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Milton's Modal Compass
Milton's Modal Compass is a complex map of the regularities within the field of musical modes.
A sketch of the diagram appeared on Milton Mermikides' blog Miltonline.com on the 5th of March 2015. Milton has generously approved of my attempts to visually compile his ideas.
For the sake of indexing there are different types of markers:
A: The outer ring, contraction-expansion.
B: The seven rings of modal interval sequences. Intervallic sequence inversions.
C: Modulations
D: Rotations (next/preceeding degree)
Blue colour indicates contraction.
Orange colour indicates expansion.
Minor and diminished intervals tend to dissolve inwardly, i.e. to smaller, more consonant intervals.
Major and augmented intervals tend to dissolve outwardly, i.e. to larger, more consonant intervals.
The blue-orange continuum reflects the level of contraction (minor) versus expansion (major) for each mode.
Locrian mode consist of a maximum of minor and diminished steps (m2, m3, P4, dim5, m6, m7).
Lydian mode consist of a maximum of Major and Augmented steps (M2, M3, A4, P5, M6, M7).
From Dorian mode which takes the balancing position with two minor, two major and two perfect functions the directions indicate:
Down left: Contraction
Down right: Expansion
Each modal scale is illustrated with its composition of major (orange) and minor (blue) steps in a circular form.
12 o'clock is the starting point - the prime/root - and the direction is clockwise.
Nomenclature: The names apply to the modern use of modes. The modes of the ancient Greek music were named differently.
Inversions:
The modes reflect each other in pairs: Across the vertical axis the interval sequences of the following pairs are each other's inversions:
Aeolian-Mixolydian
Phrygian-Ionian
Locrian-Lydian
The interval sequence of Dorian mode is symmetrical, so it is its own inversion.
Milton's Modal Compass
Milton's Modal Compass is a complex map of the regularities within the field of musical modes.
A sketch of the diagram appeared on Milton Mermikides' blog Miltonline.com on the 5th of March 2015. Milton has generously approved of my attempts to visually compile his ideas.
For the sake of indexing there are different types of markers:
A: The outer ring, contraction-expansion.
B: The seven rings of modal interval sequences. Intervallic sequence inversions.
C: Modulations
D: Rotations (next/preceeding degree)
Blue colour indicates contraction.
Orange colour indicates expansion.
Minor and diminished intervals tend to dissolve inwardly, i.e. to smaller, more consonant intervals.
Major and augmented intervals tend to dissolve outwardly, i.e. to larger, more consonant intervals.
The blue-orange continuum reflects the level of contraction (minor) versus expansion (major) for each mode.
Locrian mode consist of a maximum of minor and diminished steps (m2, m3, P4, dim5, m6, m7).
Lydian mode consist of a maximum of Major and Augmented steps (M2, M3, A4, P5, M6, M7).
From Dorian mode which takes the balancing position with two minor, two major and two perfect functions the directions indicate:
Down left: Contraction
Down right: Expansion
Each modal scale is illustrated with its composition of major (orange) and minor (blue) steps in a circular form.
12 o'clock is the starting point - the prime/root - and the direction is clockwise.
Nomenclature: The names apply to the modern use of modes. The modes of the ancient Greek music were named differently.
Inversions:
The modes reflect each other in pairs: Across the vertical axis the interval sequences of the following pairs are each other's inversions:
Aeolian-Mixolydian
Phrygian-Ionian
Locrian-Lydian
The interval sequence of Dorian mode is symmetrical, so it is its own inversion.