Here is a video capturing another freeform improvisation of mine which I called View From a Lighthouse. The idea of a view from a lighthouse is symbolic of seeing the bigger picture clearly from an elevated perspective, including both the beauty of the landscape, and the perils. A lighthouse is a guiding light and can represent a beacon of hope, but it is also a warning of danger. At times the waters may seem calm and the sun might be warm, but sometimes the treacherous things are hidden below that tranquil surface, and sometimes the turbulence rises and there is a risk of being dashed against the rocks. The lighthouse is needed to guide the way through a safe channel.
I started in the warm and tranquil D major (aka Ionian mode) and soon modulated into the bright and spacious G Lydian mode, and alternated the two modes. The Lydian mode has a feeling of light, suspension and opening in its sharpened 4th degree, as this creates an augmented 4th.
I then modulated to the disquieting D Lydian Augmented mode, which at times sounded to me like a distant alarm due to its unstable and unsettling augmented tonic triad. At the same time, it has brightness and a sense of expansiveness in its augmented 4th and 5th degrees — the Lydian Augmented mode is like the Lydian mode with its augmented/raised 4th, but with the addition of an augmented/raised 5th. These raised notes can create a feeling of stretching up towards the sky. This feeling of light, expansiveness and alarm felt like the presence of the lighthouse warning of danger.
Next I moved into E flat Dorian which has a dark flattened 3rd degree; but a lifted, hopeful and tranquil major 6th degree, reminding me of a beacon of light in the night, in calmer waters, and the gentle guidance of the lighthouse beam. It doesn’t actively go and rescue ships and pull them out of danger, instead it provides the light and reference point that allows them to navigate their own way.
I modulated back to D Lydian Augmented, and the transition between the tonic chord of E flat Dorian and that of D Lydian Augmented only required a single note change. This represents the idea that the distance between hope and alarm is sometimes only a single small detail, like navigating treacherous rocks in the dark, guided by the position of the lighthouse — one small degree of error in your bearing and you go from safe channel to hitting the rocks.
Then I shifted back to D major and alternated with G Lydian, as before, before closing in D major. This return to the more grounded D major was like a settling of the storm, a clearing of the waters, and a quietening of the alarm; but not because the danger is gone, but because the navigator has successfully mapped the rocks and found a way to shore.
Mode Used, Note Names, and Parent Scales
| Mode | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| D Major (Ionian) | D, E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯ | D Major | 1st Mode of D Major |
| G Lydian | G, A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯ | D Major | 4th Mode of D Major |
| D Lydian Augmented | D, E, F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯ | B Melodic Minor | 3rd Mode of B Melodic Minor |
| E♭ Dorian | E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭ | D♭ Major | 2nd Mode of D♭ Major |
Interval Formulas
- D Major (Ionian): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- G Lydian: 1, 2, 3, ♯4, 5, 6, 7
- D Lydian Augmented: 1, 2, 3, ♯4, ♯5, 6, 7
- E♭ Dorian: 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
Saturn Return — Improvisation in E♭ Dorian, B Mixolydian ♭6, B Aeolian & A♭ Mixolydian
Cassandra — Improvisation in F Dorian, D♭ Lydian, F Phrygian, F Harmonic Minor & F Dorian ♯4
