In this video you can hear me playing an improvised piece of piano music which I named Gold Sky in a Blue Mirror. 

While playing this improvisation I was swept along by the sparkling, glowing warmth of the Lydian and Dorian modes, the reflective blue introspection of the Aeolian mode, and the indigo darkness with glimmers of gold light in the Lydian sharp 2 mode. 

It brought to my mind the imagery of an otherworldly golden sunset sky reflected in the infinite blue depths of the sea. This imagery is also an inversion of a more expected landscape of a blue sky over a golden land, such as a beach. It’s a changed perspective, and yet the bright expanse of the sky is still reflected in the dark blue depths of the water. In this perspective, the blue mirror of the ocean with its hidden, unexplored abyss reflects the transcendent magic of the insightful sky.

 Mode Table

Mode Used	Note Names	Parent Scale	Modal Relationship
E♭ Lydian ♯2	E♭ – F♯ – G – A – B♭ – C – D	G Harmonic Minor	6th Mode of G Harmonic Minor
E Dorian	E – F♯ – G – A – B – C♯ – D	D Major	2nd Mode of D Major
E Aeolian (Natural Minor)	E – F♯ – G – A – B – C – D	G Major	6th Mode of G Major
D Lydian	D – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯	A Major	4th Mode of A Major
E♭ Dorian	E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭	D♭ Major	2nd Mode of D♭ Major

Interval Formulas

Lydian ♯2 Mode Formula

1 – ♯2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – 7

(Root, Augmented 2nd, Major 3rd, Augmented 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Major 7th)

Learn more about the Lydian sharp 2 mode

Dorian Mode Formula

1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7

(Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Minor 7th)

Learn more about the Dorian mode

Aeolian Mode Formula

1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7

(Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 6th, Minor 7th)

Learn more about the Aeolian mode (natural minor)

Lydian Mode Formula

1 – 2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – 7

(Root, Major 2nd, Major 3rd, Augmented 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Major 7th)

Learn more about the Lydian mode

Further Reading and Listening

Learn more about modes here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales

The Kyanite Space — Improvisation in C Dorian ♯4, D Lydian, C Aeolian & B Lydian

Stardust in a Teardrop — Improvisation in G Aeolian, G Phrygian, E♭ Ionian Augmented & G♭ Lydian

Interstellar Voyage — Improvisation in C Lydian, C♯ Dorian, D♭ Major & Lydian, E♭ Minor, D Aeolian