In this video you can hear me playing a piece of piano music I improvised and named Cycles of Coloured Sands. The title represents the repeated cycling through the three different modes with their distinct colours and energies, like disparate particles coming together in a sand mandala. The shifting, granular nature of sand becomes a picture, and the individual colours blend their identities to form a pattern. The coloured sands also speak of the flux of time, with each era having its own hue, like coloured sand running through an hourglass — each layer of colour being a particular moment suspended in time, and the person we were in that moment.
In this improvisation I frequently and rapidly rotated the F Dorian mode with the D Aeolian mode and the G Lydian mode. Each mode has its own distinct personality and colour — the wistful warmth of the Dorian mode co-exists with the sorrowful shade of the Aeolian mode, and contrasts with the bright and ethereal nature of the Lydian mode, which due to its instability wants to fragment into the air.
Modal Table
| Mode | Note Names | Parent Scale (Major) | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| F Dorian | F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E♭ | E♭ Major | 2nd mode of E♭ Major |
| D Aeolian (Natural Minor) | D – E – F – G – A – B♭- C | F Major | 6th mode of F Major |
| G Lydian | G – A – B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ | D Major | 4th mode of D Major |
Interval Formulas
Dorian Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
(Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 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)
Lydian Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – 7
(Root, Major 2nd, Major 3rd, Augmented 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Major 7th)
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
