Lydian Mode

A week ago I was listening to Brahms Opus 116 Cappricio no. 3 for the first time. After the tense opening section concluded I was treated to a BEAUTIFUL mid-section, it conjured up images of the sky, clouds, nostalgia, sunsets, and airplanes, to say the least I must have listened to it 12 times I loves the thing so must.

While listening a thought occured to me. I remembered reading somewhere that the Lydian Mode was used for "flying" music. Seeing how I was experincing images of clouds and sunsets I decided to look at the score. Sure enough the section in question was in the Lydian Mode.

In the past week this has become my favorite scale quality, its simply sublmine, more major then major. But I find it difficult to establish a strong unambigous tonality. In terms of the Key of C and its model varients, the mode retains C Majors dominant G minus a diatonic seventh, so I-V-I works, but this easily creates ambiguity between Lydian and Major. #IV-V-I is also pretty effective but the V chord never seems to want to go back to I and when it does I never wants to stay put. II(7)-V-I works well but has the same issues as V-I, but in both cases I does seem more final to me then using #IV as the predominant. I've also found that VI likes to go to II at odd places harmonically and melodically (though it is striking musically). I've also found that doubling the leading tone VII or secondary leading tone IV isn't as harsh or unmusical as doing the same might be in a Major or Minor Key where the effect is very noticable and undesired.

Overall I find this mode to be very floaty and free, it likes to just go and keep on going endlessly this (I often wind up with oddly numbered phrase groups of varying bar size). This is probaly because its split right into two groups of notes, C-D-E and F#-G-A, by a tritone. Its a very interesting scale.

So for the purpose of discussion. What do you think would be some good solid progressions, or more appropriately, cadences for this scale? They could be chromatic if you like and definitely keep in mine that VII is often flattened. Just throw out there whatever sounds good. Let's try an figure out how to make use of this beautiful scale. There is needs to be more music writtn in it!

you're talking modal harmoney, which don't have a "proper" dominant, as you recall, for natural minor the V is minor, and so the "dominant" for natural minor is the VIIb .

it is called a "cadence" function.

for example:

if we are on C lydian(F# on scale), we got I, then the II will be major chord, and is a strong cadential function. you should avoid going from II7 or II to IIIm or V because that is a ionian movement.

the #IV-7b5 is an avoid chord since it sound also like a dominant of the ionian scale.

it is also common to use the root of the tonic mode (lydian in our case) as a pedal point, and move the other triads accordingly to emphasize the modal quality.

for example |Bb | Bb | Bb | Bb | C/Bb | C/Bb | C/Bb | C/Bb |

improvising over the sound of lydian:

IIIm going to IV and the lydian scale is over the IV.

IIm6 >IIIm

you're talking modal harmoney, which don't have a "proper" dominant, as you recall, for natural minor the V is minor, and so the "dominant" for natural minor is the VIIb .

it is called a "cadence" function.

for example:

if we are on C lydian(F# on scale), we got I, then the II will be major chord, and is a strong cadential function. you should avoid going from II7 or II to IIIm or V because that is a ionian movement.

the #IV-7b5 is an avoid chord since it sound also like a dominant of the ionian scale.

it is also common to use the root of the tonic mode (lydian in our case) as a pedal point, and move the other triads accordingly to emphasize the modal quality.

for example |Bb | Bb | Bb | Bb | C/Bb | C/Bb | C/Bb | C/Bb |

improvising over the sound of lydian:

IIIm going to IV and the lydian scale is over the IV.

IIm6 >IIIm

Thanks man. Very helpful.

I'll be sure to make use of this.

Tritone is often avoided in chords of modal harmonic progressions, because is highly ambiguous and unstable. It tends to imply a tonic just as in functional tonal harmony and you can easily be thrown out of the mode (to the relative major). Modal harmony is not complicated, is highly diatonic and is based on the so-called characteristic tones - the tones that make the mode's specific sound. These notes should often occur in melody and harmony (characteristic chords) in order to establish the modal sound. Cadences that use these characteristic chords are called modal cadences. In Lydian mode, the characteristic tone is #4 and the chords that contain it are II, #IVo and VIIm. You can safely use II and VIIm, but take care with the dominant chord II7. It is possible to use Vmaj7, but the problem is that it could easily sound like IV-I-IV in the relative major, so you should carefully control where it appears (i.e., harmonic rhythm and put enough emphasis on I).

Example: I-II-I-IIIm-VIIm7-I, which is IV-V-IV-VIm-IIIm7-IV in the relative major.

To have the audience hear your music as Lydian, you must focus on what makes Lydian different from major - the #4.

A Lydian melody that includes the #4 often, will be very effective.

In terms of harmony, the #4 changes the qualities of three chords compared to the major (ii, IV and vi), but Lydian II is really the key here. II7 is an appropriate harmony especially if you go I-II7-I because you can keep the tonic as a pedal bass throughout.

Take a look at "Adventures on Earth" from John Williams' ET score (there's a midi here).

You can hear:

1. Melodies that strongly feature the #4 of the scale.

2. Lydian II chord strongly featured (included in both main themes as part of I-II motion).

3. Even in the tonic chord, Williams implies Lydian by using II as a decorative "neighbor chord" (using a chord like a neighbor tone).

One of the most interesting ways to use Lydian is to include both #4 and ♮4.

In the first theme from "Adventures on Earth" you can hear F♮ being used in the melody, then F# in a succeeding chord. This contrast is very effective.

Suppose you use both #4 and ♮4 in a single melody?

Melodically ♮4 often resolves DOWN to 3 whereas #4 leads UP to 5.

Prokofiev exploited this in his 1st Piano Concerto where the primary motive is simply #4-5-♮4-3. Even in the absence of any "explicitly" Lydian harmonies this creates a very Lydian-sounding effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF9tE41SV1Q

Yes, II7 works if you have a tonic pedal point, but otherwise in a bit larger progression one can be thrown out of the mode if not control its appearance carefully. #IVo could work, too, in a decorative way - as a passing or auxilary chord.

Weca gave a beautiful example about the occurence of both #4 and ♮4. Of course, one can spice up / moodplay with such chromaticism in every other mode.

Again, the whole point, as we already said, is to focus on the characteristic tone(s).

Also, if you put the modes into two groups of major and minor ones, a mode's mood depend on the 'sharpening' and 'flatening' of tones compared to other modes. Sharp means brighter, flat means darker. Thus, Lydian is brighter than Ionian. Phrygian adds a kind of dark, exotic mysticism - it is darker than Aeolian. But of course the overall mood of the piece depends on other factors, as well.

In a similar way, you can also use modes of other scales, such as the ascending melodic minor scale.