This video captures a piano improvisation of mine which I named Rooted in the Sunlight. Whilst improvising this music, I felt anchored by the grounded, steady and warm aspects of the Dorian mode, which developed into a momentum, growing upwards into the more ethereal light of the Lydian mode. The root of the tonic chord of the E Dorian mode was the distinctive sunlit Lydian note (augmented 4th degree) of the B♭ Lydian mode, making me feel like the music was rooted in the sunlight.
I started this improvisation in E Dorian, which is a grounded mode due to the gravity of its consonant perfect 4th and 5th degrees. The minor 3rd degree lends shadow to this mode, like the darkness of the underground space of tree roots. But the lifted major 6th degree creates hope, warmth and a brightening, like shoots traveling towards the light. A few minor 7th chords and upper extensions created a paradox of cool tension, like steady growth towards the light.
A modulation to B flat Lydian retained the tonic of E Dorian (the root of the tonic triad, i.e. E) and transformed it into the distinctive Lydian note of B flat Lydian. E is the augmented 4th degree that gives the B flat Lydian mode its distinctive character, brightening and expanding the sound, and destabilising it by eliminating the perfect 4th (which would be E flat), creating a lift into the sunlight.
Mode Table
| Mode Used | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Dorian | E – F♯ – G – A – B – C♯ – D | D Major | 2nd Mode |
| B♭ Lydian | B♭ – C – D – E – F – G – A | F Major | 4th Mode |
Interval Formulas
Dorian Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
(Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Minor 7th)
Lydian Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – 3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – 7
(Root, Major 2nd, Major 3rd, Augmented 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Major 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
