This video is another free-form piano improvisation of mine which I named A Thousand Latent. The title reflects the feeling of potential, expansion and opening I hear in the main mode of this piece — the A Ionian Augmented mode; and the unfinished and unsettled sound of its augmented tonic triad. I rapidly cycled through multiple modes in this piece, each one sharing a common tone — A. This “A” is like a hinge holding together what feels like a thousand possibilities (intervals, scales, overtones, fundamentals, chromatic variations, harmonic shades), like a thousand voices. To me it felt a bit like a suspended breath creating a sense of unresolved potential, like the music is holding a secret.
Modes Used, Note Names and Parent Scales
| Mode | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Ionian Augmented | A, B, C♯, D, E♯, F♯, G♯ | F♯ Harmonic Minor | 3rd Mode |
| F♯ Dorian | F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯, E | E Major | 2nd Mode |
| F Lydian ♯2 | F, G♯, A, B, C, D, E | A Harmonic Minor | 6th Mode |
| E Mixolydian ♭6 | E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C, D | A Melodic Minor | 5th Mode |
Interval Formulas
A Ionian Augmented:
1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — ♯5 — 6 — 7
F♯ Dorian:
1 — 2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — ♭7
F Lydian ♯2:
1 — ♯2 — 3 — ♯4 — 5 — 6 — 7
E Mixolydian ♭6:
1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
The Ionian Augmented mode is also known as the Ionian ♯5 mode, and as its alternative name suggests, it is like the Ionian mode (major scale) with a sharpened 5th degree. This results in an augmented tonic triad, giving it a suspended, unsettled and expansive feel. As it is the 3rd mode of the harmonic minor scale, it also has darkness, which creates ambiguity against the brightening of the raised 5th and major 3rd.
Learn more about the Dorian mode here, the Lydian sharp 2 mode here, and the Mixolydian flat 6 mode here.
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
Uncanny Cloud — Improvisation in C Lydian Augmented, E Lydian ♯2, E Mixolydian & B Aeolian
Asphodel Twilight — Improvisation in E Dorian, D Dorian ♯4, B♭ Lydian & D Mixolydian ♭6
A Small Flame — Improvisation in G Phrygian Dominant, B♭ Lydian & D Aeolian
