Untitled Tune for Allan (Based on Messiaen's 2nd Mode)
- brettstinemusic
- Oct 31, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Mar 15
This is a tune I wrote for Allan Holdsworth right after he passed away in 2017. It is based entirely on "The Diminished Scale" or "Messiaen's 2nd Mode." There are no chord symbols because I wasn't thinking of any particular root or voicings; I tried to base the voicings on notes within the scale. You can think of anything contained in this tune as being related to E7b9, G7b9, Ab7b9, Bb7b9, or Abdim7, Bdim7, Ddim7, or Fdim7. I hope you get something out of it. Enjoy!
I found this piece really engaging especially the way you described working with Messiaen second mode and how it shaped the harmonic color of the tune. It gave me a clearer sense of how limited transposition can still open up a lot of expressive space. In the middle of reading I was even reminded of New Assignment Help Company dedicated to providing premium tailored academic support for university students across all major Australian cities just in how structured thinking can still allow creativity to flow. The explanation of how the melody sits over that modal base was interesting and made me curious to actually hear it performed live. I wonder how different it feels in improvisation compared to composition