Tag: composition

Tip #29 – Building a Double Period

..

Not like that.

A double period consists of 4 phrases with cadential motion at the end of phrases 2 & 4. Typically, the first cadence is weaker than the last, but there are always exceptions.

The idea is to have phrases 1 & 3 flow well into phrases 2 & 4 respectively and not have the motion stop.

Also, phrases 1 & 3 ultimately determine if the double period is parallel or contrasting (former shown above, and the latter as shown below):


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Tip #28 – Stringing Similar Phrases into a Phrase Group

What do you do in the case where a phrase stands alone by itself; that it doesn’t need an antecedent or consequent paring? Or how about a bunch of flowing phrases that are different from each other?

There are no rules saying you can’t put them together. Sometimes what you need is a phrases group of similar variants or highly contrasting phrases that lock into one another.

Just keep in mind ebb and flow with the directions, patterns, contour, cadential feeling, motion, figures, etc. as you are piecing these similar or highly contrasting phrases together.


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Tip #27 – Growing a Musical Seed with Forms of Repetition

For a forest to grow, it needs to start with a seed. So let’s say we have a musical seed made of different figures and motifs to form a phrase as such:

From there, decide if that phrase is either the antecedent or consequent phrase within an ideal period structure. Write the missing complement to the original phrase:

Now, here are five options in mind of expanding the period form with the simple use of repetition with slight variation:

  • A period with a repeated antecedent.
  • A period with a repeated consequent.
  • A period with a repeated antecedent followed by a repeated consequent.
  • A repeated period.
  • A three-part period (ABA)

Try them all out and experiment as to how you seed will grow!

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Tip #26 – Three Ways to Develop your Parallel Period

For those that have a composition featuring a parallel period where the beginning section of the antecedent phrase mirrors exactly that of the start of the consequent phrase; this is your intervention. You don’t have to continue like this and repeat measures just to tell your listener that you are crafting a parallel period.

Whiling deriving the consequent phrase by exact identity to that of the antecedent is a sure way of getting a parallel period, there are other ways. Try transposing the opening subject and motifs up/down in transposition.

Another way is by extra embellishment to the lines.

Finally, the notes as well as the intervals of the figures can change, but keep the same contour, shape, and rhythm. The listener will still be able to tell the similarity from these kept variable aspects of the melodic line.


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Tip #25 – Escape Chord Movement

To remind, an escape tone is a nonharmonic tone that creates dissonance on a weak beat by moving stepwise, and resolving my skip to a chord tone on the next strongest beat.

This nonharmonic motion can also by applied to the chordal resolution of a cadential phrase to delay the resolution as well as introduce new harmonic motion to lessen the impact of a direct V – I ending. Also, by simply introducing dissonant tones one degree lower/higher than the intended triadic chord tone, it can result in the same effect.


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How To Beat Writer’s Block – Tip #1

Remember newspapers? Those things that you would get every morning and trust on accurate news coverage, but because it was a process to sit down an read an article, we’ve transcended into using whatever trending topic appears on our phone as reliable information?

Yeah, those newspapers.

Well, they don’t have to be a fossil anymore. To first installment of beating writer’s block is to take a news article headline and sing it. Craft a melody that would fit the words of the title – so make sure that it is relatively long in length, possibly a sentence.

Once a version is created, make a variation or a new version of a melody singing the headline. Along the way; be a little bit critical and make edits to they rhythm, flow, intervals, and contour of it.

Finally, erase the words you were using. Now, you can take the melody elsewhere and use it as an individual theme, or put new lyrics on top of it. Possibilities are endless!

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Tip #24 – Getting the Best Out of Bitonal Cadences

They say two heads are better than one, so why not two tonalities/modalities?

This works well when there are two performers (or one that can be divided into two voices – like left & right hand piano) that can individually create their own tonal center.

Not only is it writing a cadential phrase for each, but it writing a cadence in which they sonically sound good with each other… or not, if that is what you want to go for.

Experiment around, and see which pitch collections work well with each other.


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Tip #23 – Finding a Good Modal/Synthetic Cadence

Today is a small tip on how to use your ears and basic knowledge of voice-leading when it comes to building a cadential sound when in a tonal mode – or using a synthetic scale.

First, know where is your tonal center, or I chord. This will obviously be your home base.

Now, find scale degrees that can act as sol/5 or ti/7 to the root of the scale.

Next, find other leading tones and see if they can be added to the previous incomplete V structure.

Finally, experiment with these tones, adding and subtracting, to build a cadential chord that has a strong pull back to your I chord with an unresolved sound. Easier said than done, for sure, but this exercise will certainly train your ears more to know how your compositions flows within a mode or synthetic scale.

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Tip #20 – Coming Home to your Newly Renovated Tonic

Along your musical journey in your upcoming work, you might stray away from your home (the tonic) only to come back… at yet, while it seems familiar, there is something different. Things aren’t quite the same…

Sometimes to achieve this sense of a perfect cadence, but with emotional feels of nostalgia – or maybe something is out of place – the tonic triad “home-base” needs to be modified in some way.

This can be done easily by adding a note outside of the usually harmony. 7ths and upper extensions can work, but aim for when voicing this newly adapted tonic that this additional color tone is placed discretely to give the chord a new shading.


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Tip #19 – Evading A Cadence

Take a look at this cadential figure below:

We can tell that this piece is in the key of a minor and uses a V – i ending. Now, let’s lessen the strength of this ending with an evaded cadence.

In an evaded cadence, extra measures are added to dilute the ending structure, and more likely than not, the motion is creatively headed into a new key area.

In the edit above, a few more measures of the penultimate measure were repeated and varied. Then, the harmonic motion was turned from a V – i ending in the key of a minor, to a IV – I plagal cadence in the key of B Major.


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