Three little pieces exploring unusual scales (modes)

There are plenty of videos on youtube and other sites where people talk about modes, scales, modes from this modes and etc.... What I see is that almost 100% of these tutorials are merely DESCRIPTIVE. They show you the scales but ..... what can we do with them.... how? This happens often with this kind of videos.

And lucky we are that we have many videos or websites talking about this in English...... there is nothing in Spanish. That's why I started a blog almost three years ago, in Spanish. I think it is the only site where explains in this language many things (anybody has heard about tone clock theory?).

Well, I took the harmonic minor scale:  1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - 7

I analyzed the seven scales / modes that come from it (in Spanish) :   http://komptools.blogspot.com/2021/02/modos-del-modo-menor-armonico-i.html

I explained how to use them to make them sound genuine and different from standard major/minor.

The seven possible modes are:

   Although in Spanish, I think, anybody can understand... Some scales are hard to work with because of their instability. It happens with all locrian modes: locrian #6, superlocrian. It doesn't mean that they can be exploited, but in other terms.

   When the chord I, the "home" is stable (it has a perfect 5th), it's easier to handle. So, I took three of them:

Dorian #4: home chord is Dm. Forget about dominant chords.... in modal music what matters is the characteristic pitches and cadential chords. In this mode, the main pitches are the sixth (as in every dorian), and the #4. Taking D as the base... These pitches are B and G#. Cadential chords include these notes: E7 - Dm, Cmaj7+ - Dm.   (always avoid patterns of the V - I or V - i type).

Lydian #2: important pitches are #4 (Lydian), and #2. Taking F as the base, they are B and G#. Cadential chords are E7, G#dim7. ....  Be careful with Cmaj7+ because the roots C - F resembles tonal resolutions.

Mode V is special. Many people would say (and they do) it is the Phrygian Dominant scale. But it is NOT. In phrygian dominant (flamenco), we have Am - G - F - E... that is to say, G is natural except for the chord I, which is raised (chord I = E is the TONIC, not dominant in this mode).... But what we have here is a FIXED G#. So this scale-mode is not phrygian dominant. How could we name it? Perhaps ionian b2 b6 b7 ? Cadential chords can be Am(maj7), Cmaj7+... even Fm taking G# as Ab.

OK, putting this into practice, I wrote three little pieces for piano and bassoon. 

The intention is to make them sound unique, with this material. "Sin nombre" =(No name) is the ionian b2 b6 b7.

Edited February 28, 20215 yr by Luis Hernández

So very beautiful, the atmosphere you create is magical and the use of the bassoon so evocative. The pieces have a feeling of minor mode, but changing and ambiguous. Really wonderful. Also it sounds terrific, sorry for the naivete but I have to ask: are these real instruments?

@Giacomo925 hi thanks. No they are not real. Just Noteperformer.

@Luis Hernández

Interesting. I like how the last one sounds like something you'd hear in folk music around my area,

it's kind of like a softer version of double harmonic,

gives you that slight flavor of arabic-jewish music (mainly due to the F and the G#), with the softer b7

4 hours ago, Rabbival507 said:

@Luis Hernández

Interesting. I like how the last one sounds like something you'd hear in folk music around my area,

it's kind of like a softer version of double harmonic,

gives you that slight flavor of arabic-jewish music (mainly due to the F and the G#), with the softer b7

 

Yes augmented seconds are often seen in Mediterranean and East West modes.

I found the atmosphere you created in three modes impressive and dark, thanks for sharing 

These are great examples of these different modes in action.  Thanks for sharing.