Here you’ll find a video of another one of my freeform improvisations — this one is titled Unspoken. I chose the name based on the fact that music, like many art forms, often expresses things that cannot be put into words. Sometimes the rawness and messiness of emotions doesn’t fit neatly into literalism; and instead music can convey the ambivalence, suspense, unanswered questions, and indescribable resolutions. Sometimes these things are so seemingly paradoxical, that the ambiguity and colours of various modal combinations are the most authentic way to convey them.
I started in F major (aka Ionian), and my use of 9th chords and other upper extensions, add 9 chords and suspensions added a layer of yearning and bittersweetness to what would otherwise be a bright and cheerful mode (Ionian is the first mode of the major scale, i.e. it is the major scale).
Next I shifted to F Dorian which darkened the sound slightly with its melancholy minor 3rd degree, but there was still lift and hope in its major 6th.
Then the shadows were fully acknowledged with a modulation to A Phrygian — the Phrygian mode is one of the darker modes due to its flat 2; along with the flattened 3rd, 6th and 7th.
Then a brief visit to B flat Lydian brought more light due to its raised 4th degree, on the way to the more elegiac D Aeolian, which is of the same parent scale.
Next I moved to G Aeolian. The transition into G Aeolian from D Aeolian created a paradoxical brightening; although the new mode is just as dark and has the same sequence of intervals, just in a different key, the change in tonal colour acted as a harmonic brightening by introducing a new palette and that feeling of looking at something with the same shape from a different perspective. Sometimes a new perspective can be enlightening even whilst in darkness.
I rotated between these modes before returning to the bittersweetness and nostalgia of F major.
Modal Analysis Table
| Mode / Scale | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| F Major (Ionian) | F, G, A, B♭, C, D, E | F Major | 1st Mode of F Major |
| F Dorian | F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭ | E♭ Major | 2nd Mode of E♭ Major |
| A Phrygian | A, B♭, C, D, E, F, G | F Major | 3rd Mode of F Major |
| B♭ Lydian | B♭, C, D, E, F, G, A | F Major | 4th Mode of F Major |
| D Aeolian | D, E, F, G, A, B♭, C | F Major | 6th Mode of F Major |
| G Aeolian | G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, F | B♭ Major | 6th Mode of B♭ Major |
Interval Formulas
- Major (Ionian): 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7
- Dorian: 1 — 2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — ♭7
- Phrygian: 1 — ♭2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
- Lydian: 1 — 2 — 3 — ♯4 — 5 — 6 — 7
- Aeolian (Natural Minor): 1 — 2 — ♭3 — 4 — 5 — ♭6 — ♭7
Further Reading and Listening
Learn more about modes: Complete Guide to Modes of the Major, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Minor Scales
