Piano improvisation using G Dorian flat 2 (also known as G Phrygian natural 6), F Aeolian, G Phrygian, G Dorian and G Locrian natural 6 (Locrian ♮6)
For this improvisation I settled on the title “Ultraviolet” because I was exploring a sound that felt like a sense of something just beyond what’s perceivable (as ultraviolet literally means beyond violet, i.e. beyond the visible spectrum), and yet with unsettling darkness — like the way black light (another name for ultraviolet) reveals what’s normally hidden. Those revealed things become fluorescent but other things are still hidden in deep shadow. A sense of hidden structure, altered seeing, subtle intensity, things becoming visible without being forced. The modes I ended up using — G Dorian ♭2, G Phrygian, G Dorian, G Locrian ♮6 and F Aeolian all have significant darkness due to their minor 3rds and/or flattened 2nds. These modes also have occasional chords or scale degrees that glow subtly or sometimes burn bright: such as the major 6th scale degree in the Dorian mode, Dorian ♭2 mode and Locrian ♮6; and the major quality chord VI (the sixth degree chord) in Aeolian. There’s an interesting happenstance in the way the burning brightness comes from things that are numbered “6” in this selection of modes. The high-tension, burning friction between the different modes feels like the edge of a spectrum where light starts to shift into something else. The structure and texture of the introduction also felt to me like burning friction, high frequency, and altered perception due to a paradoxical pattern between the hands — where I played fast broken triads in both hands simultaneously in a globally descending pattern, but the internal contour of each triplet in each hand was in contrary motion with the other. So in effect the hands were moving in opposite directions whilst also moving in the same direction, which sounds contradictory until you illuminate the hidden details. Here it is:
For this improvisation I started with the aforementioned descending broken triad pattern which contained a form of intervallic mirror inversion. Intervallic mirror inversion is where an interval is inverted, by taking the bottom note of one interval and making it the top note instead. The resulting two different intervals always add up to 9 (e.g. a 2nd becomes a 7th, a 3rd becomes a 6th, a 4th becomes a 5th etc), and the resulting two intervals always differ in quality if they are major or minor (major becomes minor and vice versa). The specific intervals I inverted were 3rds becoming 6ths. E.g. for the first triad, the left hand had an interval of a minor 3rd between the bottom two notes of the triad, while the right hand had those same two notes (as the outer two notes of the triad) but inverted to form a major 6th. This pattern continued, using chords descending down the scale of G Dorian ♭2, which created internal contrary motion within parallel root progression.
Then I moved onto a progression which involved sweeping arpeggios in both hands, often in contrary motion, sometimes in parallel motion, but always with a cross rhythm / polyrhythm — often 7 against 2. For these arpeggios I used a chord sequence which was based on constant structure harmony with modal planing — in other words, all the chords shared the same quality (minor) but were not diatonic to one specific mode. Instead they moved and cycled between G Dorian ♭2, G Phrygian, G Dorian, and G Locrian ♮6.
Next I played the same chord progression but in a more spacious and slow block chord texture with simple melody.
Then the melody continued in a simple and minimalistic fashion, but with broken chord accompaniment in G Dorian ♭2. The music then modulated to F Aeolian, maintaining the same broken chord accompaniment pattern, with a slightly more developed melody.
Then I repeated and varied some of the earlier ideas, and closed with the modal planing in a block chordal texture from before.
Modes used
| Mode | Notes | Parent scale | Modal origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| G Dorian ♭2 | G A♭ B♭ C D E F | F melodic minor | 2nd mode of melodic minor |
| G Phrygian | G A♭ B♭ C D E♭ F | E♭ major | 3rd mode of major |
| G Dorian | G A B♭ C D E F | F major | 2nd mode of major |
| G Locrian ♮6 | G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E F | F harmonic minor | 2nd mode of harmonic minor |
| F Aeolian | F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ | A♭ major | 6th mode of major |
Interval formulas
- G Dorian ♭2: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
- G Phrygian: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
- G Dorian: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
- G Locrian ♮6: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7
- F Aeolian: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Transitions between modes:
- G Dorian ♭2 and G Phrygian differ by only E vs E♭
- G Dorian and G Dorian ♭2 differ by A vs A♭
- G Locrian ♮6 keeps the Phrygian bite but adds harmonic-minor tension
- F Aeolian shares six notes with G Phrygian, just re-centred
So in this piece of music I was not necessarily changing worlds with each change of mode, but instead tilting perspective.
To learn more about modes, read my guide here: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
You might also like Doloroso e Inquieto — Improvisation in F♯ Aeolian & A Lydian Dominant
Another improvisation using the Dorian flat 2 mode: The Silver Branch — Improvisation in C♯ Aeolian & Dorian ♭2, F Lydian ♯2, F Lydian & B Lydian
Listen to more of my improvisations
