The name "Greek modes" actually covers two different systems: the one of ancient Greece, which thought of scales as descending, and the modern version taught today as the seven modes of the major scale, which is ascending. Both are explained below, starting with the ancient one.
The ancient Greek system (descending)
The music of ancient Greece was organized in tetrachords: groups of four notes arranged from high to low. Two tetrachords made up an octave, so Greek scales were described and sung descending, the opposite of today. The central and most prized mode was the Dorian.
From this came the seven octave species, named after Greek peoples and regions. Placed on the natural notes and read from high to low, they were:
| Mode (ancient Greek) | Octave | Notes (high to low) |
|---|---|---|
| Mixolydian | B–B | B A G F E D C B |
| Lydian | C–C | C B A G F E D C |
| Phrygian | D–D | D C B A G F E D |
| Dorian | E–E | E D C B A G F E |
| Hypolydian | F–F | F E D C B A G F |
| Hypophrygian | G–G | G F E D C B A G |
| Hypodorian | A–A | A G F E D C B A |
The 7 octave species on the staff
Each ancient Greek mode, descending from high to low. The Dorian (E–E) was the central one of the system. (Fixed-do note names, used in Spanish-speaking countries, are Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si for C D E F G A B.)
Beware of the historical mix-up: when they adopted these names in the Middle Ages, theorists reassigned them to different, ascending scales. So the ancient Greek Dorian (descending, E–E) does not match the medieval or modern Dorian (ascending, D–D). The names are the same; the scales are not.
The modern modes (ascending)
Today the name "Greek modes" is used, loosely, for the seven scales you get by playing the major scale starting on each of its degrees, read ascending. They share the same notes, but when the note of rest changes, each one takes on a different pattern and a different character. On the white keys of the piano, C to C gives the Ionian; D to D, the Dorian; E to E, the Phrygian, and so on up to the Locrian. In the table, W is a whole step (UK: tone) and H is a half step (UK: semitone).
| Mode | Degree | Example (white keys) | Pattern | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ionian | I | C D E F G A B | W-W-H-W-W-W-H | Major (the major scale) |
| Dorian | II | D E F G A B C | W-H-W-W-W-H-W | Minor with a major 6th |
| Phrygian | III | E F G A B C D | H-W-W-W-H-W-W | Minor, dark (Spanish flavor) |
| Lydian | IV | F G A B C D E | W-W-W-H-W-W-H | Major with an augmented 4th, bright |
| Mixolydian | V | G A B C D E F | W-W-H-W-W-H-W | Major with a minor 7th |
| Aeolian | VI | A B C D E F G | W-H-W-W-H-W-W | Minor (the natural minor scale) |
| Locrian | VII | B C D E F G A | H-W-W-H-W-W-W | Diminished, very unstable |
The 7 modes on the staff
Each modern mode on the white keys, ascending from its tonic to its octave:
Major and minor modes
Three modes have a major 3rd and "sound major": the Ionian, the Lydian and the Mixolydian. Three others have a minor 3rd: the Dorian, the Phrygian and the Aeolian. The Locrian, with its diminished 5th, is a special case and is hardly ever used as a tonal center.
Three of these modes are also studied as specific scale types in conservatories: the Aeolian mode is the natural minor scale, the Dorian is the Dorian minor scale and the Mixolydian is the Mixolydian major scale. You can also compare the modes with the eight church modes of medieval music.