In this video you can hear me playing a piece of music I improvised and named Through and Back. The title is inspired by the sci-fi trope of traveling through a portal, or wormhole into another dimension or universe, experiencing the altered reality, and traveling back and forth multiple times, each time bringing about a transformation of a sort. After navigating through this challenging and uncertain journey, you don’t return to exactly the same starting point. Each time the journey is undertaken, something in your perception and perspective is fundamentally changed. There can be a poignancy in lost illusions, but also light in the clarity gained.
I started this improvisation in A flat Lydian sharp 2, which had a melancholic ache in its harmonic minor sound, signalling the weight of the journey to come.
Then I alternated several times between the A flat Lydian and D Lydian modes, whose tritone relationship made them universes apart, creating an otherworldly feel. However the distinctive Lydian note (raised 4th) of each of these modes was the tonic of the other. This particular harmonic relationship and alternation between the two created an oscillating portal effect, like tunnelling through a harmonic wormhole, and each mode changed the relative perspective of the other. The raised 4ths of the two Lydian modes, along with their major 3rd degrees, created ethereal light and instability — like floating through space with no foothold, or like the destabilising effect of sudden and unexpected insight gained from a changed perspective.
Mode Table
| Mode Used | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ Lydian ♯2 | A♭ – B♮ – C – D – E♭ – F – G | C Harmonic Minor | 6th Mode |
| A♭ Lydian | A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G | E♭ Major | 4th Mode |
| D Lydian | D – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯ | A Major | 4th Mode |
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)
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
