The position of the notes within the octave varies according to the mode (tone) in which a melody is chanted. Byzantine chant consists of eight basic modes, although several modes exhibit variations in the scale. The modes are grouped in three categories: natural, enharmonic, and chromatic.

These are numbered 1, 4, Plagal of the first (5), and Plagal of the fourth (8). The scale for these modes is very similar to the Western scale. The distances between notes is