Comparison of mode notation systems
Several people have attempted to generalize the modes of the diatonic scale by designing a system to notate or number the modes of any given scale, or at least any scale with certain properties such as MOS:
- Mike Battaglia's system: Modal UDP notation;
- Kite Giedraitis' system: Genchain mode numbering;
- Jake Freivald's system: Jake Freivald's mode numbering system.
Comparison tables
This section compares the different notations enumerated above. As an example, the seven diatonic modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc) will be used.
| Mode name | Step pattern | Battaglia's method
(or UDP notation) |
Kite's method | Freivald's method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lydian | LLLsLLs | 6|0 | 1st meantone[7] | Mode 4 |
| Ionian | LLsLLLs | 5|1 | 2nd meantone[7] | Mode 1 |
| Mixolydian | LLsLLsL | 4|2 | 3rd meantone[7] | Mode 5 |
| Dorian | LsLLLsL | 3|3 | 4th meantone[7] | Mode 2 |
| Aeolian | LsLLsLL | 2|4 | 5th meantone[7] | Mode 6 |
| Phrygian | sLLLsLL | 1|5 | 6th meantone[7] | Mode 3 |
| Locrian | sLLsLLL | 0|6 | 7th meantone[7] | Mode 7 |
It should be noted that the MOS pattern 5L 2s is supported by multiple temperaments, and as such, the name "meantone" is not meant to exclusively describe 5L 2s.