The Silver Branch — Voyage to the Otherworld
For this improvisation I chose the name “The Silver Branch”. In Irish mythology, the Silver Branch is a musical branch from the Otherworld. When it is shaken, you hear healing music that allows the listener to walk between worlds without losing their mind. A kind of counter to the tragedy of the lost memories in the Greek myth of the Asphodel Meadow as portrayed in my piece Asphodel Twilight. In the Silver Branch myth, this magical branch comes from a sacred apple tree and acts as a kind of passport for the journey to an Otherworld that is full of joy and healing. It is symbolic of opening to a deeper connection with reality and its links to the spiritual realm. Letting go and taking that leap of faith into the unknown, despite the sorrow of what you might be leaving behind.
In this improvisation I journeyed through several modes:
I started in C♯ Aeolian with descending diatonic planing triads in the right hand accompanied by ascending octaves in the left hand. This contrary motion, drawing together of the hands from an initially great distance felt like a representation of the gravity of reality and the start of the journey.
Next I played fast repetitive arpeggios in a polyrhythm of 6s against 4s. This felt like a portrayal of the shaking of the branch. In the myth when the branch is shaken, the silver bells create a soporific, healing music. The 6-against-4 polyrhythm creates that shimmering, unreal-feeling vibration.
Then I played the main theme, still in C sharp Aeolian. The accompaniment included a lot of walk-ups in the bass which felt a bit like the Guide’s footsteps — the momentum of Manannán (the sea God and King of the Otherworld in Gaelic lore is called Manannán mac Lir) leading you across the sea/mist. It’s the movement toward healing, not a stagnant wandering. I used a lot of syncopation in the rhythm, and syncopation in music is also known for its feeling of momentum.
Next I moved to F Lydian sharp 2. The Lydian sharp 2 mode has Lydian brightness due to its raised 4th, but also some darkness due to being a mode of the harmonic minor scale. It’s like the white blossoms on the magical apple tree branch, light amongst the darkness.
Then I modulated to C sharp Dorian flat 2 (or Phrygian natural 6). This mode has darkness due to its flattened “Phrygian” 2nd degree, but also light due to its “Dorian” raised 6th. It’s an unsettled and uncertain sound, a bridge between states — where the memory loss of the Underworld transforms to the clearer vision of the Otherworld. Like a parting of the fog as we pass through it on the sea journey.
Then I moved to F Lydian, followed by B Lydian. The Lydian modes are the brightest of the modes and often sound suspended, ethereal and floating. They seem to represent the ascendence into the magical realm. The movement from F Lydian to B Lydian creates a tritone relationship which adds to the otherworldly and expanding feel.
After this I repeated ideas from the main theme in C sharp Aeolian, then the fast polyrhythm patterns, followed by a simplified version of the main theme to close.
Note names and parent scales of modes used
| Mode | Notes | Parent scale | Modal origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ Aeolian | C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B | E major | 6th mode of major |
| F Lydian ♯2 | F G♯ A B C D E | A harmonic minor | 6th mode of harmonic minor |
| C♯ Dorian ♭2 | C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A♯ B | B melodic minor | 2nd mode of melodic minor |
| F Lydian | F G A B C D E | C major | 4th mode of major |
| B Lydian | B C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ | F♯ major | 4th mode of major |
Interval formulas
Aeolian (natural minor)
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Lydian ♯2
1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
Dorian ♭2
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
Lydian
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
Further reading and listening
Learn more about modes in general: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
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