Here is a video in which you can hear me playing an improvised piece of music which I named Holographic Shift. Whilst I was improvising this music, it felt like a shift in perspective, where two modes from keys which are universes apart stopped feeling so disconnected, and instead each contained a fragment which was a key to unlocking and building the other. By shifting my perspective, the colours, and the direction of light and shadows around a single unmoving point — a shared keynote between the two parent scales — the two vastly differently structured keys were revealed to be part of an interconnected whole. Much like a hologram, where even if the recording plate is shattered, each surviving shard still contains the blueprint of the entire 3D image.
I started this improvisation in C sharp Dorian sharp 4 (C♯ Dorian ♯4). The Dorian sharp 4 mode has mystery and darkness in its harmonic minor structure, and sorrow in its minor 3rd; but depending on which angle you view it from, it can have glimmers of light and shifting colours in its brightened augmented 4th and major 6th, like the iridescent effect of a holographic surface.
During a modulation to F Aeolian, a repeated alternation between the mediant chord (♭III) of C♯ Dorian ♯4 and the tonic triad of F Aeolian created an otherworldly harmonic slide, and more shifting light and colours. The shared enharmonic equivalent G♯/A♭ within these two chords was the shared keynote of the two parent scales of the modes, and so despite these keys being on almost opposite ends of the cycle of 5ths, a pathway was created between them, a kind of key unlocking a previously unseen door.
Then the mournful and dark nature of F Aeolian created a different quality of lament compared with the earlier C♯ Dorian ♯4, like viewing the shadows from a different side to reveal different colours.
Mode Table
| Mode Used | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ Dorian ♯4 | C♯ – D♯ – E – F𝄪 (G) – G♯ – A♯ – B | G♯ Harmonic Minor | 4th Mode |
| F Aeolian | F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ | A♭ Major | 6th Mode |
Interval Formulas
Dorian ♯4 Mode Formula
1 – 2 – ♭3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
(Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Augmented 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)
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
How to Improvise on the Piano — A Basic Method
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