Submit your Week 2 Modal Piece HERE! (Patreon)

This week's assignment was to write a short piece using the Aeolian scale mixed with Harmonic Minor, but also include Dorian or Phrygian (or both!) This will result in a minor key composition with at least 9 notes, but possibly 10.

Here's my submission. It's in Am, just a melody and chords on piano. The progression is as follows:

Am - - Em - - F - G - Am - -

D - - F - E - Am - Bb - Am

As numerals:

 i - - v - - bVI - bVII - i - -

IV - -bVI - V - i - bII -i

It starts in A Aeolian, then the D chord (IV) from A Dorian introduces the natural 6th into the mix. The E chord raises the b7 to natural 7 and introduces Harmonic Minor. A surprising Bb chord (bII) brings a bit of Phrygian to the party, before finally resolving.

Try to submit your piece before Sunday night (Jan 12th), which will give me a chance to judge them on camera before the following day's lesson. If you're late to submitting your file, that's fine too! I just won't be able to film my feedback.

ADVICE:

You all did amazing last week! I think one of the only "problems" I heard from more than one submission was a lack of tonal center. You need to make an effort to reinforce your tonic chord (in this case, it'll be our minor i chord) and make it really feel like home base. In the minor key, if you spend too long on bIII, then it'll take over command of your key and i will no longer feel like the tonic. So in Am for example, spending too much time on C will make it feel like C and not Am. Keep that in mind as you compose this week - modal mixture is all about a consistent and static and unchanging tonal HOME. What changes is the notes SURROUNDING that home. Good luck!!!