THE MAJOR SCALE. The Major scale has seven modes, named after ancient Greek tribes and regions. Each mode starts on a successive note in the scale, following the same sequence until reaching the octave. To illustrate this, here are the Major modes in the key of C. Click on any mode name for more detail.
mode
I : IONIAN
II : DORIAN
III : PHRYGIAN
IV : LYDIAN
V : MIXOLYDIAN
VI : AEOLIAN
VII : LOCRIAN 		notes
C   D   E   F   G   A   B
D   E   F   G   A   B   C
E   F   G   A   B   C   D
F   G   A   B   C   D   E
G   A   B   C   D   E   F
A   B   C   D   E   F   G
B   C   D   E   F   G   A 		chord
Cmaj7
Dm7
Em7
Fmaj7
G7
Am7
Bm7b5 		IONIAN chords

Chords may be built from any combination of tones. Triads employ the tonic (1st), the 3rd, and the 5th. Extended chords add 7ths, 9ths, 11ths and 13ths. Each mode contains the same tones as the parent scale, so they all work over any progression related to it. Here are more IONIAN chords in the key of C:

IONIAN variant names

Ionian is the first mode of the Major scale, but the terms can be used interchangeably. With a bright, glad sound, this series of tones is the "ruler" by which all others will be identified and defined.

IONIAN notation & tab
IONIAN scale degrees

Identify each tone's position
relative to the tonic (1) :


Hear IONIAN ascending and descending, ending on Cmaj7:

IONIAN step pattern

Successive intervals between tones;
each mode has its own distinct pattern.

KEY:
H = half step = 1 semitone = 1 fret
W = whole step = 2 semitones = 2 frets
m3 = minor 3rd = 3 semitones = 3 frets

IONIAN chord & scale diagrams for guitar

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millennium scale concordance © 2010 todd gilmore