As usual, this improvisation was a one-take recording, and in all it’s imperfection, something about it felt true and unstoppable. I explored the open-ended mystery of the Lydian mode, the warmth of the Mixolydian mode, and the groundedness of the Ionian (major), and ended up with something that felt like it was propelling towards something inevitable.
The improvisation opens with a minimalistic melody with deep octave bass; then fast broken chords and arpeggios in A♭ Lydian, reaching up towards the higher register, with a tonic pedal in the bass.
Next it moves onto a progression in A♭ Mixolydian, with full-textured chords and melody in the mid to low register of the piano, making use of the richness of the sound in this area. I hope to do justice to the expressive range of the instrument.
Then the music modulates to D♭ major (Ionian), and within this section my ear led me to explore the chords diatonic to the key in a kind of freeform, but I ended up with recurrences of motifs and chord progressions. I found myself playing a lot of suspensions, add 9 chords and upper extensions, which along with a very percussive bass and full chordal texture resulted in a lot of momentum. Within this section there is a momentary lull in the energy with a brief, more gentle bridge section consisting of long arpeggiated left hand figures and sustained right hand chords. However, during this section the momentum from the drive of the previous passage hadn’t quite left my body, I could feel the residue of it, and the echo of that energy carried through into the next passage.
The music ends in A♭ Lydian, with a kind of almost-reprise of the opening. The Lydian mode has a very suspended, unfinished sound. This made the piece feel to me like it was saying “that’s not all, there’s more to come”.
Mode Reference Table
A♭ Lydian is the fourth mode of the E♭ major scale, and A♭ Mixolydian is the fifth mode of the D♭ Major scale. Here is a mode chart showing the exact note names for each mode.
| Mode | Parent (Major) Scale | Notes |
| A♭ Lydian | E♭ Major | A♭ B♭ C D E♭ F G |
| A♭ Mixolydian | D♭ Major | A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ |
| D♭ Major (Ionian) | D♭ Major | D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C |
You can learn more about modes in general here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
Listen to another improvisation that uses the Mixolydian mode: Displaced — Improvisation in F Mixolydian & Mixolydian ♭6, With E♭ Dorian
You might also like Rhapsody in D — Improvisation in D Mixolydian ♭6 & D Aeolian, With F Major
