noun
mode
A type of musical scale defined by the intervals between its notes.
The melody uses the Dorian mode.
Etymology
The Latin source means manner or measure. In music, a mode is a particular way of organizing pitches, distinguished by its sequence of intervals.
More examples
- She compared major and minor modes.
- The piece changes mode in the final section.
- Each mode has a distinctive pattern of intervals.
Forms
mode · modes
modal adjective — relating to a musical mode
Similar words
- scale
- A sequence of notes, of which a mode is a particular type.