Refracted continues the sound world first explored in Fractured Light, returning to the combination of F Dorian with brief modulations to D♭ Lydian, and revisiting/varying some of the motifs used.

This time, the texture is denser and more sustained. Much of the right hand melody is voiced through the top of four-part chords — essentially Dorian triads with doubled voices — creating a choral sonority with upper extensions, like the harmony has been split into many colours. Sometimes, by contrast, the right hand melody appears as a single line, or in 6ths and 3rds. Beneath this, the left hand often maintains a continuous arpeggiated motion.

At moments, the left hand breaks into paired-note patterns, outlining the chord in rising two-note figures, while the right hand pauses to let the texture breathe. Towards the end, the left hand also takes on the melody, with the right hand again pausing to allow space.

Refracted (Fractured Light Part II) also carries a small thread of connection. The original Fractured Light was a favourite of a very good friend, and so I found myself inspired to experiment with those same modal colours, F Dorian and D♭ Lydian, again. In that sense, this improvisation feels both like a continuation and a quiet conversation across time.

You can read a complete guide to modes here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales

Learn about the Dorian mode here: Dorian Mode Explained: Complete Guide with Note Names in All 12 Keys

For an improvisation exploring darker colours, listen to The Unspoken Current – Improvisation in D Phrygian, Eb Lydian and Ab Lydian

For an improvisation exploring multiple modes, listen to Ionian Ghosts – Improvisation in C Dorian, A Phrygian, Ab Ionian and Ab Lydian

I continued the theme of refraction and multiple colours in a very different improvisation here: Through the Prism: C Minor and the Neapolitan 6th — Improvisation