Modes iOS
A hands-on music theory lab for iPhone and iPad. Whether you're writing a song, preparing for a lesson, or exploring new harmonic territory, Modes gives you instant access to scales, chords, voicings, and modulation paths all in one beautiful, distraction-free interface. Now with Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight search, and Home Screen widgets.
- Scale & Chord Finder with MIDI + touch keyboard
- 65 scales · 21 chord types · 8 voicing families
- Shared Notes, Shared Chords, Borrowed Chords
- Interactive Circle of Fifths + Circle of Thirds
- Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight & Home Screen widgets
Screenshots
Includes light and dark screenshots that follow the website theme.
Features
- Scale & Chord Finder: Play notes on the interactive multi-octave keyboard or connect a MIDI controller. Modes identifies the chord you're playing in real time: major, minor, diminished, augmented, extended, suspended, and more. It ranks every matching scale by note coverage. Filter results by scale category (diatonic, melodic minor, harmonic minor, pentatonic, bebop, symmetric, world, and more) to zero in on the sound you're after.
- 65 Scales & Modes: From the seven diatonic modes through melodic minor, harmonic minor, double harmonic, Neapolitan, bebop, pentatonic, blues, whole tone, diminished, augmented, and world scales like Hirajōshi, Kumoi, In Sen, Persian, and Enigmatic. Every scale is spelled out with interval tokens and highlighted on the keyboard.
- Notes in Key: Pick any root and scale to see every in-key note highlighted across two octaves. Instantly visualise which notes belong and where the root sits.
- Scale Chords: Generate diatonic triads or sevenths for every degree of your chosen scale. View roman numerals, chord names, harmonic function badges (tonic, subdominant, dominant, and 30+ detailed labels), and voiced keyboard renderings, all aligned for easy comparison.
- 8 Voicing Types: Build chords in tertian, sus2, sus4, sixth, add, quartal, quintal, and power voicings. Choose from triads up to thirteenths, with every extension automatically labelled.
- Shared Notes & Shared Chords: Compare any two keys side by side. See which notes overlap, which are unique, and which chords both keys share. Essential for smooth modulation and reharmonisation.
- Borrowed Chords: Analyse your key for native diatonic chords alongside every borrowed option from parallel modes, grouped by source mode. Discover fresh harmonic colour without leaving your tonal centre.
- Circle of Fifths: Interactive dual-ring circle (major outside, natural minor inside). Tap a sector to retune the key. See dominant, subdominant, relative, parallel, and nearby key relationships at a glance, with modulation difficulty badges and key-signature details.
- Circle of Thirds: Explore chromatic mediant relationships on a diminished-cycle diagram. Major and minor buttons for every pitch class reveal mediant, relative, and parallel connections. Perfect for cinematic and neo-Riemannian modulation planning.
- MIDI Support: Connect any class-compliant MIDI keyboard or controller. Played notes merge with on-screen taps for seamless detection.
- Siri, Shortcuts & Spotlight: Ask Siri or run a Shortcut to show a scale's notes, list the chords in a key, identify a scale or chord, spell a chord, find the interval between two notes, transpose a note, or open the circle of fifths and borrowed chords. Scales and chords are indexed in Spotlight, so you can search for them straight from your Home Screen.
- Home Screen Widgets: Add the Scale of the Day and Chord of the Day widgets to your Home or Lock Screen for a daily dose of theory, tappable straight into the app.
Designed for Musicians
- Runs entirely offline no account, no ads, no tracking
- Dark-mode aware interface
- Adaptive layouts for iPhone and iPad
- Enharmonic spelling: automatic, sharps, or flats
- Pinch-to-zoom keyboard from 1 to 9 octaves
Whether you're a producer sketching chord progressions, a guitarist learning modes, a pianist studying jazz harmony, or a student preparing for theory exams, Modes puts deep music theory at your fingertips.
Music Theory Coverage
A complete reference of every scale, mode, chord, voicing, interval, and harmonic tool available in the app, with the exact note formulas behind each one.
65 Scales & Modes
21 Chord Types
8 Voicing Families
12 Chromatic Intervals
31 Chord Function Labels
Scales & Modes 65 Total
Every scale is spelled with interval tokens and highlighted across the keyboard, with automatic, sharp, or flat enharmonic spelling.
Major Modes (Diatonic)
| Ionian (Major) | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| Dorian | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 |
| Phrygian | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Lydian | 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 |
| Mixolydian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 |
| Aeolian (Natural Minor) | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Locrian | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Melodic Minor (Jazz Minor) Modes
| Melodic Minor (Jazz Minor) | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 |
| Dorian ♭2 (Phrygian ♮6) | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 |
| Lydian Augmented (Lydian ♯5) | 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7 |
| Lydian Dominant (Lydian ♭7) | 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 |
| Mixolydian ♭6 (Aeolian Dominant) | 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Locrian ♯2 (Locrian ♮2) | 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Altered (Super-Locrian) | 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Harmonic Minor Modes
| Harmonic Minor | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 |
| Locrian ♮6 | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 |
| Ionian ♯5 (Augmented Major) | 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 |
| Dorian ♯4 (Ukrainian Dorian) | 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7 |
| Phrygian Dominant | 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Lydian ♯2 | 1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 7 |
| Super Locrian ♭♭7 (Altered ♭♭7) | 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭♭7 |
Double Harmonic Minor (Hungarian Minor) Modes
| Hungarian Minor (Double Harmonic Minor) | 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 |
| Oriental (Mode 2) | 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 |
| Ionian ♯2 ♯5 | 1 ♯2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 |
| Locrian ♭♭3 ♭♭7 | 1 ♭2 ♭♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭♭7 |
| Double Harmonic Major | 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 |
| Lydian ♯2 ♯6 | 1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 ♯6 7 |
| Ultraphrygian | 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 5 ♭6 ♭♭7 |
Harmonic Major
| Harmonic Major (Ionian ♭6) | 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 |
| Double Harmonic Major (Byzantine) | 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 |
Neapolitan Minor Modes
| Neapolitan Minor | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 |
| Lydian ♯6 | 1 2 3 ♯4 5 ♯6 7 |
| Mixolydian Augmented | 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 ♭7 |
| Romani Minor (Aeolian ♯4) | 1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Locrian Dominant | 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Ionian ♯2 | 1 ♯2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| Ultralocrian | 1 ♭2 ♭♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭♭7 |
Neapolitan Major Modes
| Neapolitan Major | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 |
| Leading Whole Tone (Lydian Augmented ♯6) | 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7 |
| Lydian Augmented Dominant | 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 ♭7 |
| Lydian Dominant ♭6 | 1 2 3 ♯4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Major Locrian | 1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Half-Diminished ♭4 (Altered Dominant ♯2) | 1 2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Altered Dominant ♭♭3 | 1 ♭2 ♭♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Bebop
| Bebop Dominant | 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7 |
| Bebop Major | 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 6 7 |
Pentatonic & Blues
| Pentatonic Major | 1 2 3 5 6 |
| Pentatonic Suspended (Egyptian) | 1 2 4 5 ♭7 |
| Pentatonic Blues Minor (Man Gong) | 1 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Pentatonic Blues Major (Yo) | 1 2 4 5 6 |
| Pentatonic Minor | 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 |
| Pentatonic Japanese (In) | 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭6 |
| Blues | 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 |
| Blues (Major) | 1 2 ♭3 3 5 6 |
Symmetric & Synthetic
| Whole Tone | 1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7 |
| Diminished (Half–Whole) | 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 ♭5 5 6 ♭7 |
| Diminished (Whole–Half) | 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7 |
| Augmented (Hexatonic) | 1 ♭3 3 5 ♯5 7 |
| Prometheus (Mystic Hexatonic) | 1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7 |
Japanese Pentatonics
| Hirajōshi | 1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6 |
| Kumoi | 1 2 ♭3 5 6 |
| In Sen | 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7 |
| Iwato | 1 ♭2 4 ♭5 ♭7 |
World / Other
| Persian | 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 |
| Enigmatic | 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7 |
Chords
Detected Chord Types 21
Chords are detected from the notes you play, with 9th, 11th, and 13th tensions automatically appended (shown as add9, add11, add13 when no 7th is present). When the lowest note sits below the chord it is treated as a bass note and shown as a slash chord (e.g. C/E).
| Chord | Symbol | Intervals |
|---|---|---|
| Major | — | 1 3 5 |
| Minor | m | 1 ♭3 5 |
| Diminished | dim | 1 ♭3 ♭5 |
| Augmented | aug | 1 3 ♯5 |
| Suspended 2nd | sus2 | 1 2 5 |
| Suspended 4th | sus4 | 1 4 5 |
| Power Chord | 5 | 1 5 |
| Major 6th | 6 | 1 3 5 6 |
| Minor 6th | m6 | 1 ♭3 5 6 |
| Dominant 7th | 7 | 1 3 5 ♭7 |
| Major 7th | maj7 | 1 3 5 7 |
| Minor 7th | m7 | 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 |
| Half-Diminished 7th | m7♭5 | 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7 |
| Diminished 7th | dim7 | 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7 |
| Minor-Major 7th | m(maj7) | 1 ♭3 5 7 |
| Augmented 7th | aug7 | 1 3 ♯5 ♭7 |
| Augmented Major 7th | aug(maj7) | 1 3 ♯5 7 |
| Major (♭5) | (♭5) | 1 3 ♭5 |
| Diminished (♭♭3) | dim(♭♭3) | 1 ♭♭3 ♭5 |
| Dominant 7sus4 | 7sus4 | 1 4 5 ♭7 |
| Dominant 7sus2 | 7sus2 | 1 2 5 ♭7 |
Chord Qualities (Builder) 6
Quality options in the chord builder, each with its Roman-numeral analysis.
| Quality | Symbol | Roman Numeral |
|---|---|---|
| Major | — | Uppercase (I, IV, V…) |
| Minor | m | Lowercase (ii, iii, vi…) |
| Diminished | ° | Lowercase + ° (vii°) |
| Augmented | + | Uppercase + + (III+) |
| Major (♭5) | (♭5) | Uppercase + (♭5) |
| Diminished (♭♭3) | °(♭♭3) | Lowercase + °(♭♭3) |
Chord Voicings 8 Types
Every chord can be voiced eight ways, from stacked-thirds tertian voicings through quartal and quintal stacks.
| Voicing | Sizes | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tertian | Triad, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th | Standard stacked-thirds voicings |
| sus2 | Triad, 7th | Replaces the 3rd with the 2nd |
| sus4 | Triad, 7th | Replaces the 3rd with the 4th |
| 6th | 6th, 6/9 | Adds the 6th (and optionally 9th) |
| Add | add9, add11 | Adds a tone without the 7th |
| Quartal | 3-note, 4-note | Built in stacked 4ths |
| Quintal | 3-note, 4-note | Built in stacked 5ths |
| Power | 2-note | Root + 5th only |
Chord Sizes
| Size | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 5 | 2 |
| Triad | Triad | 3 |
| Sixth | 6 | 4 |
| Six-Nine | 6/9 | 5 |
| Seventh | 7 | 4 |
| Ninth | 9 | 5 |
| Eleventh | 11 | 6 |
| Thirteenth | 13 | 7 |
| Add 9 | add9 | 4 |
| Add 11 | add11 | 4 |
| Quartal 4-note | 4×4 | 4 |
| Quintal 4-note | 5×4 | 4 |
Intervals 12 Chromatic
Every chromatic interval with its inversion.
| Semitones | Interval | Inversion |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Unison | Octave |
| 1 | Minor 2nd | Major 7th |
| 2 | Major 2nd | Minor 7th |
| 3 | Minor 3rd | Major 6th |
| 4 | Major 3rd | Minor 6th |
| 5 | Perfect 4th | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | Tritone | Tritone |
| 7 | Perfect 5th | Perfect 4th |
| 8 | Minor 6th | Major 3rd |
| 9 | Major 6th | Minor 3rd |
| 10 | Minor 7th | Major 2nd |
| 11 | Major 7th | Minor 2nd |
Harmonic Analysis 31 Function Labels
Diatonic chords are classified into three functional families.
Tonic Family
Subdominant Family
Dominant Family
Keys
All 12 chromatic keys in both sharp and flat spellings. Enharmonic spelling can be set to automatic (contextual), sharps, or flats.
Sharp Keys
Flat Keys
Circle of Fifths
Full circle-of-fifths navigation with related-key data for every key.
C → G → D → A → E → B → F♯/G♭ → D♭ → A♭ → E♭ → B♭ → F → C
Each key surfaces its relative minor/major, parallel major/minor, dominant, subdominant, supertonic, and mediant relationships, with modulation-difficulty badges and key-signature details.
Circle of Thirds
Organises pitches by alternating major and minor thirds (4–3–4–3 semitones) into a 24-note repeating sequence (12 major + 12 minor positions) — useful for understanding how triads and 7th chords stack.
- Scale-degree order — notes appear in 1–3–5–7–2–4–6 order (e.g. C–E–G–B–D–F–A), the order in which chord tones stack.
- DFACEGB mnemonic — diatonic thirds across the flat, natural, and sharp key families.
- Cycle structure — three diminished-7th cycles of four positions each.
- Applications — Coltrane changes and chromatic-mediant relationships.
Borrowed Chords (Modal Interchange)
For any key, the app lists both the diatonic chords and the borrowed chords drawn from parallel modes, each labelled with an altered Roman numeral and a common-usage description.
Borrowing Sources by Scale
| Current Scale | Common Borrowing Sources |
|---|---|
| Ionian (Major) | Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Lydian |
| Aeolian (Natural Minor) | Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Harmonic Minor, Phrygian Dominant |
| Dorian | Ionian, Aeolian, Mixolydian, Harmonic Minor |
| Phrygian | Aeolian, Harmonic Minor, Phrygian Dominant, Ionian |
| Lydian | Ionian, Aeolian, Mixolydian |
| Mixolydian | Ionian, Aeolian, Dorian |
| Locrian | Aeolian, Phrygian, Harmonic Minor |
| Harmonic Minor | Aeolian, Ionian, Melodic Minor |
| Melodic Minor | Harmonic Minor, Aeolian, Ionian |
| Phrygian Dominant | Harmonic Minor, Aeolian, Phrygian |
| Other scales | Ionian, Aeolian (basic major/minor borrowing) |
Common Borrowed Chords into Major
| Chord | Source | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| iv | Aeolian / Harmonic Minor | Most common borrowed chord — melancholy subdominant |
| ♭VI | Aeolian | Pop/rock deceptive resolution |
| ♭VII | Mixolydian / Aeolian | Rock/blues cadence (subtonic) |
| ♭III | Aeolian | Mediant shift between parallel major/minor |
| i | Aeolian | Minor tonic colour |
| ii° | Aeolian | Darker predominant using ♭6 |
| vii°7 | Harmonic Minor | Fully diminished, strong resolution to I |
| ♭VI+ | Harmonic Minor | Augmented chromatic voice leading |
| ♭II (Neapolitan) | Phrygian | Dramatic pre-dominant |
| II | Dorian | Major supertonic, secondary-dominant feel |