Igorian Mode

The Igorian Mode is a melodic mode based on the visual layout of black notes on a piano keyboard. I invented it in the early 1960's while playing the pipe organ in my high school chapel, and it has stuck with me. Perhaps it will stick to you as well. Originally it was a motif in my Prince Igor composition for pipe organ and empty cathedral, but over the years it became clear that this asymmetrical mode has many fascinating melodic properties. It is especially appealing when used in some of Wendy Carlos's alternate tunings. (More on that later.)

An asymmetric mode is played differently on ascending and descending scales. In the future I will provide a bit of notation for those who read music. For those who don't, I will provide a short mp3 file of the scale itself and you can hunt'n'peck on your keyboard to find it. When you do, the visual relationship to white and black notes will become obvious, and you'll never forget it.

The piece Igor Interval on the album Out of the Silent Planet is a good example of melodic application of this modal scale. There is also some igorian material in Tuberosities on the same album.

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