Mode
From www.oscarvandillen.com
Definition of mode
A mode, like a scale, is a collection of tones arranged in a stepwise ascending or descending order, generally spanning one octave.
More than a scale, in musical practice, a mode can have specific melodic requirements for performance, such as a specific order of playing the pitches involved in a makam or raga. In general, a mode is used for modal, rather than for tonal, music.
Different modes
Different modes can start and end on different tones or tonics, and alteration of tones can be used to achieve an even greater variety of modes. There are numerous modes used throughout the world, sometimes with different ascending and descending scales.
