Aeolian mode
Diatonic scale identical to the natural minor scale.
Last updated
The Aeolian mode is a diatonic scale also known as the natural minor scale. On a piano, it corresponds to the white keys from A to A. Its interval pattern is whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Music theory
- Known for
- Natural minor scale; ninth mode added by Heinrich Glarean
Facts from the source article.
Aeolian harmony
Aeolian harmony consists of chords built from the Aeolian mode, commonly called the natural minor scale. The triads constructed are i, ii, ♭III, iv, v, ♭VI, and ♭VII in popular music symbols. The leading-tone and major V chord are not used, as they are not part of the mode, though mode mixture may incorporate them.
Common chord subsets include i–♭VII–♭VI, i–iv–v, and blues minor pentatonic sequences such as I–♭III–IV. These progressions lack perfect cadences (V–I) and may derive from recursive fourth structures. Middleton suggests that modal and fourth-oriented structures and the V–I kernel both stem from a deeper principle of tonic/not-tonic differentiation.
Songs that use Aeolian mode
The Aeolian mode is identical to the natural minor scale and appears widely in minor-key music. Examples include "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen," Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion," Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight," and Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond." Other instances are Fleetwood Mac's "Isn't It Midnight," Dido's "White Flag," Radiohead's "Street Spirit," and the Beatles' "Not a Second Time."
More in Music Theory
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Aeolian mode (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced