Guitar Modes Chart: All 7 Modes Visualized

The seven guitar modes are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. Each has its own root, interval formula, characteristic note, and tonic chord.

A useful guitar modes chart shows more than fretboard shapes. Modes are interval relationships, so their formulas let you build them from any root. This guide to how chords and scales relate explains the underlying distinction.

What Are the Seven Guitar Modes?

The seven modes can be produced by treating each note of a major scale as a new tonal center. Using the notes of C major, the resulting modes are C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, A Aeolian, and B Locrian.

Modes as rotations of a parent major scale

All seven examples contain the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B, but their tonal centers change. D Dorian is heard in relation to D, so its formula is 1–2–♭3–4–5–6–♭7.

In the relative approach, several modes share one parent scale. Learning how guitar scales and modes are organized connects these note sets to the neck.

Why the same notes can sound different

Playing C-major notes from D to D does not guarantee a Dorian sound. The bass, harmony, and phrases must make D feel like home. Dorian’s natural 6 separates it from natural minor.

Guitar Modes Chart: Formulas, Notes, and Chord Qualities

The chart compares every mode with a major scale beginning on the same root.

Mode	Degree	Interval formula	C-major family	Tonic chord	Characteristic color
Ionian	1	1–2–3–4–5–6–7	C D E F G A B	Major or maj7	Natural 7
Dorian	2	1–2–♭3–4–5–6–♭7	D E F G A B C	Minor or m7	Natural 6
Phrygian	3	1–♭2–♭3–4–5–♭6–♭7	E F G A B C D	Minor or m7	♭2
Lydian	4	1–2–3–♯4–5–6–7	F G A B C D E	Major or maj7	♯4
Mixolydian	5	1–2–3–4–5–6–♭7	G A B C D E F	Major or 7	♭7
Aeolian	6	1–2–♭3–4–5–♭6–♭7	A B C D E F G	Minor or m7	♭6
Locrian	7	1–♭2–♭3–4–♭5–♭6–♭7	B C D E F G A	Diminished or m7♭5	♭2 and ♭5

Ionian, Lydian, and Mixolydian contain a major third. Dorian, Phrygian, and Aeolian contain a minor third. Locrian’s minor third and diminished fifth create a diminished tonic chord. These qualities become predictable when you know how chords are constructed from intervals.

What Does Each Guitar Mode Sound Like?

Each mode’s identity comes from its intervals, not a fixed mood label. Compare modes over the same root and emphasize their distinguishing notes.

Major-family modes

Ionian is the major scale. Lydian raises the fourth. Mixolydian lowers the seventh, matching a dominant seventh chord.

C Ionian contains F, C Lydian contains F♯, and C Mixolydian contains B♭. All retain the major third, E.

Minor-family and diminished modes

Dorian raises natural minor’s sixth. Phrygian adds a ♭2. Aeolian is natural minor, while Locrian combines a minor third with a ♭5.

Dorian’s 6, Phrygian’s ♭2, and Aeolian’s ♭6 identify them more reliably than labels such as “bright” or “dark.”

What Is the Difference Between Relative and Parallel Modes?

Relative modes use the same notes with different roots. Parallel modes keep one root but change their intervals, making their differences easier to hear.

Mode on C	Notes that differ from C Ionian	Resulting formula
C Ionian	None	1–2–3–4–5–6–7
C Dorian	E♭, B♭	1–2–♭3–4–5–6–♭7
C Phrygian	D♭, E♭, A♭, B♭	1–♭2–♭3–4–5–♭6–♭7
C Lydian	F♯	1–2–3–♯4–5–6–7
C Mixolydian	B♭	1–2–3–4–5–6–♭7
C Aeolian	E♭, A♭, B♭	1–2–♭3–4–5–♭6–♭7
C Locrian	D♭, E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭	1–♭2–♭3–4–♭5–♭6–♭7

Relative thinking helps locate notes: D Dorian and C Ionian share a key signature. Parallel comparison reveals B natural in D Dorian versus B♭ in D Aeolian. Understanding guitar key signatures supports both approaches.

How Do You Use a Guitar Modes Chart?

Identify the tonal center, match the supporting chord, locate the root, and target the characteristic interval. Resolve phrases to the modal root.

1. Identify the note that sounds like home.
2. Determine the sustained or repeating tonic chord.
3. Choose a mode whose chord tones match that harmony.
4. Find several copies of the root across the fretboard.
5. Begin with chord tones, then introduce the characteristic note.
6. End important phrases on the root or another stable chord tone.

D Dorian over Dm7

D Dorian contains D–E–F–G–A–B–C. D, F, A, and C form Dm7; B supplies the defining natural 6. Emphasize B over Dm7, then resolve toward A or C.

G Mixolydian over G7

G Mixolydian contains G–A–B–C–D–E–F. G, B, D, and F form G7. F is the characteristic ♭7 separating the mode from G major.

Use note locations across the guitar fretboard instead of relying on one memorized box.

How Do You Transpose a Mode to Any Guitar Key?

To transpose a mode, apply its interval formula to a new root. Movable patterns preserve those intervals.

To construct A Phrygian, begin with the A major scale: A–B–C♯–D–E–F♯–G♯. Apply the Phrygian formula by lowering degrees 2, 3, 6, and 7:

A–B♭–C–D–E–F–G

A, C, and E form A minor; B♭ provides the defining ♭2. The principles of transposing guitar chords likewise preserve interval relationships.

Which Chords Work With Each Mode?

Modes sound clearest when harmony supports the tonic chord and characteristic tone. Drones and one-chord grooves are useful for learning.

Mode	Strong starting harmony	Tone to feature carefully
Ionian	Major, maj7	7
Dorian	m7	6
Phrygian	Minor, m7	♭2
Lydian	Major, maj7	♯4
Mixolydian	Major, dominant 7	♭7
Aeolian	Minor, m7	♭6
Locrian	Diminished, m7♭5	♭2 and ♭5

Chord context matters more than a genre label. Lydian’s ♯4 may clash if a backing part holds the natural 4, while Mixolydian’s ♭7 is already present in a dominant seventh chord. Modal borrowing inside an otherwise tonal progression is a different concept, covered in this explanation of modal interchange chords.

How Should Guitarists Practice the Modes?

Practice modes over a drone or one-chord loop, compare parallel modes from one root, and target chord tones before adding characteristic notes. This develops modal hearing rather than merely memorizing seven patterns.

Choose one root, such as A, and alternate A Ionian, A Dorian, and A Mixolydian. Keep A sounding underneath, say each interval aloud, and pause on the notes that change. Next, improvise short phrases that begin on a chord tone, touch the characteristic note, and resolve.

Move the exercise to several neck positions. A pattern is only a fingering map; the mode is the relationship between a tonal center and its intervals. Connecting each position to the notes on every guitar string prevents a “mode shape” from being mistaken for the musical mode itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the seven modes on guitar?

The seven modes are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian. They correspond to the seven degrees of the major scale and each has a distinct interval formula.

What is the easiest way to remember the guitar modes?

Memorize their order, then group them by third: Ionian, Lydian, and Mixolydian are major; Dorian, Phrygian, and Aeolian are minor; Locrian is diminished. Learn each mode’s characteristic alteration rather than relying only on a mnemonic.

Are guitar modes different scales or the same scale?

Relative modes can share the same notes, but they function as different scales because they have different tonal centers and interval structures relative to those centers. Parallel modes share a root but contain different notes.

Which guitar mode should you use over a minor chord?

Dorian, Phrygian, or Aeolian may fit a minor chord, but the surrounding harmony determines the best choice. Check whether the music supports a natural or flat 6 and whether a ♭2 would clash with the melody or chord.

Do guitar modes have separate fretboard shapes?

Any mode can be mapped in multiple fretboard positions. Shapes are useful for fingering, but a shape alone does not establish a mode; the tonal center, harmony, and emphasized intervals do that.

What is the difference between a mode and a scale position?

A mode is an interval system organized around a tonal center. A scale position is simply a location and fingering used to play notes on the fretboard, so the same position may serve different modal contexts.