I have a weird relationship with music since I can make music without knowing music theory, so I wanted to start from zero. Also, English is not my first language so I apologize in advance.
These are the only thing that I've understood so far and I hope they are right and a good start:
1) Modes and scales: I imagine them like verb conjugations.
Modes = indicative, subjunctive, imperative etc..
Scales = present, past, etc ...
So, exactly how you have "present indicative" which is different from "present subjunctive" (although they are both "present"), you can have for example "C scale Ionic" and "C scale doric".
2) the Ionic mode is the mother of all the other modes.
Ionic starts from C and follows the pattern +2 +2 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1
No matter what the starting note is (C, D, E....), if I follow this pattern I will always be inside the Ionic mode.
3) there are 7 modes in total and each starts from a different white note and it's created transposing the ionic mode of 1 step rightward. It's like seeing these numbers on a cilinder that rotates.
C = Ionic +2 + 2 + 1 + 2 +2 +2 +1
D = Doric + 2 + 1 + 2 +2 +2 +1 +2
E = Phyrgian + 1 + 2 +2 +2 +1 +2 +2
F = Lydian + 2 +2 +2 +1 +2 +2 + 1
G = Mixolydian +2 +2 +1 +2 +2 + 1 +2
A = Aeolian +2 +1 +2 +2 + 1 +2 +2
B = Locrian +1 +2 +2 + 1 +2 +2 + 2
So for example If I build the doric mode using + 2 + 1 + 2 +2 +2 +1 +2 but I start from C, I'll get a different scale from the C in Ionic mode
C scale Ionic:
-+2 +2 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1
C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
C scale Doric
-+ 2 +1 + 2 +2 +2 +1 +2
C - D - E# - F - G - A - Sib - C
4) in addition, to know if a scale is major or minor, I have to sum the first two numbers of the pattern:
2 + 2 = 4 (major)
2 + 1 or 1 + 2 = 3 (minor)
Submitted December 01, 2025 at 10:01AM by nocturnia94 https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/1pbc6ql/thats_what_ive_learned_today/?utm_source=ifttt