Aeolian is the sixth mode of the major scale. It's also known as the natural or relative minor scale. It's related to the major scale because the root of the Ionian mode is a minor 3rd up from the root of the Aeolian mode. You could also say that the root of the Ionian mode is a major 6th below the root of of the Aeolian mode. The lowered 3rd and 7th degrees make this a minor sounding mode. The character pitch is the b6.
|--------Octave------||----Extensions----|
1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-8-9-b10-11-12-b13
There are many useful chords generated using the Aeolian mode. Here are some of them:
1-b3-5= minor triad
1-b3-5-b7= minor 7
1-b3-5-b7-9= minor 9
1-b3-5-9= minor (add9)
1-b3-5-b7-9-11= minor 11
1-b3-#5= minor #5 (#5 is enharmonically the same to a b6)
1-b3-#5-b7= minor 7#5
Some possible hybrid chords which can be built from the Aeolian mode:
1-2-5= sus2
1-5= power chord
1-b3-9= minor 9
1-b3-11= minor 11
Aeolian Vamps: (Stress the b3 and the b7, use the b6 as a tension tone). The minor 6th will normally resolve down to the 5th.
Vamp #1: (Am7/Bm7b5) (Use A Aeolian. All black dots on A)
Vamp #2: (Cm7/Abmaj7/G7#5) (Use C Aeolian.)
Vamp #3: (Em7/Esus9/Am7) (Use E Aeolian)
 |