Here is a video capturing an improvisation of mine which I named Riding the Undercurrent. In this piece of music I felt like I was moving with unseen natural forces echoed by the heights and depths of the bright and dark modes. Rather than trying to direct them, or resisting their pull, I allowed myself to be carried along by the energies and lulls of their particular colours and shapes, to discover where their momentum might lead me.
I started in D Lydian sharp 2, which has a mournful darkness in its harmonic minor sound, with a paradoxical bright reach upwards and energy in its major 3rd, augmented 2nd, and augmented 4th.
The B Dorian mode drops into shadow with its minor 3rd degree, but the light major 6th tempers the sorrowful sound with a hopeful lift.
A flattening of the major 6th transforms B Dorian into B Aeolian, dropping the music further into shadows and a gravitational pull downwards, but the major quality chords VI and VII of the Aeolian mode provide paradoxical light and momentum.
Mode Table
| Mode | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| D Lydian ♯2 | D – E♯ – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯ | F♯ Harmonic Minor | 6th mode of F♯ Harmonic Minor |
| B Dorian | B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G♯ – A | A Major | 2nd mode of A Major |
| B Aeolian (Natural Minor) | B – C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G – A | D Major | 6th mode of D Major |
Interval Formulas
Lydian ♯2 Mode Formula:
1 – ♯2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – 7
Root, Augmented 2nd, Major 3rd, Augmented 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Major 7th
Dorian Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 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
