This video captures a freeform improvisation of mine which I called Melodies of a Shared Breath. The title symbolises connection and co-existence, the way people who are in tune with each other resonate and harmonise together. E.g. the physiological phenomenon of how a pair or group of people who are attuned to each other and working towards a shared goal can sometimes find their heart and breathing rates naturally synchronise. And the idea of shared existence and emotional bonds, where the rhythm of one person’s life and feelings affects the rhythm of the other in a ripple effect. It also represents the idea that in this piece of music, whenever I changed mode, a new melodic theme emerged, like one voice passing the baton to another, but each melody co-existed within the same musical framework and took some elements of the previous melody even while forming an independent melodic identity.
I started this improvisation in E flat major (aka Ionian), whose warmth and stability due to the gravity of the functional harmony represented the idea of trust and attunement.
I modulated to F Dorian which has more melancholy due to its minor 3rd, but lift and residual warmth in its major 6th — which I often hear as a nostalgic or bittersweet quality.
Then a shift to D Phrygian brought more shade and enigma — the flattened 2nd degree of this mode gives it that classic Phrygian weight and darkness, with an inward turning or downward pull. But there is also a paradoxical brightness and opening in its major supertonic chord (which happens to be E♭ major: the safe and stable home key of this piece) — reflecting the complexity of human emotions and connection.
I modulated back to F Dorian briefly, using a different melodic theme from the first time I inhabited this mode. Then the music closed in the stable and resolved E flat major.
Modes Used, Notes Names and Parent Scales
| Mode Used | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ Ionian (Major) | E♭ — F — G — A♭ — B♭ — C — D | E♭ Major | 1st Mode of E♭ Major (Home Key) |
| F Dorian | F — G — A♭ — B♭ — C — D — E♭ | E♭ Major | 2nd Mode of E♭ Major |
| D Phrygian | D — E♭ — F — G — A — B♭ — C | B♭ Major | 3rd Mode of B♭ Major |
Interval Formulas
- Ionian (Major Scale) Formula: 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7
- Dorian Formula: 1 — 2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — ♭7
- Phrygian Formula: 1 — ♭2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
