In this video you can hear me playing an improvised piece of piano music which I named Selenic Raindrops. In certain contexts, the word “selenic” relates to the moon, which is what inspired my choice of title. Whilst improvising this music I found myself inhabiting a nocturnal and luminescent imaginary space, and following mysterious and unforeseeable shifts, like following a night rainstorm which is sometimes gentle and cleansing, sometimes intense with kinetic energy, and sometimes there is a spacious clearing.
In this improvisation, I was drawn to the silvery, midnight darkness of the G Dorian flat 2 mode, with the shaded weight of its downward turning Phrygian flattened 2nd degree alongside the light of its major 6th — hence its alternative name — the Phrygian natural 6 mode.
The G Dorian mode added a cool light and paradoxical gentle warmth in its melancholy minor 3rd and lifted major 6th. It was less dark than the G Dorian flat 2 mode due to its major 2nd.
The nocturnal shadows of the G Phrygian mode were also found within a Phrygian flattened 2nd (hence its name), alongside the dark minor 3rd, 6th and 7th.
The magical twilight of the D Mixolydian flat 6 mode was created by its hybrid major-minor sound — the major 3rd degree along with the minor 6th and 7th.
Mode Table
| Mode Used | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| G Dorian ♭2 | G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E – F | F Melodic Minor | 2nd Mode |
| G Dorian | G – A – B♭ – C – D – E – F | F Major | 2nd Mode |
| G Phrygian | G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F | E♭ Major | 3rd Mode |
| D Mixolydian ♭6 | D – E – F♯ – G – A – B♭ – C | G Melodic Minor | 5th Mode |
Interval Formulas
Dorian ♭2 Mode Formula:
1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
(Root, Minor 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Minor 7th)
Dorian Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
(Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Minor 7th)
Phrygian Mode Formula:
1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
(Root, Minor 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 6th, Minor 7th)
Mixolydian ♭6 Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
(Root, Major 2nd, Major 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
