The ability to navigate playing/singing fluently and elegantly in diatonic pitch space is indispensible (also without notation).

Watch the explanation and demonstration in the VIDEO (see submenu at the right).

You should be able to sing/play the following modal scale patterns fluently:

1. ionian (= major)
2. dorian
3. phrygian
4. lydian
5. mixolydian
6. aeolian (=natural minor)

The fifth is the "anchor" of each pattern. You move one step beyond the fifth and one step below the starting note.

Memorize the labels! (So that you are able to do the following: "play/sing dorian and start on e".)

Each half step is indicated with a *.

Sing of each also the following pattern: 1-5-6-5-1-7-8

Sing of each also the following pattern: 1-3-5-6-5-3-1-7-1:

Sing also the so called "fifth" species (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1).

Observe that in this case ionian and mixolydian share the same fifth pattern.

The same goes for dorian and aeolian.

Additional scale patterns (major/minor)

A new scale pattern:

1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7-1-8-1

and

8-7-8-6-8-5-8-4-8-3-8-2-8-1

In major:

and 

In minor: ascending "melodic", descending natural/aeolian

and