Tag: music

Tip #133 – Checklist for a Well-Crafted Ending

At some point, you are going to want your musical compositional piece to end. As good as a composition is, it should end to give way to another exciting work of yours.

So, what are some aspects to keep in mind on writing a strong ending?

Well, we can think of several aspects that can act as a checklist, such as having the ending of a piece of music…

  • Officially end the composition in an interesting and engaging way
  • Use a finish of slowing-down (or speeding up) rhythmically
  • Extend an ending phrase, as possibly a vamp or sequence
  • Be characteristic to the rest of the composition
  • Utilize it as the peak climax, or point of resolution

Once again, these are tips in mind – whether you decide to use them or not is up to you. You are the composer, write how you want!

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Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #15

A cliché is an overused idea – overused to the point where it doesn’t sound like an original and/or creative thought. More importantly, it can hinder the creativity of your lyrics.

While some people can argue that there are a lot of successful songs that use clichés, another person can argue that those songs tend to be prone to ridicule for their simplistic lyrics.

Either way, how you write your lyrics is up to you… but today’s tip is on what to avoid.

Some common clichés appear in the forms of:

  • Cliché Rhymes – predictable close rhymes
  • Cliché Phrases – commonly-used statements
  • Cliché Images – regularly mentioned objects
  • Cliché Topics – oversaturated field of song topics
  • Cliché Metaphors – typical representations

HOWEVER, clichés can also be used strategically by taking an overused idea and reworking it into a new angle.

This can be done by expanding upon the idea, or reframing how the idea is presented.

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Tip #132 – The 373 or 737 Voice Leading

In situations where you want to use smooth voice leading over progressions that utilize the circle of fifths movement, the 373 (or 737) voice leading can help.

It can be used as a melody or inner voice. Regardless of what you choose, you start by putting the 3rd (or 7th) of the chord in the top voice. From there, place below the 7th (or 3rd), and then repeat the top note.

Usually, the lowest note is the root, and occasionally the 5th or 9th of the chord can be added for extra color.

From there, you resolve the chord into the next harmony within the circle of fifths progression by doing as such:

Try it out and feel how it sounds. This words great for open parallel movements.

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Tip #131 – Experimenting with Melodic Coupling

Melodic Coupling is when an additional melodic line in the same contour and rhythm is added to a main melodic line at an interval above or below it.

Rock, metal, and punk songs are notorious for using melodic coupling in the way of adding a new line above the main melody at a perfect fifth – hence, the power chord.

Doubling at the octave is also considered a form of melodic coupling, but it doesn’t create a full sense of harmony as other harmonic intervals would suggest.

So, today’s tip is a small suggestion to play around with different intervals in coupling. Diatonic thirds, sixths, and octaves are the most common – but that means we shouldn’t neglect other perfect intervals or diatonic seconds and sevenths.

Also, just like the example below, you can experiment with diatonic and continuous chromatic intervals. In other words: instead of switching between m3 and M3 intervals, just keep one throughout a melodic line!:

Try it out and see what possibilities it may unlock.

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Tip #130 – Pros of Melodic Overlap

Melodic overlap is a concept that we have covered before in previous tips. Just like dovetailing and staggering entrances for a continuous line – melodic overlap is when a melodic line for one group of instruments is sustained and carried-out by another group.

This can be done by having half of the violins play the melody, and then at the midway-point have that first half sustain a note while the other half continue where the melody left off at a new phrase.

Like passing the baton in a race!

Now, some of you reading this might think that this is a stupid idea. Why can’t the instruments just play the melodic line start-to-finish?

Well, here is a list of pros and possibilities utilized from using melodic overlap:

  1. Divides sections into smaller groups for more polyphonic or antiphonal possibilities.
  2. Becomes a smooth entrance for a new line
  3. Adds interest, excitement, and momentum
  4. Creates a flow of thematic materials
  5. Prepares the audience’s ear for contrapuntal lines.

So as you can see, there are a lot of benefits of using melodic overlap in your new composition.

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Tip #129 – Understanding the Natakapriya Scale

The Carnatic music of South India has 72 scales (melakartas) comprised of seven different notes in either an ascending (arohana) or descending (avarohana) fashion. These scales are used in a kind of India music called rāga and are extremely beautiful. In addition these scales are grouped into different chakras, based on certain similarities.

Today’s melakarta is the Natakapriya scale (meaning “the one dear to theatre”) , the fourth scale from the second chakra.

Below is a representation of the scale as if it was put into Western notation:

Both the first (SA) and fifth (PA) scale degrees are in a placement normal to most scales found in Western music. However, the second scale degree (RI) is lowered, creating a tendency to resolve downward. In addition, the sixth scale degree (DHA) is raised.  While this may sound dissonant or exotic, this scale gives a great amount of opportunity to play with tension and chromatic passing tones.

Try playing around with the scale, possible harmonies, and progressions!

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Tip #128 – Rethinking One-Part Density / Unison Lines

I can personally speak for myself in this scenario – sometimes when we are writing a piece of music, we tend to overwrite. And with this, we clutter the musical atmosphere and distract the audience from the main melodic lines. This is because it is scary to have a single melodic line that every instrument is playing; a fear that this will be considered “too easy,” “simplistic,” or “lazy” even.

In actuality, having a one-part density (or otherwise known as unison lines), can be the best option. Some arrangers and composers have estimated that 70% – 80% of a piece of music should utilize unison lines.

After writing a sketch of a melody, consider this process:

  1. Will one-part density strengthen the line, or make it too thin compared to what else is going on?
  2. How many instruments can/will play the line?
  3. Which instruments fit the primary range of the line?
  4. What instruments will you choose and do they compliment/contrast in color?
  5. Are there any addition instruments that can double at the adjacent octave above/below for greater effect?
  6. Can percussion hits be added to the line?

And after considering these questions of the process to writing a unison line you will begin to have a better grasp of the arrangement/compositional process of your music.

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Tip #126 – Checklist for a Well-Crafted Introduction

When composing an original composition or adapting a pre-performed piece of music as a new arrangement, the writer must consider how to deal with “free areas,” otherwise known as: the into, the ending, and the turnarounds.

When writing an introduction, there are certain aspects – think of it as a checklist – of things that the introduction should accomplish in order to make it an affective beginning statement for your work.

Some of these aspects would be having the introduction…

  • Be interesting and captivating to the audience
  • Harmonically lead into the first chord of the main structure
  • Function harmonically and stylistically as the main body of work
  • Preview some segment of the composition for thematic continuation

Of course, these are suggestions. None of these have to be followed, but they do pose critical features for making a strong introduction. Regardless, a composition must be deliberate with everything you write – even if conventional rules are not followed.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read! Feel free to comment, share, and subscribe for more daily tips below! Till next time.

Improve Your Lyrics – Tip #14

Today we are going to talk about two similar ideas of rhyming in the realm of loose/imperfect rhymes.

First up, the additive/subtractive rhymes. These are words that have similar sounding vowel sounds, but one might have a extra consonant sound at the end.

For example:

And years after years we tried

But it only made me scream and cry

Both words at the end of the phrases have the “I” sound, but tried ends with a -d.

And then there are assonance/consonance rhymes. This is when both words have a consonant after their similar sounding vowels, but they are different.

Okay, that might sound confusing, but take a look here:

And so death was a great mystery

No one knew who’ll the Reaper reap

What soul to take or whom to keep

A deadly trick-o’-treat

Lines 1 & 2 show an additive/subtractive rhyme because reap ends in a consonant while mystery does not.

Lines 2 & 3 show a perfect rhyme with both the vowels and consonants matching.

Finally, Lines 3 & 4 how an assonance/consonance rhyme because while the stressed vowel sounds are the same, the consonants at the end are different.

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Tip #125 – Crossing Voices to Avoid Repetition

Say you had this line written and you wanted to arrange it for three voices:

What would you do? Would you simply gives lines top-to-bottom?

While that is an option, you do run into the danger of sounding monotonous with having some voices continuously repeat notes.

A way to avoid this is by crossing voices!

So, instead of having the bottom two voices stay of the E4 and C4 respectively, they can cross and alter between the two.

Therefore, you would get something similar to this when arranging for three voices:

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