For many people modes can seem a bit confusing. At least it was for me when I first learned about them. 

I kept thinking, “Are they scales of their own? But then why does the major scale have modes in it? Are they their own scales or are they scales within scales? Wtf bruh?”

In general, modes are both scales within scales as well as standalone scales. Depends how you are using them.

The difference between Parallel Modes and Relative Modes is whether you are playing the mode’s interval formula pattern on the root note of a key, or another note of the same key. 

We’re going to clear this up so that when you are done with this short post you will be crystal clear on this and hopefully feel like it wasn’t all that complicated to begin with. 

What is a Mode in Music and What is it Used For?

Modes are both scales all by themselves (let’s call these Parallel Modes), and they are also scales within scales (let’s call these Relative Modes). I’ll go a bit deeper in a minute.

As far as what they are used for, modes are used to stress certain “colors and moods” in the sounds of both scales and chords. 

Some modes are happy, others sad, but they go beyond that to more complex moods. Like for example, “mysterious”. 

Is “mysterious” a happy or a sad sound? It’s kind of tough to explain what a “mysterious” sound sounds like, right? 

I would say it’s closer to a sad sound than a happy sound because it sounds dark not bright, but it’s also a bit tense at the same time. It’s that feeling of not knowing. It makes you feel a bit curious but also makes you want to be careful because it’s unknown, so it could be dangerous.

So modes are actually like formulas for making a scale, chord, or chord progression sound mysterious or other moods depending on what mode you are using. 

It turns something into “mysterious mode” or other moods depending on the mode. But of course we don’t call it mysterious mode, but we might call it Dorian mode.

So modes help us stress certain sounds to get these moods happening. 

What is a Relative Mode?

I like to think of Relative modes as a scale within a scale. For example, let’s take the C Major scale. 

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

As you can see there are 7 notes up there (and the first note an octave higher at the end). 

Well there are also 7 modes, and a mode is assigned to each note of a scale (let’s call the notes in a scale “degrees”). 

The first note (C note) is assigned the name “Ionian mode”, the second is assigned the name “Dorian mode”, and so on. Each note has a mode assigned to it. See them below:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

  • Ionian = 1st degree (C note)
  • Dorian = 2nd degree (D note)
  • Phrygian = 3rd degree (E note)
  • Lydian = 4th degree (F note)
  • Mixolydian = 5th degree (G note)
  • Aeolian = 6th degree (A note)
  • Locrian = 7th degree (B note)

So when we are talking about Relative Modes, we would be playing the same scale but instead of starting and ending on the first note of the scale (C note, and then ending on C note an octave higher), we instead start on one of the others. For example, start on the second note (D note and then end on the D note an octave higher). 

C Major Scale

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Interval pattern: whole, whole, half, whole whole, whole, half

Relative Dorian Mode of C Major Scale

D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D

Interval pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, whole

In this case, we played the Relative Dorian of C. We started the same C Major scale but starting and ending on the second note instead (D note).

When we play the major scale but start on the second note, we used the Dorian mode interval pattern.  

Now, since we are using the same notes of the C Major scale and just starting on the second note instead of the first one, it won’t sound very different. The moods won’t feel very different.

Here is where we look at Paralell Modes, and here you WILL hear a big difference between the mood of each mode. 

What is a Parallel Mode?

I like to think about Parallel Modes as their own scales based on the Relative Modes patterns. 

We play the interval patterns but instead of starting on the second, third, etc note of the key, now we play the pattern starting on the root note of the key.

Let me repeat that so it is clear. With Relative Modes you are playing the same scale but starting on different “degrees”. But, with Parallel Modes, we start the mode’s pattern on the root (first degree).

Let’s say you were playing the C Major scale and starting it on the D note (the Relative Dorian of C). Now you take that same “Relative Dorian” pattern and shift it to start on the C note (root note). 

The Relative and Parallel Dorian interval pattern stays the same, but now you are starting it on the C note instead of D. 

That’s a Parallel C Dorian mode, because you started the Relative Dorian pattern on the C note.

Now the notes will be different and the difference in their mood is now SUPER noticeable when you hear it. 

Let’s see it visually.

C Major Scale

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Interval pattern: whole, whole, half, whole whole, whole, half

Relative Dorian Mode of C Major Scale

D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D

Interval pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, whole

Parallel C Dorian Scale

C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb

Interval pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, whole

Notice how:

  • The interval pattern of Relative Dorian and Parallel Dorian are the same
  • For Parallel Dorian we are starting the Relative Dorian pattern but starting on the C note instead of D.
  • There are two notes in C Dorian that are different from the Relative Dorian of C. (see the notes underlined). Those two notes are what make the mood change so noticeable. 

That is the difference between the Relative Dorian mode of a key (Relative Mode) and the actual Parallel Dorian mode (Parallel Mode).

Wrapping it up

Hope this post has cleared things up for you. Once you see the notes laid out, it becomes a lot easier to understand the difference. 

If you feel like you got this down, check out my last post about How to Write Songs Using Modes to see how this can also apply to the chords of a key, and how you can use modes to make some really interesting chord progressions and moods in your songs. 

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