Here is a video in which you can hear me playing a piece of music I improvised and named Water Lilies. It started in the darkness of the Phrygian mode, pushing up through gradually brighter modes, like a water lily with its roots in the murky depths of the water, growing upwards through increasingly clear layers towards the light, to bloom just above the surface. The water lily can’t reach that light without its roots anchored in the muddy unseen darkness of the soil. Then when dusk returns, the water lily closes its petals and submerges just a little.
I started this improvisation in the mysterious and nocturnal sounding D Phrygian — its flattened 2nd degree gives it that distinctive downward pull and darkness.
Next I shifted to G Aeolian which is still dark due to its minor 3rd, 6th and 7th degrees, but compared with the flattened 2nd of the Phrygian mode, its major 2nd offers glimmers of light.
A modulation to E flat major (Ionian) mirrored the further ascent towards the light, with its bright major 3rd, 6th and 7th degrees, in addition to the light major 2nd.
B flat Lydian brought us to the highest point of light, with its gravity-defying and expansive augmented 4th degree, in addition to the bright major 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th, like the water lily breaking the surface of the water.
D Aeolian started to take the music back into shadow, like dusk falling again.
At the end, the music returned to and closed in the dark D Phrygian, like night enveloping the space, and the water lily closing its petals and dropping slightly below the surface of the water.
Mode Table
| Mode | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| D Phrygian | D – E♭ – F – G – A – B♭ – C | B♭ Major | 3rd mode of B♭ Major |
| G Aeolian (Natural Minor) | G – A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F | B♭ Major | 6th mode of B♭ Major |
| E♭ Major (Ionian) | E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D | E♭ Major | 1st mode of E♭ Major |
| B♭ Lydian | B♭ – C – D – E – F – G – A | F Major | 4th mode of F Major |
| D Aeolian (Natural Minor) | D – E – F – G – A – B♭ – C | F Major | 6th mode of F Major |
Interval Formulas
Phrygian Mode Formula:
1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
Root, Minor 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 6th, Minor 7th
Aeolian Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7
Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Minor 6th, Minor 7th
Major (Ionian) Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7
Root, Major 2nd, Major 3rd, Perfect 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
How to Improvise on the Piano — A Basic Method
