian    bright and floating
Mixolydian bluesy major
Aeolian    natural minor
Locrian    the odd one out

Why it matters

Modes are how the same seven notes become funk, metal, flamenco, or folk. The difference is which note you call home.