A PowerPoint Presentation by
Peggy Taylor
“Jig” by Violet Archer, Dorian Mode
(Celebration Series, Piano Odyssey, Level 5)
Remember
Name
Notes
Sounds
I
Ionian
C-C
Major
Don’t
Dorian
D-D
Minor
Play
Phrygian
E-E
Minor
Loud
Lydian
F-F
Major
Music
Mixolydian
G-G
Major
After
Aeolian
A-A
Minor
Letterman
Locrian
B-B
Minor
Memorize
Order of
Modes
Mode Name
Starting Key
/ Ending Sig.
Notes
Transposition
Interval
Whole &
Half Step
Patterns
Another way
to think of
the mode
scale
I
C Ionian
C–C
C
Unison
WWHWWWH
(Major Scale)
Don’t
D Dorian
D–D
C
M2nd Down WHWWWHW
(Natural minor
with raised 6th)
Play
E Phrygian
E–E
C
M3rd Down
HWWWHWW
(Natural minor
scale with a
lowered 2nd)
Loud
F Lydian
F–F
C
P4th Down
WWWHWWH
(Major scale with
a raised 4th)
Music
G Mixolydian G – G
C
P5th Down
WWHWWHW
(Major scale with
a lowered 7th)
After
A Aeolian
A–A
C
M6th Down
WHWWHWW
(Natural minor
scale)
Letterman
B Locrian
B–B
C
M7th Down
HWWHWWW
(Natural minor
scale with
lowered 2nd and
5th)

To find the notes for any mode scale
 from
the desired starting note, count
down by the transposition interval (see
chart) for that mode
 use
the major key signature of the
resulting note.

Example: to play a Lydian scale on A
 the
lydian transposition interval is a P4th

count down a P4th from A, which is E

using the Key Signature for E Major, play the
scale, starting and ending on A.

“A” Lydian: A, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A
 Major



Sounding Modes – from Major Scale:
L Lydian
I Ionian
M Mixolydian
 Minor
#4th
Major Scale
b7th
Sounding Modes – from Natural
Minor



D Dorian
A Aeolian
P Phrygian
#6
Natural Minor Scale
b2
 Eastern
Music – Locrian Mode (Sakura)
 Jazz – Dorian, Mixolydian, Phrygian, Aeolian
 Jewish – Phrygian (Hava Nagila)
 Latin – Mixolydian, Phrygian
LYDIAN - very bright, upbeat. Good for anything very bright and upbeat
such as pop, kids music, etc
IONIAN - very sweet, happy, bright. Perfect for happy songs, love songs,
etc. Used for almost all childrens music
MIXOLYDIAN - middle of the road bright scale. Good for light rock, pop,
country, etc
DORIAN - perfect middle ground. Not too bright, not to dark. Good for
country, rock, blues.
AEOLIAN - gritty, bluesy, warm sounding rock scale. This is the standard
rock and blues scale.
PHRYGIAN - dark, classical metal sound. A Randy Rhoads favorite.
LOCRIAN - very dark, dissident, brooding. Good for heavy metal, dark
classical, etc. Unstable harmonically because it’s chord is diminished
 Create
chords from the 1,3,5,(7) tones of a
mode scale
 You
should also be able to use any of the
available notes of the mode scale to find
harmony and melody ideas that will work
perfectly.
Chord
Key
Displacement Mode
 CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
CM
C-C
D-D
E-E
F-F
G-G
A-A
B-B
7th
 Dm 7th
 Em 7th
 FM 7th
 G Dom7th
 Am 7th
 B 1/2 Dim7th
Ionian
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian
A
good exercise would be to play the scale
tone 7th chords in your left hand while
playing the corresponding modes in the right.
 Learning
these modes for the piano, along
with the major scales and arpeggios, is very
important in improvising on the piano.

Beginners:

Intro Level

Scarborough Fair, any version
Dorian
*Kabalevsky
Song Op. 39, #8
Dorian
*David Duke
Bear Dance
Phrygian
Level 1
*Pierre Gallant Invention No. 6
Dorian
*David Duke She’s Like the Swallow Dorian

*David Duke
March
Lydian
*Paul Sheftel
Ins and Outs
Modal
Waltz, Op. 39, No. 13
Begins in Dorian
Level 1-2
Kabalevsky

Level 2
*Bela Bartok
Little Dance in Canon Form D Dorian
*Chee-Hwa Tan The Land of Nod
G Mixolydian
From Clark, Contemporary Piano Literature Book 2:

Elie Siegmeister Song of the Dark Woods
Dorian
Shostakovich
Aeolian on A and G
Waltz
Level 3
David Diamond 8 Piano Pieces: Rock-a-Bye Baby Aeolian on D
David Diamond 8 Piano Pieces: Jack-a-Dandy Mixolydian on D

Level 2-4
Burgess, Marjorie Music a la Mode

Various Modes
Level 4
*Arpad Balazs Game
D Dorian

Level 5
*Violet Archer

Jig
Dorian
*Pierre Gallant
Sarabande
D Mixolydian
*Paul Creston
Pastoral Dance, Op. 24, #4 F Lydian
Level 6
Not in Syllabus:

Level 5
Kaleidoscope Solos, Book 5
J. George

Everett Stevens
Exotica
Phrygian on C
Novellette
Aeolian and Dorian
Six Modal Miniatures for Piano (may not still be
in print – used to be in syllabus)
*From the Celebrations Series: Piano Odyssey