How to Improvise on Piano : The Lydian Mode on Piano

[QMPhilosophe]

Thanks for the short postings about the different modes.

[Florianthemaster]

For a Lydian example, check out the song of Healing from Majora's Mask.

[gilougilou100]

c est nul ces impros pourries!!!!

[paulocorea]

fuck you horse girl

[iamdaillest24]

just listen to the simpsons theme that is lydian at its finest

[drone713]

that was basically a aeolian. Your chords went A minor to F major. That's just a I VI in A....

[StormLogic]

@drone713

It went F major to A minor - that's I to III in F Lydian.

[drone713]

Okay, it's also VII to II in G Mixolydian, and so on and so forth. What matters is how you make it sound, and this person is making it sound like Aeolian.

[StormLogic]

@drone713

What matters is how the chords progress - specifically, the opening chord. It's not unreasonable to class the opening chord as a I chord as opposed to a VII, especially since the second chord is played higher than the first.

[drone713]

It doesn't matter which chord is higher. That makes no sense.

This person isn't using any lydian chords. She's just using 5th chords, which leaves the tonality to be open-ended. And if she's using a chord progression that is extremely common in Aeolian, and sounds nothing like lydian, then it's NOT lydian.

[StormLogic]

@drone713

Oh my bad, I didn't know VII-II was common in Aeolian. xP

[StormLogic]

@StormLogic

Oops, VI-I I mean...and now I think about it, yes, I did know that, but never consciously thought about it. D'oh!

[upNyaBizznizz]

@drone713 it's more C major than A'min. F 'lydian mode/raised 4th scale derives from C'major--although, A minor is the relative natural minor of C, with its own tonality and color

she started on F lydian and kept the primary theme near that central tone, it was actually a simple melody from F Lydian mode. i guess one could put a single natural B symbol on the grand staff to indicate F Lydian. LOL!

remember, all modes and scales are their own sound :]

[drone713]

...well I disagree about your arbitrary statement in that I feel that it is, arbitrarily, A Minor.

It doesn't matter what note you start on, it matters how you make it sound. This person didn't use any lydian chords or anything that would imply that she is in Lydian.

[upNyaBizznizz]

you're almost there, but not quite. she started & ended with F Lydian and simply used A minor as the passing tone.

Q. did she start or end with an A minor chord or bass line? A. No

she in fact used F lydian in Alberti bass line fashion!

so, it's indeed the F Lydian mode without argument since she uses IT start & finish to establish the song's KEY.

F Lydian= f g a b c d e f natural white B key/ the raised 4th in key of F. All white keys like A minor has :p

[drone713]

You're dumb. She didn't start or end on "F Lydian," she started and ended on an F octave while playing notes that are in F Lydian and A Minor. But she didn't make it sound Lydian, which is my entire point. If you actually read the comment you replied to, I specifically said "it doesn't matter what note you start on, it matters how you make it sound," which negates your entire comment. To sound Lydian, you have to use "Lydian chords," or else you'll sound like you're in A Minor. Again, VI I is

[upNyaBizznizz]

@drone713 i seriously think you just want to hear a Renaissance song!

you want her play something characteristic of some greasy guy eating a turkey leg LOL look man, get a clue. F Lydian doesn't have to sound like anything. It has a raised 4th natural B. that's IT.

any scale can sound like what ever a person wants it to sound like. That will never change the scale. DUH!

FYI she doesn't have to play an F raised 4th chord to play the L mode and

we can subtract notes with any chord anytime +_+

[drone713]

Look man, get a clue. If you're using generic chords, then you are going to sound generic, and Lydian is not a generic sound. Aeolian is. If people want to get a Lydian sound, then they are going to want to use the Lydian mode, and this video does nothing to help you get a Lydian sound.

[upNyaBizznizz]

@drone713 do u really expect a musician of 35 years to vamp out a single Fmaj raised 4th chord thru the entire song or phrase or musical quote? LOL

L hand plays F

R hand plays C F and B! try it out for size. that's an inverted F lydian chord with the 5th, Root and raised 4th as the lead melody!

And not a single musician is gonna play that chord the whole song. why?

people will kill you! LOL

[drone713]

Do you really think that the only chord in F Lydian is F #4? LOL.

I'm pretty sure that the right hand is playing more than just three notes.

Check out :44. She is CLEARLY resolving on A, then at :48. Again, it can't get more obvious that she is resolving on C. In case you didn't catch that, they are relatives.

[upNyaBizznizz]

@drone713 look i'm not gonna jot down ev'ry part of music theory, especially when YOU think u know it all. LOL what the hell are u complaining then?!!? she can play F or F#4, G, Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em. There! are you happy now? ha

enuff! go learn your scales, kiddo LOL

[drone713]

That comment was completely irrelevant.

[equinoxdbz]

@drone713 Drone's

right btw you for the F Lydian to sound Lydian your going to have to play Lydian chords, it's the chords that makes the major scale change, in the sense of feel, she's playing F to F which is just the C major Scale but starting on the forth, so she needs Lydian chords for to get the "Lydian feel"

It's all in the Chords not the scale.

You may or may not like Joe Satriani, be he explains how they work, the modes i mean check some videos out for anyone who doesn't understand.

[drone713]

Of course I like Joe Satriani!

[drone713]

one of the most common A Minor chord progressions there are.

[drone713]

there is.*

[superlowblue]

Used cars_

[AlexZyka]

That was F lydian prolongation of A minor. To really sound lydian, either play a bass F drone all the time, incorporate a chord vamp between F and G or F and Em or modulate the lydian tonality in other keys, going from F lydian to Bb lydian is a very neat idea, try it!

[TNSon2010]

@AlexZyka ,

I totally agree with Alex. I came from CAP @ DickGrove. The method Alex explained is a very simple and effective one and it should be applicable to all other modes. Using Alex method, you could master/memorize/improvise the modes in probably about a week at most .

[TNSon2010]

The basic method we learn is (assuming we are on a piano/synth)

1) Keep in mind the 4th triad and the 5th triad (subdom & dom triad) of a major scale will be used as the central/gravitational alternated playing chords (whatever order/style you play using right hand))

2) the root note of a mode is played as pedal point (left hand)

Step 3 has 2 sections that I hope my explanations will be cleared enough to show how easy it is to master the modes.

[TNSon2010]

3-a) While step 1 maintains the same VI & V chords of a major scale, the root note can change within that particular diatonic major scale tones <-- by doing this, you have automatically moving all 7 modes. Example, C Ionian -RH plays F and G triads, block chord or arpeg.., left hand pedal points C note. If LH plays F note as pedal point, while maintaining F & G triads, you are in the F Lydian mode! Moving LH to E note, RH plays F & G, you are in E Phrygian mode! LH@B note, you are in B Locrian

[TNSon2010]

3-b) If you are called to play a mode unexpectedly, using step 1 to figure the VI & V triads for the right hand.

Example, E Lydian. You know the root modal note is at the 4th degree of the VI & V triads of B major scale, which is E triad and F# triad. LH plays E as pedal point, RH plays E & F# triads alternately.

If u r called for G Locrian, G is the leading tone of Ab major scale, therefore Db & Eb are VI & V triads for the right hands. I hope I could share with you what I learned.

[6ixpoint5ive]

but F lydian, can easily be mistaken by a aeolian.

[mikey71]

pretty, but the lesson is useless

[TheAngryAmericanwon]

@mikey71 no lesson in music is useless!