Mode

Suppose you have a set of numbers like: 1, 2, 2, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7. The mean (which is 4.33...) tells you what the arithmetic average number of your set of numbers is. The mean is highly sensitive to "outliers." Meaning, if you have a fairly large number (and the rest of your numbers are small or vice versa, really), it greatly affects the mean. Check it: take a set of numbers like 1, 2, 3. Find its mean (the mean is 2). Then check the mean of 1, 2, 3, 94. You'll get 25. It drastically changed the value! The median tells you what number lies in the middle of your set of numbers. So in this case, the number 5 is the middle number (there are four numbers to the left and four numbers to the right). The median can be fairly deceptive when working with these types of problems because you could have 1, 3, 100 as your set of numbers, in which case 3 would be the median. Knowing that 3 is the median here doesn't tell you too much other than that it's in the middle. The mode is a bit nicer in that it's just the most common number in your set of numbers, so in this case we'd get a mode of 6. Even mode has a drawback: what if all of your numbers only show up once? Well, you didn't really learn anything new about the set of numbers. Each of these has its drawback, but sometimes you can extract information like: what is the "most likely" number to be picked out of our set of numbers? The mode. Or if I kept picking numbers, what would be their average value? The mean. Or if I lined up the numbers, what number is in the middle? The median. At first glance, the mode is the one that is most applicable, and often the utility of these three make a lot more sense when dealing with probability functions (like when dealing with what is known as the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution ). Edited for a little clarity. More on reddit.com

You can either think of it as treating different notes of a given scale as the root (i.e. E-phrygian is the 3rd mode of C major), or as alterations to the major/minor scale (i.e. F-lydian is F major, with a raised 4th-degree--major #4). Neither way is wrong. I hope this didn't make it more confusing, cheers! More on reddit.com

Let it rest for a while, focus on other topics. Modes are vastly overrated imo, especially for beginners. I couldn't wrap my head around it for the longest time but have since learned more about harmony and music theory in general. When I came back to it recently, it made a lot more sense. More on reddit.com

This is why I hate the "starting on a different note" definition. Some people might not like me saying this, but try using this definition: Modes are simply altered scales. You know how you have the minor scale, right? Let us assume that the major scale is the "default" for a moment. You can get to the minor scale from the major scale by flattening the third, the sixth and the seventh, or in other words, "altering it". You can get to lydian from major in a similar way. Just sharp the 4th. For mixolydian, just flatten the 7th. How do you conceptualize the difference in feel between major and minor? The difference between any of the modes and the scales is pretty much the same. A scale, atleast to me, is a specific sequence of intervals that evoke a certain feeling. If you alter the intervals, you alter the feeling. That doesn't make any scale "better" or "worse" than the other - they're just different. So for me, C major (C Ionian mode), C minor (C Aeolian), C Dorian, C Mixolydian, C Lydian are all just different scales that evoke different feelings, but they're all centered on C* You know how you can build out all the chords out of the major scale? You can do the same with all the modes. Functionally, you use modes the same way as the regular major/minor (rather, you can look at the major and minor scales as a subset of modes). I would say that play around with the chords from the different modes instead of just trying to use single note melodies to reinforce the idea in your head. We're so used to hearing "major" that melodies will tend to feel like they're resolving on the "relative major" of whatever mode your melody belongs to. *For some scales like Locrian the "home chord" isn't "stable", but eh, music theory isn't gospel, it's just a way of describing things. These modes aren't even the only scales you can use. You can technically use anything you want. So I wouldn't worry about the home chord not feeling "resolved" enough. More on reddit.com