Here is a video capturing a piano improvisation of mine which I named When Crimson Shadows Lengthen. The modes and harmonies in this piece brought to my mind the deep red, orange and purple streaks of light cast across the darkening indigo sky at sunset, and as twilight takes hold, there is an eerie and magical blue glow seeming to emanate from things on the ground, feeling like it is coming alive with energy even while the light fades. There is disquiet and a sense of approaching danger, as if the crimson in the sky is a warning beacon, while the shadows stretch and distort, reaching further towards us, and the darkness threatens to engulf the peace of dusk.
I started this improvisation in A Dorian sharp 4, which is dark, mysterious and sorrowful in its harmonic minor structure, and yet there is a paradoxical streak of light in its augmented 4th degree and hopeful major 6th degree.
A Dorian flat 2 (aka Phrygian natural 6) brought more nocturnal eeriness in its unsettling flattened 2nd degree, but it doesn’t completely give way to darkness, due to its lifted major 6th.
Mode Table
| Mode | Note Names | Parent Scale | Modal Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Dorian ♯4 | A – B – C – D♯ – E – F♯ – G | E Harmonic Minor | 4th mode of E Harmonic Minor |
| A Dorian ♭2 | A – B♭ – C – D – E – F♯ – G | G Melodic Minor | 2nd mode of G Melodic Minor |
Interval Formulas
Dorian ♯4 Mode Formula:
1 – 2 – ♭3 – ♯4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
Root, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Augmented 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Minor 7th
Dorian ♭2 Mode Formula:
1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – ♭7
Root, Minor 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Minor 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
