For this improvisation I chose the title because bluebells seemed to represent a number of aspects of this piece. In British folklore, bluebells are associated with the Faerie realm and the otherworld. It was said that if you hear a bluebell ring, you have been summoned to the other side; if you walk through a field of them, you might be spirited away. It’s like stepping into a part of the forest where time moves differently, and the paths vanish. I felt this folklore reflected the slightly disorientating, dark and magical natures of the Dorian sharp 4, Phrygian and Mixolydian flat 6 modes, as well as the shifts between them and the resulting displacement of tonal centres. The beauty of the melancholy blue colour of the flowers and their sweet scent seemed like it was echoed in the melancholy sweetness of the Dorian mode, which is where this piece starts and finishes, and loops round.
Bluebells symbolise truth and love, as well as dangerous enchantment, and I felt like the modal interplay of darkness and disquiet set against the more settled and warm Dorian home reflected this paradox.
Each mode has a different area of illumination and level of darkness, which made me think of dappled light moving through a forest of bluebells.
The modal sequence went like this:
I started in F Dorian which felt a bit like the balanced forest light — a bit of shadow due to its minor 3rd, but also with a sunbeam breaking through the canopy due to its lifted major 6th.
Then I moved to F Dorian ♯4: The addition of the sharpened 4th created an almost Lydian-feeling brightness on top of the Dorian shade (after all, the Lydian mode is characterised by its sharpened 4th), as if the sunlight had become an almost too-bright piercing point of light through a gap in the trees at high noon.
Next I moved to C Phrygian, with the darkness of the flattened 2nd (which in the Phrygian mode, darkens things further on top of the already dark minor 3rd, 6th and 7th). This made me think of a sudden darkness falling upon the forest, like the dangerous enchantment, where in Faerie folklore the tolling of the bluebells is a death knell.
Then I moved to G Mixolydian ♭6 , which felt like a magical, strange and unreal twilight: It is half light due to its bright major 3rd and dark minor 6th. The dream-like feel that I have always associated with the Mixolydian flat 6 mode seems especially fitting here, as another legend associated with bluebells is to do with their former botanical name “Endymion non-scriptus”: This is based on the character from Ancient Greek mythology, Endymion. In this myth, Selene, the Titan goddess of the moon, put him to sleep to preserve his beauty forever.
Then the music moved back to C Phrygian again like a persistent weight, echoing the darkness of the idea of eternal sleep.
Then the mode shifted to C Mixolydian ♭6 — a sudden brightening due to losing that dark flat 2nd and raising the minor 3rd to a major 3rd, but still a strange half-light, twilight world due to its dark minor 6th and 7th.
Then the modal sequence looped round again, like a persistent search. Like searching for the sleeper in the forest.
All the while, a time signature that felt like 6/8 seemed to echo the playful movement of the Faerie realm, over the top of the underlying darkness and disquiet — 6/8 is known for its lilting feel.
Note names of the modes used, and parent scales
| Mode | Notes | Parent scale | Modal origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| F Dorian | F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭ | E♭ major | 2nd mode of major |
| F Dorian ♯4 | F G A♭ B C D E♭ | C harmonic minor | 4th mode of harmonic minor |
| C Phrygian | C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ | A♭ major | 3rd mode of major |
| G Mixolydian ♭6 | G A B C D E♭ F | C melodic minor | 5th mode of melodic minor |
| C Mixolydian ♭6 | C D E F G A♭ B♭ | F melodic minor | 5th mode of melodic minor |
Interval formulas
F Dorian
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
F Dorian ♯4
1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
C Phrygian
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
G Mixolydian ♭6
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
C Mixolydian ♭6
1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Further reading and listening
The story continues in Asphodel Twilight — Improvisation in E Dorian, D Dorian ♯4, B♭ Lydian & D Mixolydian ♭6
Learn more about modes here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
You might also like Aster — Improvisation in G♯ Aeolian
