Modes are easier than they seem at first glance. Musicians commonly use modes to give a song a different feeling. 1 Mode might make a song sound happy while another makes it sound sad. Lets take a look at the C Major Scale to make things simpler. A mode of the C Major Scale is basically the exact same scale, just starting it on a different one. Here's an example:
C Major Scale -> C D E F G A B C
Mode of C Major Scale -> D E F G A B C D
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This is just a basic example, but you should get the idea on what modes are. Modes are commonly referred to by the following names:
Ionian
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian
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These are just a fancy way to refer to the 7 different modes. There are 7 different variations because there are 7 notes in a scale. Now lets take a look at how each of these modes would apply to the C Major Scale:
C Ionian -----> C D E F G A B C
D Dorian -----> D E F G A B C D
E Phrygian ---> E F G A B C D E
F Lydian -----> F G A B C D E F
G Mixolydian -> G A B C D E F G
A Aeolian ----> A B C D E F G A
B Locrian ----> B C D E F G A B
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You now know the basics of modes!
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