Editing Diatonic scale (section)

===Modes===
{{Main|Mode (music)}}
The whole collection of diatonic scales as defined above can be divided into seven different scales.

As explained above, all [[major scale]]s use the same interval sequence T–T–S–T–T–T–S. This interval sequence was called the ''Ionian mode'' by Glarean. It is one of the seven modern modes. From any major scale, a new scale is obtained by taking a different [[degree (music)|degree]] as the tonic. With this method it is possible to generate six other scales or modes from each major scale. Another way to describe the same result would be to consider that, behind the diatonic scales, there exists an underlying diatonic system which is the series of diatonic notes without a reference note; assigning the reference note in turn to each of the seven notes in each octave of the system produces seven diatonic scales, each characterized by a different interval sequence:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none; text-align: center;"
! Mode
! Also known as
! Starting note relative<br/>to major scale
! Interval sequence
! Example with white keys
! Example with tonic C
|-
| [[Ionian mode|Ionian]] || Major scale
| align="center" | C
| align="center" | T–T–S–T–T–T–S
| colspan=2 | C–D–E–F–G–A–B–C
|-
| [[Dorian mode|Dorian]] ||
| align="center" | D
| align="center" | T–S–T–T–T–S–T
| D–E–F–G–A–B–C–D
| C–D–E♭–F–G–A–B♭–C
|-
| [[Phrygian mode|Phrygian]] ||
| align="center" | E
| align="center" | S–T–T–T–S–T–T
| E–F–G–A–B–C–D–E
| C–D♭–E♭–F–G–A♭–B♭–C
|-
| [[Lydian mode|Lydian]] ||
| align="center" | F
| align="center" | T–T–T–S–T–T–S
| F–G–A–B–C–D–E–F
| C–D–E–F♯–G–A–B–C
|-
| [[Mixolydian mode|Mixolydian]] ||
| align="center" | G
| align="center" | T–T–S–T–T–S–T
| G–A–B–C–D–E–F–G
| C–D–E–F–G–A–B♭–C
|-
| [[Aeolian mode|Aeolian]] || [[Minor scale#Natural minor scale|Natural minor scale]]
| align="center" | A
| align="center" | T–S–T–T–S–T–T
| A–B–C–D–E–F–G–A
| C–D–E♭–F–G–A♭–B♭–C
|-
| [[Locrian mode|Locrian]] ||
| align="center" | B
| align="center" | S–T–T–S–T–T–T
| B–C–D–E–F–G–A–B
| C–D♭–E♭–F–G♭–A♭–B♭–C
|}

The first column examples shown above are formed by [[natural note]]s (i.e. neither sharps nor flats, also called "white-notes", as they can be played using the white keys of a [[piano keyboard]]). But any [[transposition (music)|transposition]] of each of these scales (or of the system underlying them) is a valid example of the corresponding mode. In other words, transposition preserves mode. This is shown in the second column, with each mode transposed to start on C. 

The whole set of diatonic scales is commonly defined as the set composed of these seven natural-note scales, together with all of their possible transpositions. As discussed [[diatonic and chromatic#Diatonic scales|elsewhere]], different definitions of this set are sometimes adopted in the literature.

[[File:Modes.svg|thumb|center|700px|[[Pitch constellation]]s of the modern musical modes]]