In this video I am playing an improvised piece of music which I named Aria Unsung. In music, the word “aria” means song or melody. An aria is often a self-contained piece of music found within a larger work, where the main narrative pauses for a moment, giving a character a chance to express their own feelings and reflect deeply. It is a moment of an unsung or unheard thought being voiced as a solo, allowing the character’s true self to be liberated. It is a soliloquy, where the unsung voice is finally allowed to shine without being drowned out by the dominant narrative.

I started in G major (Ionian) and the warmth and stability of this mode/key created light around the emergence of a voice being allowed to come to the fore.

The B Aeolian mode (natural minor) had a more lamenting quality, like the sadness of the unheard voice and unsung air.

The G Mixolydian flat 6 mode brought more mystery in its half-light major-minor hybrid sound — like the potential of more hidden voices being revealed. 

Modes Used, Notes Names and Parent Scales

Mode Used	Note Names	Parent Scale	Modal Relationship
G Major (Ionian)	G – A – B – C – D – E – F♯	G Major	1st Mode of G Major
B Aeolian (Natural Minor)	B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G – A	D Major	6th Mode of D Major
G Mixolydian ♭6	G – A – B – C – D – E♭ – F	C Melodic Minor	5th Mode of C Melodic Minor

Interval Formulas

• Ionian (Major): 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7
• Aeolian (Natural Minor): 1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
• Mixolydian ♭6: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7

Further Reading and Listening

Learn more about modes in general here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales

Sweet Lilac Tree — Improvisation in G♭ Major, A♭ Dorian ♯4, G Mixolydian ♭6 & F Dorian

Voicing the Inner Frequencies — Improvisation in C Aeolian, E♭ Major (Ionian) & C Mixolydian ♭6

Seven Colours — Improvisation in F Mixolydian ♭6, Phrygian & Mixolydian; C Dorian & Harmonic Minor; A♭ Lydian & E♭ Major