Light Beneath the Photic Zone, Part II
Here is a video capturing another one of my piano improvisations which I called Traversing the Midnight Layer. It felt like part 2 to a previous improvised piece I recorded called Light Beneath the Photic Zone due to the use and development of a similar motif, and a kind of continuation of the story.
The midnight layer, aka the midnight zone, or bathypelagic zone, is a vast, pitch-black layer of the deep ocean lying directly beneath the twilight layer (mesopelagic zone). It is part of the aphotic zone which also encompasses the even deeper zones known as the abyss and the trenches. It is like a gateway to the deepest depths. It is where sunlight cannot reach, and where the crushing weight of the hydrostatic pressure is immense, and the temperature is near freezing. The extreme environment of the midnight zone has resulted in unique adaptations in the life-forms found there, in order to survive. One of these adaptations is bioluminescence, i.e. self-generated light, due to this zone being completely devoid of sunlight. The idea of traversing the midnight zone is about navigating the deepest challenges and facing the darkest depths without getting lost or crushed. It’s a metaphor for finding the strength, hope and light within oneself even when the weight and darkness feels intense.
The piece started and ended in the bright and stable B flat major (aka B♭Ionian). The light and hope in the Ionian mode felt a bit like coming out the other side, after descending through the twilight layer and mysterious shadows of the B flat Mixolydian flat 6 mode, and into the unsettled disquiet and eerie bioluminescence of the B flat Lydian Augmented mode.
Modal Table
| Mode Name | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ Major (Ionian) | B♭ — C — D — E♭ — F — G — A | B♭ Major | 1st Mode of B♭ Major |
| B♭ Mixolydian ♭6 | B♭ — C — D — E♭ — F — G♭ — A♭ | E♭ Melodic Minor | 5th Mode of E♭ Melodic Minor |
| B♭ Lydian Augmented | B♭ — C — D — E — F♯ — G — A | G Melodic Minor | 3rd Mode of G Melodic Minor |
Interval Formulas
- B♭ Major: 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7
- B♭ Mixolydian ♭6: 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
- B♭ Lydian Augmented: 1 — 2 — 3 — ♯4 — ♯5 — 6 — 7
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes in general here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
