![Stealing Musical Ideas To Make Unique Music [COMPOSING / PRODUCING / SONGWRITING] @SignalsMusicStudio](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/na-W43-6JUc/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Learn to write + produce your own music! tinyurl.com/yv7uxjre
My patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Writer's block begone! In this lesson, I show how easy it is to write original and awesome sounding music by stealing a simple rhythmic pattern (and a few other ideas along the way). The rhythm is known as a double tresillo, a grouping of 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 4. I explain that rhythm in detail here:
One thing you may have caught is that I didn't actually play a riff over the picardy third. This is because after mixing and mastering, I decided to change the arrangement a bit. The point still stands though! Also, some folks will complain about my notation in the thumbnail. I get it. I also think that anyone who has studied rhythm for a decent amount of time will easily accept (and maybe even prefer) that notation over the proper one that uses ties. it's so ugly!!!!
Table of contents:
00:00 Intro
00:45 Writing Heavy Metal
07:24 LISTEN: ONE MINUTE METAL
08:20 Writing (NOT) Heavy Metal
12:50 LISTEN: LATE 70's PSY POP ROCK?
Learn to write + produce your own music! tinyurl.com/yv7uxjre
My patreon: patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Writer's block begone! In this lesson, I show how easy it is to write original and awesome sounding music by stealing a simple rhythmic pattern (and a few other ideas along the way). The rhythm is known as a double tresillo, a grouping of 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 4. I explain that rhythm in detail here:
One thing you may have caught is that I didn't actually play a riff over the picardy third. This is because after mixing and mastering, I decided to change the arrangement a bit. The point still stands though! Also, some folks will complain about my notation in the thumbnail. I get it. I also think that anyone who has studied rhythm for a decent amount of time will easily accept (and maybe even prefer) that notation over the proper one that uses ties. it's so ugly!!!!
Table of contents:
00:00 Intro
00:45 Writing Heavy Metal
07:24 LISTEN: ONE MINUTE METAL
08:20 Writing (NOT) Heavy Metal
12:50 LISTEN: LATE 70's PSY POP ROCK?
![Stealing Musical Ideas To Make Unique Music [COMPOSING / PRODUCING / SONGWRITING]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/na-W43-6JUc/mqdefault.jpg "Stealing Musical Ideas To Make Unique Music [COMPOSING / PRODUCING / SONGWRITING]
Learn to write + produce your own music! https://tinyurl.com/yv7uxjre
My patreon: https://www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Writers block begone! In this lesson, I show how easy it is to write original and awesome sounding music by stealing a simple rhythmic pattern (and a few other ideas along the way). The rhythm is known as a double tresillo, a grouping of 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 4. I explain that rhythm in detail here:
One thing you may have caught is that I didnt actually play a riff over the picardy third. This is because after mixing and mastering, I decided to change the arrangement a bit. The point still stands though! Also, some folks will complain about my notation in the thumbnail. I get it. I also think that anyone who has studied rhythm for a decent amount of time will easily accept (and maybe even prefer) that notation over the proper one that uses ties. its so ugly!!!!
Table of contents:
00:00 Intro
00:45 Writing Heavy Metal
07:24 LISTEN: ONE MINUTE METAL
08:20 Writing (NOT) Heavy Metal
12:50 LISTEN: LATE 70s PSY POP ROCK?")
![Writing Complex Prog / Djent Rhythms that GROOVE- Truncated Polymeters [RHYTHM - WRITING]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/o3LypkzywIw/mqdefault.jpg "Writing Complex Prog / Djent Rhythms that GROOVE- Truncated Polymeters [RHYTHM - WRITING]
The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course https://bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! https://bit.ly/3wDacU4
A common trick of djent metal and prog bands is to play polymeters over 4/4 but truncate them. This results in grooving riffs that are easy to headbang too but also include layers of rhythmic complexity due to the odd time signatures inside.
In this video I get some help from a drummer to craft a section of music that is all based around a simple 5/16 : 4/4 polymeter, adding in and removing layers of rhythm to create different sounds.
Hear the full section at 09:36
Beardstank: https://youtu.be/V4E_756Gttw
I love writing with rhythm. Music is two parts- when, and what. Working with rhythm means you solved the when part, then its an easy task to apply your melodic and harmonic knowledge to the rhythmic DNA of your new piece or song. Hope this video gets that point across!
A very big thank you to the following Patrons:
Linas Orentas
Marek Pawlowski
John Arnold
Christopher Swanson
Marc Bulandr
Bradley Bower
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Don Dachenhousen III
Patrick Ryan
My Patreon! https://bit.ly/2zFwzOO
https://www.twitter.com/signals_music
https://www.signalsmusicstudio.com
Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:16 Truncated Polymeter Example
03:14 Writing With Truncated Polymeters
04:35 Drummer Insights
06:58 Adding More Polymeters
08:19 Final Touches
09:36 Finished Product
11:22 Wrapping Up")
![Live Quarantine Lessons - Blues Guitar Day 4 [Minor Blues]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oTqV9TFcnxo/mqdefault.jpg "Live Quarantine Lessons - Blues Guitar Day 4 [Minor Blues]
Note- I did edit out a mistake in this video since it made the presentation confusing. I alude to the mistake later on in case youre wondering. You can download the lesson resources for free (many pdfs, and mp3s) at my website, all you need is an email. https://signalsmusicstudio.com/home/signup
This lesson was livestreamed on 3/26/2020. Tomorrow Ill be wrapping up this course (as long as my internet doesnt die on me like it did today!)
Thank my Patreon supporters for making this free course possible!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio")
![Diminshed 7th Chord = PORTAL to 8 Tonalities [MUSIC THEORY]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/olSSi6GOKZ8/mqdefault.jpg "Diminshed 7th Chord = PORTAL to 8 Tonalities [MUSIC THEORY]
The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course https://bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! https://bit.ly/3wDacU4
Already know the theory? Skip to 08:07 to hear OCTERMINUS
Tab and MP3 posted at my Patreon:https://bit.ly/2zFwzOO
Diminshed 7th chords aka Full Diminshed chords are symmetrical and any note can be considered the root note. They can resolve up a half step to a major chord or a minor chord (or down a whole step to a major or minor chord). Since there are 4 potential roots, this leaves us with 4 places we can modulate to from any given diminshed 7th chord. In this video I explain this concept, then demonstrate how I wrote a piece of music using this same principle.
I treated each new chord as a new key and played a unique scale over each chord. Over the diminished chord, I played the arpeggio or the half-whole scale on top. It turned into a rollercoaster of different tonalities, with each one crashing into the scene beligerantly to take over the spotlight.
One note on B double flat vs A :
A dim7 chord is constructed as root, b3, b5, bb7. We are supposed to respect the alphabet, and the 7th of C is B, the b7 is Bb, the bb7 is Bbb. I dont find this to be very helpful in the context of this lesson so I ignored calling it by its proper name, likewise when I referred to the last note of Dº7 as B when it should be called Cb. Its easier to figure out where to go next if we think of B, I do not find any atvantage to tying yourself into enharmonic knots in this secnario.
Other videos Ive done that relate to this one:
Chords of Harmonic Minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu2ylGI_Gp8
Harmonized Dim7 Arpeggios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VJHqvtz12c&t=36s
Chords of Minor: https://youtu.be/j-j4g0ktPGw
Chords of Major: https://youtu.be/M8eItITv8QA
Like this video? Thank my Patreon subscribers for sponsoring these lessons! Theyre the reason you dont see ads or sponsorships in the middle of my videos. You can join them here:
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
A very big thank you to the following Patrons:
Linas Orentas
Marek Pawlowski
John Arnold
Christopher Swanson
Marc Bulandr
Bradley Bower
Alvaro Begue-Aguado
Don Watters
Don Dachenhousen III
Patrick Ryan
https://www.twitter.com/signals_music
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https://www.signalsmusicstudio.com
Free online guitar lessons for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. Located in Crystal Lake, Jake Lizzio provides free jam tracks and video lessons for guitar players, as well as music theory videos and other music education content.
Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:11 Diminished 7th Chords
02:47 Nature of Diminished
05:45 Writing With Diminished Chords
08:07 Finished Product
09:27 Wrapping Up")
![Sus Chords Pt 2: Advanced Chord Concepts and Suspended Variations [CHORDS + MUSIC THEORY]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pnD6rF1gqpQ/mqdefault.jpg "Sus Chords Pt 2: Advanced Chord Concepts and Suspended Variations [CHORDS + MUSIC THEORY]
My pro theory + songwriting course https://bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! https://bit.ly/3wDacU4
Part 1 is here: https://youtu.be/qu49nYaBfdM
I’ve posted 2 Pdf’s with this info + more for all Patreon subscribers: https://bit.ly/2AZDwbm
My neopolitan funk song- https://bit.ly/3285LAz
Buy my Ultimate Modal Poster: https://bit.ly/2zhk9JV
While I call the chromatic cluster at 01:26 “unlistenable, it’s totally acceptable to write “unlistenable” music. Sometimes you want crunchy dissonance. In this instance, it’s not totally horrible, so maybe I exaggerated a bit. However, in a big arrangement with more layers, small things like that can really muddy up a mix. I hesitate to call something “wrong” in music, but to me, singing a G# over a Dsus4 in the key of A major is just “wrong.
Also, the melody has the word “keep” notated as a G# but I ended up singing it as an A instead, but that’s just an error and shouldn’t affect the mechanics of the demonstration at all.
I am not picky between 4ths and 11ths, while many music teachers and composers are. As a guitarist, sometimes you can’t hit an 11th because your fingers aren’t long and have to instead play the 11th an octave lower as a 4th. Voicings DO matter! It helps to think of 4ths and 11ths as the same, but its also worth noting that sometimes the addition of the 11th versus the 4th will provide a more “clear” and “vivid” voicing. When the 4th is added instead of the 11th, harsh dissonances can occur due to the small distance between our 4th, and our 3rd or 5th. Same with 2nd’s and 9ths- I consider them to be the same, even though they’re different. The dissonances that occur in a MinAdd2 for example, are very practical and usable - in my experience, the clashing that occurs between the 2nd and minor 3rd of a minAdd2 chord is absolutely lovely in the correct context.
CHORD NAMES ARE LIMITED! They tell you the notes of the chord but not always the order that those notes must be played. If voicings are crucial to your compositions, use standard notation or tab instead of just chord symbols.
On Maj7sus4 and Maj7sus2- I made a mistake while speaking and unfortunately it confuses an already confusing topic. The chord names Maj7sus2 and Maj7sus4 are sometimes seen, but its important to recognize that those same notes are often seen with different names.
Maj7sus4 chords were supposed to be mentioned in this video but somehow got left out. When we see a Maj7sus4 chord, what are most likely seeing is a dominant 7th chord being played without a 5th and instead being played over its 4th degree. For example, a Cmaj7sus4 is the notes C F G B. This resolves very well back to a regular C major. You can hear it almost sounds like a V-I progression, except the bass note is static.
The notes G B and F are the root, third, and flat 7 of a G7 chord. The fifth would be D, which isnt present, but is not necessary to create “dominant tension” to lead us home to C. Therefore, a lot of times you see a chord written as “Cmaj7sus4”, it’s probably functioning as a G7 and should probably be written that way. There are exceptions, and in these cases I think it’s up to the composer to decide which is the best way to notate the chord. G7/C (no fifth) in my opinion would be a much more clarifying title for a Cmaj7sus4, since 9 times out of 10, that group of notes will function as a G7 chord.
SORRY ABOUT ALL THAT
LASTLY
I said Sus#4 is not a real name, because in my understanding of traditional theory, a suspended chord must include a NATURAL second or fourth. I believe the “correct” name for an Dsus#4 is just Dadd#4(no third) or Dadd#11(no third), which doesnt feel right to me
Another concept I didnt cover is the susb2 or susb9. Honestly, Im confused on what really IS a susb2 or a susb9, since many resources claim that a susb9 chord actually contains a minor third, which defies the entire point of suspended chords in my mind. Experimenting with a 1-5-b9 resolving to a 1-3-5 can help create a nice Phrygian dominant tonality, and certainly experiment with that cluster of notes, but I am unfortunately unable to give a clear answer as to what a susb2/susb9 really should be all about. Maybe a friendly jazzmaster in the comment section will give us some clarity?
These lessons exists solely through the funding of my Patreon supporters, aka, “the finest humans on this planet”. I especially owe my thanks to these members for their support, as should you if you enjoyed this video!
Linas Orentas
Joe Buote
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Patrick Ryan
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Morgan M.
Lord of the Chords
Billyshes
Phillip Sharp
Don Watters
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BuzzWasHere
Kip Ingram
Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:45 The Problem
02:01 Solutions
03:35 Classical Harmony
04:59 Applications To Funk Music
05:53 Suspended Powerchords
06:35 Add9 and Add11 Chords
07:48 7sus2 and 7sus4
09:21 Wrapping Up")
![Secondary Dominants- Write Better Chord Progressions! [MUSIC THEORY / SONGWRITING]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/py4HaueW50Q/mqdefault.jpg "Secondary Dominants- Write Better Chord Progressions! [MUSIC THEORY / SONGWRITING]
The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://shorturl.at/bouLV
My pro theory + songwriting course https://bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Enroll in my Rhythm Training Course at ANY price! https://bit.ly/3wDacU4
Get the PDF at my Patreon: https://bit.ly/2zFwzOO
Prerequisite video on Major: https://youtu.be/M8eItITv8QA
Secondary Dominant chords are a great addition to the 7 chords we normally see in major keys and their modes, they are outside of the key but will take us to chords in the key. This occurs a LOT in modern music, especially the V7/vi, and learning your secondary dominants will help you write better and more interesting chord progressions.
These chords introduce non-diatonic notes (notes outside the scale) so it is usually obvious to the ear that there is something unique and interesting about these chords when they appear.
In this video, we explore all the usable secondary dominants except the V7/iii. The only reason I excluded it is was because the video was getting long and I didnt have any good examples of it, also I dont find it to be very usable but I encourage you to play with it.
These chords work in ANY MODE but you will find its fairly difficult to use them outside of major and minor due to the other modes not being as stable. The mini modulations within the key cause our tonality to get shifted around and maintaining a modal tonal center can prove tricky.
Heres the link to the song I wrote for Cara Jeanne: https://youtu.be/FMzxAc554D0
Like this video? Thank my Patreon subscribers for sponsoring these lessons! Theyre the reason you dont see ads or sponsorships in the middle of my videos. You can join them here:
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
A huge thank you the following Patreon supporters!
Linas Orentas
Marek Pawlowski
John Arnold
Christopher Swanson
Marc Bulandr
Alvaro Begue-Aguado
https://www.twitter.com/signals_music
https://www.signalsmusicstudio.com
Free online guitar lessons for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. Located in Crystal Lake, Jake Lizzio provides free jam tracks and video lessons for guitar players, as well as music theory videos and other music education content.
Table of Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:32 Dominant Chords
02:08 Secondary Dominant Chords
05:22 V7/IV
06:47 V7/V
07:49 V7/vi and Resolving Tricks
09:39 Wrapping Up")
![Jake Lizzio / Kerry Devine - Whats Comin To Ya [Classic Rock / 80s Hair Metal Genre]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pyiVZG_A_GA/mqdefault.jpg "Jake Lizzio / Kerry Devine - Whats Comin To Ya [Classic Rock / 80s Hair Metal Genre]
My Complete Theory and Songwriting course is NOW OUT! https://bit.ly/38fs0sx See how I made this song: https://youtu.be/39iZqrZf66o
Get the song on spotify / itunes, etc: https://bit.ly/3coZQwk
For my fifth episode of Riffing With The Modes, I decided to write an entire 80s rock single to demonstrate the power of Mixolydian. Kerry Devine performed vocals and Jeff Schwertfeger played drums. The video was filmed at a tiny suburban concert venue during quarantine, and then I filmed some greenscreen shots later on. The effects are all stock premiere effects- lots of color adjustments, channel blur, and automated zooms. Plus fake shakey cam when needed!
Hope you enjoy this one, its the sort of song I would love to hear on the radio once a year and not much more than that, lol
THANK YOU TO MY PATREON SUBSCRIBERS FOR SUPPORTING MY VIDEOS
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio")
![The Awesome Power of the Andalusian Cadence - Making Music in 5 Styles [SONGWRITING + ARRANGEMENT]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qbeRVJMT5CY/mqdefault.jpg "The Awesome Power of the Andalusian Cadence - Making Music in 5 Styles [SONGWRITING + ARRANGEMENT]
If you like this video, youll LOVE my book on chords + progressions! https://tinyurl.com/yytbhyvh
My Theory + Songwriting Course: https://tinyurl.com/yv7uxjre
Mp3s + PDF at my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
David Bruce- Composing A Melody over a Chord Progression https://youtu.be/jA7gdz56LtY
The Andalusian Cadence is an old fashioned chord progression that can be thought of as mainly deriving from the Minor Key (aeolian mode) but also includes the dominant chord. Its a killer progression, youve heard it in songs like Runaway by Del Shannon and Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, as well as a million other songs.
This time, were transforming into many different styles, and along the way, hopefully you pick up some composing tricks, music theory hacks, or general song writing inspiration.
These are the links I reference in this video. If you were confused something in this video, chances are it is explained in one of the following vids.
12tone- Andalusian Cadence: https://youtu.be/MSjVTZ_l9XA
David Bruce- The mystery at the Heart of Flamenco https://youtu.be/XYgTkW4WK80
David Bruce- Composing A Melody over a Chord Progression https://youtu.be/jA7gdz56LtY
Writing Progressions in Minor Keys https://youtu.be/j-j4g0ktPGw
Harmonic Minor Series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTR7Cy9Sv2845ykqmNpmeGFq_v9yKZ_3A
Suspended Chords https://youtu.be/qu49nYaBfdM
Powerchords https://youtu.be/dbhF2wnnT7M
Pedal Tones + Drones https://youtu.be/5E4Nsa6RL9I
A quick note- theres some sloppy guitar playing in here. I absolutely have the production skills to elminate those mistakes (and probably would if these songs were to be released on an album) but I think its important for you all to see/hear those mistakes!
Also the intro has many inversions and chord modifcations. I simplified the numerals. One more thing I want to point out- the Em scale over B can sound fine if you play it fast enough - pretty much anything is passable if you play it quickly. But you really cant build real harmonies off that V chord if youre using the b7 tone, and the more time your ear has to hear the dissonance, the worse it will sound!
I use Ableton Live 10 and Reason 10 (via rewire) together to produce.
A giant thank you to my Patreon supporters. Theyre the reason Im able to offer a professional rhythm course at a name-your-own-price model. You can find that here: https://signalsmusicstudio.com/courses/signal-rhythm-course/
I owe them a lot, and you might too :)
Table of Contents
00:00 Intro
00:45 Andalusian Cadence History
01:51 Music Theory
04:20 Latin Style Jam
05:46 LISTEN: Latin Jam
06:27 Epic Cinematic Film Score
09:55 LISTEN: Film Score Epicness
11:30 MegaMetal
15:52 LISTEN: MegaMetal
17:32 Psychedellic Gooves
20:08 LISTEN: Psychedellic Groove and Final Thoughts")
![43 Music Theory Concepts That EVERY Modern Composer Should Master [The Music Theory Map]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qeS8txkoUH4/mqdefault.jpg "43 Music Theory Concepts That EVERY Modern Composer Should Master [The Music Theory Map]
Get the course: https://tinyurl.com/yv7uxjre
Download the PDF: https://bit.ly/2J2Nctn
Check out NODA! http://noda.io/
This is a tour of music theory for the modern composer. I think these concepts are very important to learn, and in this order specifically! This doesnt encapsulate all of music, but it is a very solid foundation. Knowing these topics will enable a songwriter to easily approach new advanced music theory topics with ease.
Sorry its been so long since Ive posted - I was working all day shifts to finish this course. I started it last year actually but gave up since it was so much work. Fortunately I found the motivation after my last video to wrap it up - I honestly think its the greatest course available on the internet, and I think the price is great for the amount of content you get compared to actual guitar lessons.
Now that my course is done, I can start working on YT again. Expect the Locrian video soon, along with some surprises....
THANK YOU TO MY PATREON SUPPORTERS. Without them, there would be no YT channel or course!
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Table of Contents:
00:00 - Intro
01:58 - Begin the Tour
25:33 - Composers")
![Demonstrating The Modes of Harmonic Minor [MUSIC THEORY / SCALES]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qk8uobP4uJE/mqdefault.jpg "Demonstrating The Modes of Harmonic Minor [MUSIC THEORY / SCALES]
The Chord Progression Codex is NOW AVAILABLE! https://signalsmusic.studio/courses/codex
My pro theory + songwriting course: https://signalsmusic.studio/courses/songwriting-course
GET THE FREE CHARTS AND MP3s: https://signalsmusic.studio/lessons/harmonic-minor-modes
The modes of harmonic minor are seldom explored and often misunderstood, but they contain an entire universe of abstract harmonies. Although the 1st and 5th modes are fairly common, I think more attention should be given to some of the others as they can create truly unique sounds.
If you want my new Harmonic Minor Poster you can click this link - there are versions in A and in C. https://signals-shop.creator-spring.com/
MOST USEFUL, RANKED (in my opinion)
Harmonic Minor (mode 1)
Phrygian Dominant (mode 5)
Dorian #4 (mode 4)
Ionain #5 (mode 3)
Lydian #2 (mode 6)
Locrian Natural 6 (mode 2)
Ultralocrian (mode 7)
Jens Larsens channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jenslarsen02
NOTE- Quist does a good job of jamming with Ultralocrian in his jam track! I wish I had listened to his solo first, it would have given me some good ideas lol. Heres his track: https://youtu.be/ufif3rob_Vo
At 8:00 I forgot to include the flat signs after the Es when talking about A Dim chords
At 10:18 I should have said A Augmented Major Seventh, not A Augmented Seventh.
If youre confused, youll want to watch my videos on Harmonic Minor here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTR7Cy9Sv2845ykqmNpmeGFq_v9yKZ_3A
Special thanks to my Patreon Supporters for sponsoring these videos. This one took a while. If you enjoy the charts, you should thank them :)
www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio
Table Of Contents
00:00 Intro
01:18 Harmonic Minor Chords
05:40 DEMO Harmonic Minor
06:24 The Second Mode
08:41 DEMO Locrian Natural Six
09:10 The Third Mode
10:20 DEMO Ionian Sharp Five
10:56 The Fourth Mode
12:10 DEMO Dorian Sharp Four
13:44 The Fifth Mode
15:12 DEMO Phyrgian Dominant
15:57 The Sixth Mode
17:37 DEMO Lydian Sharp Two
18:21 The Seventh Mode
19:28 DEMO ULTRA LOCRIAN DO NOT LISTEN")
