[Harp-L] Lydian mode harp - why do it, and an actual example

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dave Dix and Rick Dempster both as "why?" - as in why anyone would want to play in the Lydian mode on a diatonic harmonica (at least that's what I think they mean).

Why not? You hear it all the time in movie themes. That raised 4th degree is used to write melodies and harmonies that convey feeling such as: 

- anticipation, in the "welcome to the movie experience" theme music that happens after all the coming attractions and just before the main feature

- a sense of wonder and magic

- hopefulness

- new birth, budding trees in spring, etc.

Not exactly blues material (though that raised 4 can also be interpreted as a flat 5), but very useful in pop, jazz, Brasilian, etc.

As John Kerkhoven suggested, I've used country-tuned harps to play Lydian mode in first position (sort of, see details below), and I've used it to record a tune. You can listen to it here (it's in iTunes M4A format and may not play on some audio players):

 http://www.angelfire.com/folk/harmonicanuck/GGS_meditation.m4a

I'm playing a sort of fantasia on a very old French Canadian fiddle tune called "La grande gigue simple," (or the big simple stepdance).

The tune is in the key of D. I start out on a country-tuned Low D-harp. At first I play draw and blow chord notes in the first 4 holes. 

But then at 0:16 I play a draw chord that includes draw 5 - the sharp 4 in the scale that distinguishes the Lydian scale from the major scale. Note the effect that this has.

At 0:46 I start in on the tune. But I play it in the key of A instead of in D. 

Normally this is a first-position tune, but being perverse I decided to play it in second position, which is actually harder to do. Being doubly perverse, I decided to play it not only in second position, but in a different key from the accompaniment. 

So the guitar is holding down a skeleton D chord, while I play in the key of A. This creates a sort of floating feel. The feeling of an A major scale against a D-chord background can be viewed as Lydian mode, or as being bitonal (in two different keys at once). Whatever you call it, the impression it creates is characteristic of the Lydian mode

At 1:01 I play a part of the melody that uses a lot of Draw 5, the raised 4th degree. This is the "Lydian degree," but its effect is disguised somewhat by the guitar bass note going to E, which makes an E major chord with the G# raised draw 5. (Though sometimes during this part of the tune the guitar slips in a D bass note, which helps preserve the Lydian feel).

At 1:57 I change to a country-tuned G-harp and play the tune again, this time in the key of D - second position again, but in a different key. The guitar stays in D. So now guitar and harmonica are playing in the same key, and using a major scale. This feels more grounded than when I'm playing in A and the guitar is in D - you lose that floating feel of the Lydian mode.

Sorry for the stuck notes near the end of the tune - too much saliva.

I hope this helps illuminate some possibilities for using the Lydian mode.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Wed, 4/22/09, Dave Dix <dixdr@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Dave Dix <dixdr@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Fwd:  Re: [Harp-L] lydian mode
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 2:12 AM

<snip>

I'm with Rick though... why?????????

I checked back to make sure the original post wasn't on April 1.. 


--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Rick Dempster"
<rick.dempster@...> wrote:

Why? I don't 'get' Lydian, nor Locrian. What context do you intend
to use it in Jimmy?
RD