In music theory, the term mode or modus is used in a number of distinct senses, depending on context.
In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale, the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale – mirroring the major scale, with its harmonic and melodic forms
A jazz scale is any musical scale used in jazz. Many "jazz scales" are common scales drawn from Western European classical music, including the diatonic, whole-tone, octatonic, and the modes of the ascending melodic minor. All of these scales were commonly used by late nineteenth and early twentieth-century composers such as Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky, often in ways that directly anticipate jazz practice. Some jazz scales, such as the bebop scales, add additional chromatic passing tones to the familiar diatonic scales.
Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek harmoniai ; one of the medieval musical modes; or—most commonly—one of the modern modal diatonic scales, corresponding to the piano keyboard's white notes from D to D, or any transposition of itself.
Mixolydian mode may refer to one of three things: the name applied to one of the ancient Greek harmoniai or tonoi, based on a particular octave species or scale; one of the medieval church modes; or a modern musical mode or diatonic scale, related to the medieval mode.
In music, the Phrygian dominant scale is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant. Also called the persian scale, altered Phrygian scale, dominant flat 2 flat 6 (in jazz), the Freygish scale (also spelled Fraigish), harmonic dominant, or simply the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale. It resembles the scale of the Phrygian mode but has a major third. In the Berklee method, it is known as the Mixolydian ♭9 ♭13 chord scale, a Mixolydian scale with a lowered 9th (2nd) and lowered 13th (6th), used in secondary dominant chord scales for V7/III and V7/VI.
A heptatonic scale is a musical scale that has seven pitches, or tones, per octave. Examples include the major scale or minor scale; e.g., in C major: C D E F G A B C—and in the relative minor, A minor, natural minor: A B C D E F G A; the melodic minor scale, A B C D E F♯G♯A ascending, A G F E D C B A descending; the harmonic minor scale, A B C D E F G♯A; and a scale variously known as the Byzantine, and Hungarian, scale, C D E♭ F♯ G A♭ B C. Indian classical theory postulates seventy-two seven-tone scale types, collectively called thaat, whereas others postulate twelve or ten seven-tone scale types.
A or La is the sixth note and the tenth semitone of the fixed-do solfège.
In music, the major Locrian scale, also called the Locrian major scale, is the scale obtained by sharpening the second and third notes of the diatonic Locrian mode. With a tonic of C, it consists of the notes C D E F G♭ A♭ B♭. It can be described as a whole tone scale extending from G♭ to E, with F introduced within the diminished third interval from E to G♭. The scale therefore shares with the Locrian mode the property of having a diminished fifth above the tonic.
Bebop scale is a term referring to the practice of adding a note to any common seven tone scale in order to make it an eight tone scale. An eight tone scale is balanced, meaning that it contains an even number of notes (8), and an even number of notes enables the primary chord tones to continuously fall on the strong beats of "1 2 3 4" (downbeats). This is unlike common seven note scale in which the chord tones do not all naturally fall on the beats "1 2 3 4" (downbeats). These bebop scales are frequently used in jazz improvisation. Jazz educator David Baker nicknamed these scales the 'bebop scales' because they were used often by jazz artists from the Bebop Era. These artists include Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie, to name a few.
D is a musical note a whole tone above C, and is known as Re within the fixed-Do solfege system. Its enharmonic equivalents are C and E.
E is the third note and the fifth semitone of the C major scale, and mi in fixed-do solfège. It has enharmonic equivalents of F♭ [(F-flat) which is by definition a diatonic semitone above E♭] and D, amongst others.
F is a musical note, the fourth above C or fifth below C. It is the fourth note and the sixth semitone of the solfège. It is also known as fa in fixed-do solfège. It has enharmonic equivalents of E♯ (E-sharp) and G, amongst others.
Sol, so, or G is the fifth note of the fixed-do solfège starting on C. It is the fifth note and the eighth semitone of the solfège. As such it is the dominant, a perfect fifth above C or perfect fourth below C.
F♯ is the seventh semitone of the solfège.
A♯ is the eleventh semitone of the solfege. In some countries it is informally called B.
C♯ (C-sharp) is a musical note lying a chromatic semitone above C and a diatonic semitone below D; it is the second semitone of the solfège. C-sharp is thus enharmonic to D♭. It is the second semitone in the French solfège and is known there as do dièse. In some European notations, it is known as Cis. In equal temperament it is also enharmonic with B.
B♭ (B-flat) is the eleventh step of the Western chromatic scale . It lies a diatonic semitone above A and a chromatic semitone below B, thus being enharmonic to A♯, even though in some musical tunings, B♭ will have a different sounding pitch than A♯. B-flat is also enharmonic to C.
A♭ is the ninth semitone of the solfège.
D♭ (D-flat) is a musical note lying a diatonic semitone above C and a chromatic semitone below D. It is thus enharmonic to C♯. In the French solfège it is known as re bémol.
