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<h1>Aeolian Mode</h1>
<p>Aeolian is the natural minor scale. This is not an obscure modal sound — it's the foundation of minor key music in Western tradition for centuries. When you're in a minor key and haven't raised the 6th or 7th, you're in Aeolian. Most rock ballads, metal, and minor key classical music use it as the primary scale. Understanding it as a mode just means seeing it as part of the mode family, which clarifies how it relates to its parallel major and other minor modes.</p>

<h2>Construction</h2>
<pre>
The sixth mode of the major scale — starts on the 6th degree.
A Aeolian = C major scale starting on A:
A B C D E F G A

Formula:      1  2  ♭3  4  5  ♭6  ♭7
Step pattern: W  H  W   W  H  W   W

Same key signature as C major — the relative minor relationship.
A Aeolian has the same notes as C major; A is the tonal centre.
</pre>

<h2>Aeolian in Common Keys</h2>

<table>
  <thead><tr><th>Aeolian root</th><th>Notes</th><th>Relative major</th></tr></thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><td>A Aeolian</td><td>A B C D E F G</td><td>C major</td></tr>
    <tr><td>E Aeolian</td><td>E F# G A B C D</td><td>G major</td></tr>
    <tr><td>D Aeolian</td><td>D E F G A B♭ C</td><td>F major</td></tr>
    <tr><td>B Aeolian</td><td>B C# D E F# G A</td><td>D major</td></tr>
    <tr><td>G Aeolian</td><td>G A B♭ C D E♭ F</td><td>B♭ major</td></tr>
    <tr><td>C Aeolian</td><td>C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭</td><td>E♭ major</td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

<h2>Sound and Character</h2>
<p>Sad, serious, introspective — the default minor sound. The flatted 6th (F in A Aeolian) is particularly responsible for its melancholy quality; compare to Dorian which has a natural 6th (F# in A Dorian) and therefore sounds warmer. Three notes differ from major: the ♭3, ♭6, and ♭7. The ♭6 is what separates Aeolian from Dorian; the ♭7 is what separates it from harmonic minor.</p>

<h2>Diatonic Chords</h2>

<table>
  <thead><tr><th>Degree</th><th>Chord (A Aeolian)</th><th>Quality</th><th>Function</th></tr></thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><td>i</td><td>Am7</td><td>Minor 7th</td><td>Tonic</td></tr>
    <tr><td>ii°</td><td>Bm7♭5</td><td>Half-diminished</td><td>Pre-dominant</td></tr>
    <tr><td>♭III</td><td>Cmaj7</td><td>Major 7th</td><td>Relative major tonic</td></tr>
    <tr><td>iv</td><td>Dm7</td><td>Minor 7th</td><td>Subdominant</td></tr>
    <tr><td>v</td><td>Em7</td><td>Minor 7th</td><td>Weak dominant (no leading tone)</td></tr>
    <tr><td>♭VI</td><td>Fmaj7</td><td>Major 7th</td><td>Subtonic major — melancholy colour</td></tr>
    <tr><td>♭VII</td><td>G major</td><td>Major</td><td>Subtonic major — common in rock</td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

<h2>Characteristic Progressions</h2>
<pre>
i — ♭VII — ♭VI — ♭VII  (the Aeolian rock loop)
In A: Am — G — F — G   → appears in hundreds of rock songs

i — ♭VI — ♭III — ♭VII
In A: Am — F — C — G   → "Stairway to Heaven" verse uses this

i — iv — v               (pure Aeolian, no borrowed chords)
In A: Am — Dm — Em      → classical minor, folk

The v chord (Em7 in A) is minor — no dominant seventh, no leading tone.
This gives Aeolian a different harmonic gravity than harmonic minor,
where V7 (E7) provides the strong cadential pull back to Am.
</pre>

<h2>Aeolian vs. Dorian vs. Harmonic Minor</h2>

<table>
  <thead><tr><th>Scale</th><th>A version</th><th>6th degree</th><th>7th degree</th><th>IV chord</th><th>V chord</th></tr></thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr><td>Aeolian</td><td>A B C D E F G</td><td>F (♭6)</td><td>G (♭7)</td><td>Dm7 (minor)</td><td>Em7 (minor — weak dominant)</td></tr>
    <tr><td>Dorian</td><td>A B C D E F# G</td><td>F# (natural)</td><td>G (♭7)</td><td>D major (major — brighter!)</td><td>Em7 (minor)</td></tr>
    <tr><td>Harmonic minor</td><td>A B C D E F G#</td><td>F (♭6)</td><td>G# (natural)</td><td>Dm7 (minor)</td><td>E7 (dominant — strong cadence)</td></tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

<h2>Aeolian in Context</h2>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Rock/Metal</strong>: "Stairway to Heaven," "Nothing Else Matters," "Mad World," "All Along the Watchtower" — Aeolian is the dominant minor scale in rock</li>
  <li><strong>Classical</strong>: Natural minor mode before composers raise the 6th and/or 7th for melodic and harmonic purposes</li>
  <li><strong>Jazz</strong>: Less common than Dorian over minor chords; used when a darker, more tragic sound is wanted</li>
  <li><strong>Film</strong>: Default minor key sound for dramatic or sorrowful scenes</li>
</ul>

<h2>References</h2>
<ul>
  <li>Levine — <em>The Jazz Theory Book</em></li>
  <li>Aldwell &amp; Schachter — <em>Harmony and Voice Leading</em></li>
  <li><a href="https://www.musictheory.net/lessons/24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">musictheory.net — Minor Scales ↗</a></li>
</ul>
