Could you help me with the concept of 'mode'? To the best of my knowledge, a mode is a defined series of intervals. So the western major mode (in equal temperament, for convenience's sake) goes:
whole step
whole step
half step
whole step
whole step
whole step
half step
Which is the ionian mode.
While the minor mode goes:
whole step
half step
whole step
whole step
whole step
half step
whole step
Which is the dorian mode. Most western music after the medieval period is set in the ionian and dorian modes. All of our scales are permutations of these modes. Which is quite restrictive when you think about it.
The hypodorian, for example, seems to follow the series:
whole step
half step
whole step
whole step
half step
whole step
whole step.
Is that the gist of 'mode'? I suppose it would be more accurate in diatonic or just tuning, but I can't recall all the intervals off the top of my head.