Here is a video in which you can hear me playing a piece of music I improvised and named Camellia. In various traditions, the camellia flower represents a number of things from longing to acceptance. It is these two seemingly paradoxical colours that I felt were being carried by the bittersweet peacefulness combined with sorrow, light and shadow of the modes I used. The camellia blooms in shade, in the dead of winter or early spring, in all its frozen darkness, symbolising resilience. The flowers drop onto the ground, whole and unbroken, symbolising integrity and strength. The journey that the three modes took me on in this improvisation felt like the shaded and yet hopeful swirling layers of the camellia flower.
I started and finished this improvisation in E flat Mixolydian, whose flattened 7th softens the usual leading note of the major scale, resulting in a gentle acceptance, as opposed to the strong gravitational pull towards resolution found in the major scale. The melancholy of that minor 7th combined with the hopefulness of the major 3rd can sound like bittersweet yearning to my ear.
F Phrygian darkened the overriding colour of the music, like the shade that the camellia thrives in, or the darkness of winter.
C Aeolian (aka natural minor) is mournful in its minor sound, but with hope and light in its major quality chord built on the submediant. This reminded me of the vibrance of the flowers shining through the cold ache of winter.
Modal Analysis Table
| Mode Used | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ Mixolydian | E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D♭ | A♭ Major | 5th mode of A♭ Major |
| F Phrygian | F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭ | D♭ Major | 3rd mode of D♭ Major |
| C Aeolian (Natural Minor) | C, D, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭ | E♭ Major | 6th mode of E♭ Major |
Interval Formulas
Mixolydian Mode Formula
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
(Root, Major 2nd, Major 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Minor 7th)
Phrygian Mode Formula
1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
(Root, Minor 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 6th, Minor 7th)
Aeolian Mode Formula
1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
(Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 6th, Minor 7th)
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
