Modes in Traditional Music

Western music usually fits into a "doh,re,me" scale (Doh a deer a female deer, re a drop of golden sun ...)

A major scale uses doh as its 'home' note - which means it usually ends on doh.

However you can start and end a scale on any note in the doh,re, me scale - where you start and end defines the mode, start and end on doh's and its a major scale, also known as Ionian.

The other mode commonly found in classical music is the minor which starts and ends on 'lah' (However the minor scale is actually a bit more complicated in classical music), The unmessed around with mode which starts on lah is the Aeolian mode.

However other modes exist, particularly in folk music, particularly the Dorian mode, which starts on "re".

You can hear what a scale in Dorian mode sounds like - play a scale using just the white notes on a piano starting on D and ending on D. A famous reel in the Dorian mode is The Tarbolton, in E Dorian. That's a scale with 2 sharps starting and ending on E.

Here are the modes alongside the doh, re, me

doh	Major, Ionian
re	Dorian
me	Phrygian
fah	Lydian
soh	Mixolydian
lah	Minor, Aeolian
te	Locrian

For example the tune has two sharps, F# and C# and the home note is E. Look down the left hand column for 2 sharps then across for E. This is in the column headed Dorian, so the tune is in E Dorian.

You can use this chart the other way around - to answer the question "What is the key signature of xyz mode ?". For example, what is the key signature of D Mixolydian (or Dmix)? Look down the column headed Mixolydian until you find D. Then look across to the left hand column - you'll see that Dmix has 1 sharp.

Key Sig	Home Note
	Major	Dorian	Phrygian	Lydian	Mixolydian	Minor	Locrian
0 Sharps	C	D	E	F	G	A	B
1 Sharp	G	A	B	C	D	E	F#
2 Sharps	D	E	F#	G	A	B	C#
3 Sharps	A	B	C#	D	E	F#	G#
4 Sharps	E	F#	G#	A	B	C#	D#
5 Sharps	B	C#	D#	E	F#	G#	A#
6 Sharps	F#	G#	A#	B	C#	D#	E#
7 Sharps	C#	D#	E#	F#	G#	A#	B#
1 Flat	F	G	A	Bb	C	D	E
2 Flats	Bb	C	D	Eb	F	G	A
3 Flats	Eb	F	G	Ab	Bb	C	D
4 Flats	Ab	Bb	C	Db	Eb	F	G
5 Flats	Db	Eb	F	Gb	Ab	Bb	C
6 Flats	Gb	Ab	Bb	C	Db	Eb	Fb
7 Flats	Cb	Db	Eb	Fb	Gb	Ab	Bb