Lydian Mode
DescriptionThe Lydian Mode is said to have a hollow, light, airy quality and is commonly used in jazz, classical, fusion jazz, country and rock music. This mode is also called:
Then Lydian Mode is the fourth mode of the first authentic scale of ancient Greece and was named after the subgroup of people called the Lydians Lydia was an ancient country in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). It was famous for its fertile soil and its rich mineral deposits, especially the gold of the River Pactolus. In the 600's B.C., Lydia was an independent and prosperous kingdom. In 546 B.C., the Persians conquered Crosesus, the last king of the Lydians. Later, Lydia fell to the Macedonians and the Romans. Because Lydia lay at the western end of the great road connecting Mesopotamia and the East with the Aegean Sea and Greece, it was a great commercial center. Lydia was the first country to cast coins. Geographically, most of Greece is made up of many small islands. Greece was considered the philosophical center of the ancient world. Since citizens could not easily travel from island to island in ancient times, each island formed its own local government and had its own set of laws and unique culture. One ruler could not exact power over all the islands of Greece due to its geography and numerous islands. Therefore, the society on each island evolved independently as a Polis system. Artists, poets, and philosophers thrived within the polis system since each could practice philosophy, teach students, and their trade actively without fear of reprisal from a central ruler. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato (427 - 348 B.C.) believed that playing music in a particular mode would incline one toward specific behavior associated with that mode. Plato suggested that soldiers should listen to music in Phrygian or Dorian modes to help make them stronger, but avoid music in Lydian, Mixed Lydian or Ionian modes, for fear of being softened. Plato believed that a change in the musical modes of the state would cause a wide-scale social revolution. He also believed that by changing the mode of the national anthem of Greece a widespread social revolt would start.
Songs That Use This Scale |