When playing this improvised piece of music, I felt a sense of mourning, liminal space, remembrance, and glimmers of light seeing the way home. These are some of the things that influenced my choice of title — Elegy on a Shore. A shore symbolises a threshold — that liminal space between the solid ground of the known, and the infinite and unpredictable expanse of the unknown. The boundary between waking awareness, and the un-accessed depths of the mind — and the sense that we might be able to traverse it, embark on a sometimes perilous crossing, after being lost at sea for a long time.
The D and F Phrygian modes created a darkness and lamenting quality. For a moment the texture thinned to reveal a mournful melody in F Aeolian and A flat major (Ionian), like an elegy for lost loved ones, with the major providing bittersweetness in happy remembrance. The E flat Dorian mode can also have a bittersweet quality to it, combining the elegiac minor 3rd degree with the warmer major 6th. The D flat Lydian mode created glimmers of brightness — like a lighthouse guiding the way back through the mist.
Modes Used, Note Names and Parent Scales
| Mode | Notes | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| D Phrygian | D E♭ F G A B♭ C | B♭ Major | 3rd mode of Major |
| E♭ Dorian | E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭ | D♭ Major | 2nd mode of Major |
| F Phrygian | F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ | D♭ Major | 3rd mode of Major |
| F Aeolian | F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ | A♭ Major | 6th mode of Major |
| A♭ Major | A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G | A♭ Major | 1st mode (Ionian) |
| D♭ Lydian | D♭ E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C | A♭ Major | 4th mode of Major |
Interval Formulas:
- Phrygian: 1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
- Dorian: 1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
- Aeolian: 1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
- Lydian: 1 – 2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – 7
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
