Guide to Diatonic Scales: Explore the Seven Diatonic Modes

A diatonic scale is a type of musical scale that contains seven tones of a note per octave (the distance between one note and the following note that also bears its name).

• Tones: Diatonic scales consist of five whole tones, also known as whole steps or the major second, and two half steps (semitones), which are the shortest musical intervals (the distance between tones) in Western music, separated by either two or three tones. A whole step on a piano keyboard represents two keys, while a half step is a single key.
• Letter names: Also known as a heptatonic scale in music theory, diatonic scales use all seven letter names, or notes in a sequence. Chords built from the seven notes in each key are called diatonic chords. Tonality, or the system of organizing keys and chords in Western music, has been based on the diatonic system from the Middle Ages to the present day.
• Scales: Diatonic scales include both the major scale, or Ionian mode, which is the most frequently used musical scale, and the natural minor scale, or Aeolian mode, which uses the same number of notes as the major scale, but in a different pitch. Both scales are part of the six “church mode” scales established for religious music during the medieval period, which continue to form the basis for contemporary diatonic scales.

The use of diatonic scales dates back to Ancient Greece, where it was one of three standard tunings, along with chromatic and enharmonic (the term “diatonic” means “through tones''), each based around a sequence of four notes called a tetrachord. The diatonic scale would become the dominant means of organizing the seven (later six) church modes based on Greek music theory, which non-secular music was based on during the Middle Ages.

By the early twentieth century, the diatonic system of major and minor chords had been adopted as the basis for most Western music. However, musicians occasionally employ church modes in classical music and jazz composition.

One of the best practical examples of a diatonic scale is the C major scale, which doesn’t require sharps and flats. To play a diatonic scale, play all of the white notes, or white keys, on a piano keyboard: C D E F G A B. Musicians can apply this same pattern by transposition to any note to create a diatonic scale.

The diatonic scale has seven modes:

1. 1. Major scale. Also known as the Ionian mode, the major scale consists of the seven distinct notes in a scale (C D E F G A B) and an eighth note that reproduces the first one in a higher octave. The eight notes are arranged in an ascending pattern known as scale steps or scale degrees, each of which has a specific name: the first is the tonic; the second, supertonic; the third, mediant; fourth, subdominant; fifth, dominant; sixth, submediant; seventh, leading tone; and eighth, the tonic in a higher octave. The first, third, and fifth degrees form a chord known as a major triad, which can be found in related major scales, like the harmonic major scale, which has a minor sixth triad. The melodic major scale, also known as the Aeolian dominant scale, has lowered sixth and seventh degrees.
2. 2. Dorian mode. The modern Dorian mode, also known as the Russian mode, is built around the D note, the second note on the major scale. Music experts consider it a minor chord because its third note is a minor third, meaning that it’s lowered by a half step and a flattened seventh note, which results in a melancholy sound.
3. 3. Phrygian mode. The Phrygian scale, which begins on the E note, the third on the major scale, and ends at E major, is considered a minor chord due to its abundance of minor notes (second, third, sixth, and seventh), and as such, is infrequently used. Its dominant sound is somewhat exotic; flamenco music from Spain is often written in Phrygian mode.
4. 4. Lydian mode. The fourth mode, Lydian, is a bright-sounding mode that begins with the F note. It’s similar to the major scale with one exception: its fourth scale degree is raised by a semitone.
5. 5. Mixolydian mode. Also known as the dominant mode, the fifth mode, Mixolydian, covers G to G major on the keyboard and, like the Lydian mode, very similar to the major scale save for its seventh note, which is lowered by a semitone. Jazz and blues make excellent use of the Mixolydian mode.
6. 6. Aeolian mode. The Aeolian, or natural minor mode, opens with the A note on the white keys of a piano keyboard, and follows the same scale degrees as the major scale, except for its minor third. Like the Dorian mode, it has a melancholy sound with an extra degree of sadness.
7. 7. Locrian mode. The seventh and final mode, Locrian, is also one of the least employed modes due to its dark and minor sound built around the B note. Like the Dorian, Aeolian, and Phrygian, the Locrian has a minor third, but also a minor second and fifth; the latter gives the mode a sense of being interrupted or unfinished.

The difference between diatonic and chromatic scales comes down to the number of notes in the scale. While the diatonic scale uses only seven notes, the chromatic scale uses all 12 pitches, or note tones, in either ascending or descending order, separated by semitones.

Musicians use both the black and white keys when playing chromatic notes on a piano keyboard. The chromatic scale adds color and flavor to notes in both the major keys and minor keys—the term “chromatic” comes from the Greek word “chroma,” which means “color.”

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