Mixolydian & Mixolydian ♭6 Trilogy
This improvisation is part of a series of three pieces that belong together. The other two are Intermezzo in B♭ and Rhapsody in D. This improvisation surprised me. I’m no Bach, and who could ever live up to him? — but I found myself playing moments of very subtle counterpoint, and the modes shifted. Something felt quietly “displaced” and I followed it to see where it was going. Here is the result:
This improvisation features paired ascending and descending arpeggio and broken chord patterns in both hands, where the hands move together rhythmically but begin each pattern on different scale degrees, so they are displaced but interlocking. It creates a harmonised “offset” effect—almost like two voices moving in parallel, but not identical replicas of each other. This parallel motion in both hands with displaced entry-points was common in Romantic era music, such as Chopin and Liszt, although I am using more modern harmonies. The Mixolydian mode (which this is predominantly based on) is common in pop/rock ballads and blues (although this is not blues based, like some of my earlier improv recordings).
The opening sits in F Mixolydian, which is the 5th mode of the B♭ major scale (see table below for exact note names). The introduction consists of sweeping hands-together arpeggios in the aforementioned displaced pattern, over a series of chords within the F Mixolydian mode.
- Left hand begins each arpeggio on the root of the harmony.
- Right hand begins on the 5th.
Because both hands play the same pattern but enter it at different points, the result isn’t monophonic, even though the rhythms are synchronised. The two lines interlock in a way that makes them sound more harmonised than unison parallel arpeggios.
After this opening, the same chord progression returns but in a different texture:
- RH plays block chords (sometimes 4-part, sometimes 3-part) and some melody.
- LH plays wide-spaced, slower arpeggiated figures, with a bass-line melody emerging inside them.
A little motif keeps appearing in the LH, sometimes echoing in the RH. Within this section, sometimes the two hands play fragments of melody overlapping, in moments of counterpoint.
From there, the harmony shifts into F Mixolydian ♭6, which is the 5th mode of the B♭ melodic minor scale, keeping the same general texture. The LH motif reappears this section.
Learn more about the Mixolydian ♭6 mode here: Mixolydian ♭6 Mode Explained: Complete Guide with Note Names in All 12 Keys
A pivot chord (B♭ m) leads into a pensive progression in E♭ Dorian, which is the 2nd mode of the D♭ major scale . At first the texture stays similar but lighter (3-part chords in the RH instead of 4-part stacks) before changing again by moving into slow ascending 4-part broken-chord patterns in both hands. The earlier displaced/offset Romantic style pattern is used, but this time using broken chords instead of arpeggios. The difference between arpeggios and broken chords is that arpeggios move in a smooth, continuous ascent and descent, while broken chords can move in any order — repeating or reversing notes, often restarting the pattern further back before continuing.
At the top of each ascent, there is a small melodic fragment, and/or an increase in tempo with a repeating arpeggio figure. The broken chords alternate between E♭m and A♭.
From there, the piece returns to F Mixolydian ♭6, with a spacious and suspended atmosphere, and the left hand motif reappears.
Then the piece returns to F Mixolydian, with the earlier chordal and countermelody texture, and closes with a final statement of the motif that recurred throughout.
Mode Table
Below is a table for the modes used in this piece.
(Accidentals follow the logic of each parent scale.)
| Mode | Parent Scale | Notes in the Mode |
| F Mixolydian | B♭ major | F – G – A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ |
| F Mixolydian ♭6 | B♭ minor (melodic minor ascending) | F – G – A – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ |
| E♭ Dorian | D♭ major | E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ |
Further Listening – More Improvisation
Aeolian Nocturne in G — Improvisation with G Aeolian, Dorian and Phrygian Modes
