This new improvisation continues the modal explorations from my recent two videos, but in a longer and more developed form. Again, this was very spontaneous, there was no underlying progression mapped out beforehand — each chord and shift arose spontaneously as part of the improvisation.

The main sound world is F Dorian — a minor mode that feels melancholic, with a natural 6th that gives it a lift compared to the natural minor (Aeolian). Arpeggiated chords within F Dorian set the foundation, with plaintive and searching melodies over the top.

Every so often, the music shifts into D♭ Lydian. Normally described as bright and floating, here the Lydian mode takes on an unexpected poignancy due to it’s contrast with the melancholy Dorian. The raised 4th of Lydian (G natural in the key of D♭) becomes piercing, almost painful — like a shaft of light through a dark window.

I used F Dorian as the main soundscape, moving freely among its diatonic chords. By contrast, I touched on D♭ Lydian more in the jazz sense of a chord–scale pairing — creating melodies within the mode over a single D♭ major chord for a stretch before returning to F Dorian. The result, though, is not jazzy in sound or style. Many styles of music other than jazz use chord-scale pairings at times.
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By alternating between F Dorian and D♭ Lydian, the music builds a paradoxical tension: prevailing sadness interspersed with moments of fragile, luminous interruption. Each return to F Dorian feels heavier, while each glimpse of D♭ Lydian feels fleeting and bittersweet.

If you’d like to understand more about how these modes work, see my full guide to modes of the major, melodic minor, and harmonic minor scales.

Here is another improvisation incorporating the Lydian mode: Orbit – Improvisation in F Aeolian, D♭ Lydian and A♭ Ionian

The Morrígan’s Loom — Improvisation in G Dorian ♯4, G Dorian ♭2 & B♭ Lydian Dominant