I wrote briefly about modes previously, and I'll like to journal down more of that today. Remember I said we could reduce the shifts in terms of degrees and obtain a kind of an "override" if you will - e.g. applying b3 b7 to a major scale to get the Dorian mode.
So if we apply these changes in kind of progressive step, then we observe the following:
- Lydian: #4
- Ionian: b4
- Mixolydian: b7
- Dorian: b3
- Aeolian: b6
- Phrygian: b2
- Locrian: b5
we have a way to cycle through each mode by adjusting one degree and retaining the adjustment into the next change.
Using C as the root,
- C - D - E - F# - G - A - B - C
- C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
- C - D - E - F - G - A - Bb - C
- C - D - Eb - F - G - A - Bb - C
- C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C
- C - Db - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C
- C - Db - Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb - C
Now here's the fun part. We arrived at C Locrian, but if we shift the root note down one semitone while retaining the rest of the notes, we get:
B - Db - Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb - B
Now to correct the scale, we switch the notes between the root and the octave to their enharmonic equivalents:
B - C# - D# - E# - F# - G# - A# - B
and we get the B Lydian! And guess what we can do next? Repeat the process!
- B - C# - D# - E# - F# - G# - A# - B
- B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A# - B
- B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A - B
- B - C# - D - E - F# - G# - A - B
- B - C# - D - E - F# - G - A - B
- B - C - D - E - F# - G - A - B
- B - C - D - E - F - G - A - B
and we finish at B Locrian. If we move down another semitone for the root note to Bb... you get the idea. This blew my mind!