Resurrecting a somewhat dead thread:

I'm 46 and just now trying to learn this - not singing, just the recognition and keyboard skills of the 'chordal scales'. Not because I thought I should do it on my own, it's the main part of the week 2 lesson in the Gary Burton Jazz Improvisation class that I'm in right now.

I have to say that the only scales that really feel natural to me are Ionian, Dorian and Aeolian. I can groove in those with the dance, the music, etc.

I can almost identify some of the others by ear, like Mixolydian. But the other modes are harder for me to hear the subtleties. In this class, we are learning 10 different chordal scales.