In this video you can hear me play an improvised piece of music which I named Mapping a Constellation. When we map a constellation, we are looking at a vast sky full of seemingly disconnected and scattered points of light and empty stretches of dark, and connecting these dots to reveal a bigger picture — a meaningful pattern that was always there. The G Dorian ♯4 and A Phrygian Dominant modes felt to me like celestial bodies in a shared sky, the way they share the same parent scale of D harmonic minor, with its exotic and mysterious tension. The A Mixolydian ♭6 and G Aeolian modes bring faraway light and weighted shadow, like the twinkling of the stars in the night sky.
Stars are a glimpse into the sometimes distant past, because by the time their light reaches us, many years may have passed. We are seeing how they looked then. And yet the light reaches us now and impacts us as we see it here. It alters how we navigate the dark. It’s an interconnectedness across time and space, just like the harmonic ties between the different modes with their pivot chords in this piece, and the vital connection between humans.
Modal Analysis Table
| Mode Used | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| G Dorian ♯4 | G, A, B♭, C♯, D, E, F | D Harmonic Minor | 4th Mode of D Harmonic Minor |
| A Phrygian Dominant | A, B♭, C♯, D, E, F, G | D Harmonic Minor | 5th Mode of D Harmonic Minor |
| A Mixolydian ♭6 | A, B, C♯, D, E, F, G | D Melodic Minor | 5th Mode of D Melodic Minor |
| G Aeolian | G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, F | B♭ Major | 6th Mode of B♭ Major |
Interval Formulas
- G Dorian ♯4 Formula: 1 — 2 — ♭3 — ♯4 — 5 — 6 — ♭7
- A Phrygian Dominant Formula: 1 — ♭2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
- A Mixolydian ♭6 Formula: 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
- G Aeolian Formula: 1 — 2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
Relationship of Each Scale Degree to the Root of Each Mode
G Dorian sharp 4
- 1: Root
- 2: Major 2nd
- ♭3: Minor 3rd
- ♯4: Augmented 4th
- 5: Perfect 5th
- 6: Major 6th
- ♭7: Minor 7th
A Phrygian Dominant
- 1: Root
- ♭2: Minor 2nd
- 3: Major 3rd
- 4: Perfect 4th
- 5: Perfect 5th
- ♭6: Minor 6th
- ♭7: Minor 7th
A Mixolydian flat 6
- 1: Root
- 2: Major 2nd
- 3: Major 3rd
- 4: Perfect 4th
- 5: Perfect 5th
- ♭6: Minor 6th
- ♭7: Minor 7th
G Aeolian
- 1: Root
- 2: Major 2nd
- ♭3: Minor 3rd
- 4: Perfect 4th
- 5: Perfect 5th
- ♭6: Minor 6th
- ♭7: Minor 7th
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
