Modes for Strings

This is a work in progress. It's much longer than any of my usual incomplete works. But that's because it steps through a lot of different modes of a scale. The scale used is based on the overtone series for the most part, but the tonic is the 7/4. Here's a picture of it.



I created several modes from the scale based on 4ths chords. For example, it starts in the mode with the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, and Ath degree of the scale. These represent the ratios of 1:1 8:7 9:7 3:2 12:7 27:14 2:1. These can also be described as 14:14 16:14 18:14 21:14 24:14 27:14 and 28:14. I then pile them up to make a pair of fourth cords, A 5 8 and 3 7 1. I like fourths. I found eight modes from the 10 note scale, and assembled them into a list. I then step through them one at a time for about 45 seconds each. Once with a melody, then without, then variations on the melody. I have a lot more work to do on this, but it has a nice movement as it steps through the modes that are more jagged and unequal in step sizes to those that are very pentatonic. The first one is rather pentatonic.

Here are the rest:

• A58371
• 26A583
• 371615
• 483716
• 583716
• 615837
• 716A48
• 83726A

It's scored at the moment just for violin, viola, cello, long strings, and finger piano, but I plan to add some percussion. It doesn't have a beginning or an end yet. But I'll get there soon enough.

Play it here

or download this link

Subscribe here: