Part II - Composing Music I - Eric Taylor AB Guide Review

Music 1 at OCA - Part II: Exploring Melodies and Scales

Revision of chapters 2, 4 and 11 of The AB Guide to Music Theory by Eric Taylor:

Introduction to Pitch

Semitones: Although infinite pitches are possible only 12 notes (12 semitones which is 7 notes and their accidentals) and their octave relates notes are played in practice.

Pitch: Depth or height of sound (low or high pitch).

Staff/Stave and Clef: Staff is the 5 lines where music notes are written. The Clef indicates the pitch represented in one of those lines then the rest if defined.  Treble or G clef is most common (2 line is a G, guitar, right hand in piano). Bass Clef or F clef (F is 4^th line) is used for left hand piano. If the clef changes between bar lines, the new one goes before the bar line.

·         Extra lines can be added above or below called ledger lines. To avoid many ledger lines the sign 8 or 8va is used followed by continuous line.

·         Note stems go up for notes below middle of staff and vice versa.

Sharps/flats/Naturals: Black notes in piano are sharps or flats of the white ones. Each has two names (e.g. A# or Bb, symbols are written before notes on the staff). The natural sign removes the sharp or flat quality of the note.

Intervals/semitones: the distance in pitch (interval) between any note and its nearest is 1 semitone/half tone which is raised by # and lowered by b.

Enharmonic: Two notes with the same sound but different name (C# and Db) although depending on the scale and/or function only 1 note name will be the correct.

Major Scale: Ascending or descending arrangement of a selected group of notes. C major scale is composed of C D E F G A B notes which are the 7 degrees of the scale (no accidentals). The formula of intervals between near notes is C-Tone-D-Tone-E-semitone-F-Tone-G-Tone-A-Tone-B-Semitone-C (TT S TTT S).

·         G major Scale: 1 sharp is needed on F# to keep same formula [TT S TTT S]

      G-Tone-A-Tone-B-Semitone-C-Tone-D-Tone-E-Tone-F#-Semitone-G

Key Signature (page 13): They are the accidentals needed to keep the same formula and is placed between Cleff and Time Signature. Key signature of G will be 1 sharp #. Key sig. of F major will be 1 b, etc. It’s written every line and if a change is needed, the new key sig. is placed after a double bar line.

Accidentals: Sharps, flats or naturals that do not belong to the key signature of that scale. If the same accidental appears too often, a key signature change may be needed. They remain in force until the end of the bar. No need to put the accidental again if the note in the new bar is tied to a previous accidental although the accidental will be needed if it appears again on that bar.

More Scales, Keys and Clefs

Circle of Fifths: Easy way to generate the circle of fifths quickly in order to know all the sharps and flats in all key signatures is the following:

-          Start clockwise writing C at 12:00 and move down in fifths every “5 min” until F# at 6:00 (only sharp key signature).

         

        Figure 1. Circle of fifths. Moving on 5ths and/or 4ths.

-          Anticlockwise, start from C and move on fourths down to F# but use a 3^rd to go from Db to F# (it would be a 4^th as well to go to Gb, enharmonic of F#). 5^ths and 4^ths are related.

-          Clockwise (sharps), the key signatures will increase 1 # from C (0) to F# with 6#. The last sharp is always the 7^th degree (e.g. G has 1 sharp which is A#) and we can go backwards all the sharps using 4ths (e.g. A has 3 sharps, the first one is its 7^th degree G#, so all of them backwards are G#-C#(4^th)-F#(4^th)).

-          Anticlockwise (flats) the key signatures will increase 1 b from C (0) to Db 5b). Note that key signature C# (7 #) or Db (5 b) are the same scales but we choose one for simplicity. The last b is always a 4^th degree and we can go backwards all the flats using now 5^ths! (Bb has 2 b, last one is Eb and previous is Bb (its fifth)).

  

Figure 2. Complete circle of fifths.

Natural Minor Scale: Relative A minor scale has the same notes as C major scale so the formula is now. A is the 6^th degree of C. The formula for minor scale is now [A-Tone-B-Semitone-C-Tone-D-Tone-E-Semitone-F-Tone-G-Tone-A]  [T S TT S TT]. This is the formula used to apply the key signature for minor scales. However, minor scales can be classified in 2:

o   Melodic minor scale: As Natural for descending notes but sharpens 6^th and 7^th degree when ascending.

o   Harmonic minor scale: Sharpens 7^th degree in both ascending and descending ways.

Basically, we use Natural minor scale key signatures and any 6^th and 7^th degree can be sharpened but will need to be indicated in the score with accidentals.

The circle of fifths applies to the minor scales in the same way but now everything is rotated 6 degrees (e.g. D major has 2 sharps in the same way as B minor, B is 6^th degree of D and B minor is said to be the relative minor of D major).

Table 1. Scale degree names and stability.

Double Sharps and double Flats: Scale of G# minor already has F# within so if we want to sharpen that F we cannot just put F# but Fx. Similarly with double flats but bb is used. To cancel then we just put 1 # or 1 b respectively.

Chromatic Scales (page 30):  The scales of all major and minor keys are diatonic. Notes which do not belong to the scale are said to be chromatic (added “colour”). A chromatic scale is a scale made entirely of semitones. When chromatic notes are used too often within a diatonic scale, the feeling of tonality can be weakened.

C Clef: place on the 3^rd or 4^th line and indicates middle c.

Articulation

Generic Phrasing Marks: Often we can recognise phrases even without putting marks because of perfect cadences or repetition, etc. Phrasing marks do not only signal where phrases start and end but how notes are to be played (separated, rolled, bowing marks, etc).

Articulation marks:

-          Slurs: Smooth play of notes (legato). It can cover a whole phrase or a portion of it. Brackets, middle strokes or dash lines indicate that it’s been included by editor. Last note in the slur is played shorter.

Figure 3. Notation of a Slur.

-          In guitar we play this by doing ligados. A tie has the same symbol but joins two notes of same pitch. Sometimes, unconventional beaming is used to reinforce meaning of slurs (page 83).

-          Slurs can contain other slurs to indicate that all the notes within the large slur belong to the same phrase or group.

-          Staccato signs: shortening of a note. It doesn’t mean that the notes should be shortened as much as possible. If we combine the slur with staccato the notes will be shortened a bit less.

Figure 4. Staccato notation.

-          Staccatissimo: short stroke. Shorten the note as much as possible.

Figure 5. Staccatissimo notation.

-          Tenuto: Opposite to staccato and also indicates emphasis (horizontal dash is used) although there is still some separation compared to slurs.

 

Figure 6. Tenuto notation.

-          Slurs, staccato and tenuto can be mixed.



Composing Music 1 - Assignment 1

Project 4 & Assignment 1 – About Structure – Wild Dance

Starting Out

Initial Planning: The song duration should be ~ 2 min. The tempo is 120 crotchets per minute (240 quavers) for which there must be 480 quavers.

Defining what is already there: Before thinking about the structure to develop for example 14, I have looked at this example at slow speed instrument by instrument to understand what is already there since the it has a variable metre difficult to follow. After the introduction time signature (2/4 2/4) the unit 5/8 3/8 6/8 5/8 3/8 4/8 3/8 4/8 6/8 of 39 quavers starts to be repeated.

Instrument Choice:

·         I’ve kept the cymbals (Cym.) and the snare drum (S.D.) since they are two strong instruments on the metal and membrane sections ideal for the “demons” theme.

·         To provide more instrument colour I have brought in two wooden instruments that complement well each other (Wood Block Low (W.B.) and Wood Blocks High (W.B.H)) substituting the bass drum.

·         The tambourine has been substituted by the Wasembe Rattle (W.R.) to add a more gently accompaniment sound.

The table below describes the structure of the song based on a set of scenes and explains the key musical aspects of each of the sections:



Project 3 - Three or more Percussion Instruments

Project 3: Three or more Instruments

Compose two larger compositions making sure they are based on a principal idea and there is a defined structure.

The Invasion

The idea for this piece is to recreate the atmosphere of an invasion. I have used a ABC structure using time signatures of 4/4 for sections A and C and 7/8 with 3 2 2 grouping for section B. Sections A and C portray the arriving and leaving scenes, reason for which a metre 4/4 is used which is like a non-stop engine while section B portray the confrontation itself and uses a more irregular metre with grouping 3 2 2. Each of the sections has some bars that are piano which try to convey certain insecurity. For this, the following 3 things apply: a) another instrument (Ratchet) is introduced with the same leading role but higher pitch that the snare drum; b)  Both instrument voices are separated creating a dialog between both instruments and c) the volume of all the instruments is lowered and the cymbals are not played when the rest of the instruments are p or pp. Congas are used for a simple accompaniment because of their low pitch and cymbals are used to highlight some of the music accents.

Section C is composed of three of the bars in section A although the have a different order being the last bar exactly the same than the first one with an additional tremolo.

Alone

This rhythmic music is based on a Solea rhythm, which is a ¾ time signature with accents in the 3^rd beat in first 2 bars and accents in the beat 2 and 1 in the last two bars. Handclap and maracas have an accompaniment role to reinforce the accents of the rhythm while the congos have the leading role together with the timbales (for the last 8 bars). The middle 4 bars (9-12) slow down the pace of the music, its like an interlude where all instruments have simple patterns, each of them focusing in one of the beats of the bar. Timbales, which have a higher pitch than the congos fill those beats that are not accentuated while the congos is otherwise. The last 8 bars get busier and busier with the congos and timbales interchanging some of the rhythmic motives. 

 

Project 2 - Percussion Duets

Project 2: Duets

Tell me

This little duet explores a dialogue between two instruments, the side drum and the the Tenor drum. Because of the dialogue feature, I found easier to write both instruments for each bar as I was going along instead of writing the whole piece for one of them and fill gaps with the second instrument (I tried this but it didn’t work). I use a lot of up beat tempo for the tenor drum as it is interrupting the speech of the other instrument. In the first 2 bars, this happens in the first beat while in the next 2 bars this happens in the second beat. In Bars 5-6, both instruments alternate 1 beat each indicating that they are reaching to a agreement which happens in bar 7 when they basically play the same rhythm with one instrument filling the gaps of the other instrument.

Execution Day with Accompaniment

This is the piece I composed in the first project but in this case I have added a second percussion line that uses the tenor drum for accompaniment. The volume of this accompaniment line follows the main line but always slightly below.

Funny

This is a little composition where two instruments are used to play with a single melody. It uses a 5/8 metre. To reinforce the 3+2 time in the 5/8 metre, I use each instruments for durations of 1 or 3 quavers during the 3-quaver part and 1 or 2 quavers during the 2-quaver part. Therefore, a duration of 2 quavers with the colour of a single instrument is not allowed during the 3 quaver section (this keeps the music piece more symmetric and balanced). During the first 4 bars, the rattle and the ratchet pass ideas to each other and in most cases one of the instruments fills the silences of the other instrument creating a single melody. In the next 4 bars the rattle has a bit of a secondary role to end up in the last 4 bars where both instruments are protagonists with almost two phrases that complement each other.

No Escape

This piece has an ABA structure and uses a 7/8 metre. The idea would be for this piece to play along a persecution scene in a movie. In the first and last 3 bars, the grouping in each bar changes as 3 2 2 / 2 3 2 / 2 2 3 (therefore the motif is repeating the group 3 2 2 2) and could fit when the police is trying to find the suspect. The middle section has a grouping of 3 2 2/ 3 2 2/ 3 2 2. Because of this and the increased use of more semiquavers and demisemiquavers, this middle section comes across as a rounder section that could fit with the moment when the police identifies the robber and the persecution itself starts. The handclap has been used as an accompaniment instrument to reinforce the accents of the moving grouping pattern.

I got Musical Composition from Brindle (1986) and below are some of the key tips on composition he gives:

• To improvise well, the performer needs to know about melodic phrase construction, formal principles, stylistic dictates and idiomatic limitations.
• Get to know many scores and find out how the music is made and why and reapply techniques (rhythm cells, melodic lines, harmony, counterpoint, etc)
• Start to compose with scribbling of any ideas (chords, melodies, rhythmic patterns, etc) on the blank page to make the task less daunting.
• Vision first: If we can’t start it is generally because we don’t have a vision of what we want to create.
• Take concrete decision to make a start: kind of music, instrumets, movements, forms, establishing theme, etc.
• Consistency: the basic character of the music must be uniform throughout
• Save Time with Theory: knowing the exact building blocks of our trade is a great saver (what scale are we working with, what key or mode, what chords fall within the scale? etc).
• Too much detail when we begin a piece can be a handicap (start with a memorable and simple theme).
• Melodic music: Write the melody first (at least the main parts) and then build the harmony around. Don’t work on both at the same time since too early concentration in harmony can obstruct the melodic flow. Same is true for music that begins in other ways (chord progression, texture, etc)
• The beginning is the most important moment of all. Come back to it regularly and improve it.
• Before you play, think, imagine in order to avoid falling into certain patterns we are accustomed with.  After months, you won’t need to play what you are writing to know how it will sound.
• Good music can be written which does not abide formal principles but in general, which abandons formal principles to the point of formlessness is doomed to failure.
• Good form ensures that the emotive message is convincing, unified and complete.
• Statement and Change: Form is about keeping unity while introducing change to keep the interest (remember example of acropolis in athems: Parthenon – Erechtheion). This is the basis of all successful conventional music forms: The alternation of something familiar and something new (Statement and Change); for example ABACADA or ABACABA (A = recurring material anb B,C,D, periods of change)
• Using repetition wisely will save you work and produce coherent work. If there is no repetition, the music is almost certain to escape the memory.
• Rhythm motif: Beethoven used to repeat a lot simple rhythm cells combine with changes in pitch, new counterpoints, etc.
• If the emotive flow is to even, interest will lapse, if changes of emotion are too abrupt, the unity will be destroyed. Allowed change depend on whether the material is placid (less change needed) or emotional.
• Techniques to keep form while improvising (improvisation on a ground bass, on a theme, or using a skeleton harmonic). Think for a moment before beginning, searching for some idea, however brief, then apply repetition and change!
• Form and mathematics are generally interlinked although sometimes we are not aware of the mathematical progressions that make music structured to the ear of the listener.

Project 2

Research point – Variable Metre introduced by German Composer Boris Blacher.

Born in a Russian-speaking community in the Manchurin Town of Niuzhuang in China in 1902. In 1919, after 5 years in China and additional time, he moved to Harbin. In 1924 he dropped his studies in Archiquecture and Mathematics and studied music composition with Friedrich Ernst Koch. Dueto accusations on writing degenerate music he lost his teaching post at the Dresden Conservatory. He later because director of the Music Academy of Berlin becoming one of the most influential composers of his time.

In 1947, he created his most popular orchestral work “Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini”.  Then, he began to use modified serial techniques in his works and he even wrote electronic music. Blacher’s style took something from Stravinsky’s instrumental pungency and the anti-Romantic clarity of Milhaud; Berg and Bartók were other early influences. He also experimented with rhythm, devising what he called ‘variable metres’, inspired by Schoenberg’s note-rows, expanding and contracting to bring metrical variety to the works where he used them, such as his Piano Concerto No 2 (1952) and the Orchester-Ornament (1953) (Boosey & Hawkes, 2012)

Schoenberg talks about “change in metre” as a tool for changing the rhythm but says it is “seldom usable within a music piece” (Schoenberg, 1967). Blacher uses patters based on arithmetic/mathematical progressions of the metre that produces an effect of expansion/compression. The structures used in his 7 studios for Piano Ornamente are explained by Sitsky (2002).

Source: Sitsky L., Music of the Twentieth-Century, Avant-Garde,

Blacher brought along a conceptual change from the traditional notion of form and texture to a new idea of constantly moving, elastic shape. He chose to displace the centre of attention from harmony to rythm (Taher, 2009). As a consequence of Blachers used of variable metres, the succession of metrical units is frequently systematic. In many of his compositions, the degree of systematization of the metrical structure is strictly methodical to the point of absolute predictability. Blacher said that changes in metre intendify the formal characterisitics of a musical work. Nevertheless,  the procedure of expansion and contraction that is evident in the arrangement of metres is also present in the disposition of the durational units of other hierarchical levels (i.e. rhythmic patterns and hypermetrical sequences) and even more, in the pitch structure, which provide a unique sense of movement to his compositions. Creating an elastic effect through space (growing or contracting vertical space) that is mainly accomplished by the disposition of the pitches in register and the behaviour of the textural layers. Therefore, he creates effect of horizontal and vertical elasticity (idea of a single constantly stretching or contracting object, creating an elastic shape, over traditional concepts of successive sections and texture).

Metric Row and Metric Row and its Retrograde (Taher C. (2009))

Metrical Structure of Movement I in Duet for Flute and Piano 1973 (Taher, 2009)

We look at 7 bars per sub-row:

• First 6 bars are in 4/4 (48 quavers notes), next bar is 3/8 (3 quavers) -> 51 quavers.
• Next 5 bars are 4/4 (40 quavers) and then 2 bars 3/8 (6 quavers): 46 quavers
• Next 4 bars are 4/4 (32 quavers) and next 3 bars 3/8 (9 quavers): 41 quavers
• …We are reducing 5 quavers every 7 bars. Then starts expanding again. Sub row 6 is longer like a repetition of the mirror image. 

Overall Key Points in Rhythm Part 1 of Composing Music 1

Overall Key Points in Rhythm Part 1 of Composing Music 1 (Checklist & Exploratory Focus)

After finishing project 1 I have decided to have a quick look to the full material in the course book in Part 1 before continuing in detail with each of the projects in Part 1. Being quite new to music composition I can see there are quite a few interesting concepts in Part 1 that I can start playing with as I go throughout all projects. Below is a quick list of key concepts/focus to keep in mind as I wrote more music or comment on music in my listening log:

-         Composition Structure, idea, setting: Consider concepts such as visual/emotional ideas, mood, tempo (metronome marks), time signature (explore single and compound and variable metre introduced by Blacher) and structure before starting to write music by defining different sections with a function with an approx. time to fit overall length. Allow enough time to establish patterns in the listerner’s mind that are memorable before disrupting or change them. Typical pattern (A/B-C-B/A-Closing (A or B or C)).

-         Tempo & Dynamics: Indications of speed (quickly/slowly) and dynamics (loudly, softly, cresc., etc) (expression text and lines), accents, etc are extremely important even while structuring the composition and the same piece can become a lot better by spending the right time on these elements.

-         Instrument Selection: Choose instruments based on their timbre depending on the type of music that is being written (metallic/wooden/membrane for percussion and additionally strings and wind instruments for melodies). Each instrument has a different timbre because the sound wave is more complex than just a perfect sinusoidal waves and has a compounded textures. Watch out notation of rests on a music sheet if instruments have long resonance.

-         Adornments: Tremolos, acciaccatura, appoggiatura and other adornments depending on instrument.

-         About the Composition Itself.

o       Keep each piece focus on a single theme for it to feel structural balance.

o       Melodic or Rhythm lines can create an interesting conversation, one of them have the function to accompany the other one or both to accompany a melodic line (combining two rhythms into one can be very easy and effective)

o       Better short and interesting than long and boring.

Project 1

This Folder relates to the Project 1 of Composing Music 1 - 4 contrasting short pieces in which you demonstrate the characters of some untuned percurssion instruments. Each piece should be 8-16 bars long. Below there are some of the points I considered when writing these short pieces.

Execution day

For each of these exercises I’ve always started with a graphical idea that I wanted to associate with the music. This helps me define certain tempo, mood and time signature. This little piece has three parts. The first 3 bars is the walking of the person that is going to be executed using a crescendo, the next 3 bars represent his awareness of the situation going from p to f and the last 3 bars the execution itself.

It uses an Andante tempo at 60 quarter notes per minute and a 2/4 time signature to fit well with the mood of the walking sequence.

The side drum also fits well with the purpose of the music. I’ve used some tremolos which are very common in side drum. 

Whispering Dance

Although the piece is for untuned percussion I wrote it with a melodic line in mind, which actually has developed further as I wrote this.

I chose a compound time 6/8 which fits well with a fluid "rounded" dance. During the middle section, the music changes its focus from the dance itself to the whispering of the two people who are dancing together for which I also shift to a time signature 2/4 to portray this change in the focus of the music. This is an interesting concept similar to that of filming when we look at the sequence from different angles and I suppose that it is a common technique in writing for films (I need to read more on this or wait until Music Composition 2!). By changing the time signature we can easily move the focus and change the mood of the music.

Wood blocks were chosen due to their short percussive sound and their dry timbre which fit well with the music rhythm (the silences between the two quavers during the second bar in the 6/8 and following bars) giving a staccato effect that goes back into the 3 rounder sound of the 3 quavers.

Once finished, I decided to add double voices to reinforce the accents on the 6/8 parts according to the dance (I’ve marked them on the music sheet even if not needed).

Accompaniment 1

I started the 3^rd exercise with the idea of merging two independent rhythms using two different voices. Sibelius has very useful features to deal with more than 1 voice (up to 4) in the same stave which allows you to include rests for each of the voices, swap the voices around if you insert one voice in the wrong position, etc.

The initial idea for voice 1 comes from the Tango rhythm in Flamenco which is done in a 4/4 time with accents in beats 1 and 3 and I have done variations around it.

The second voice is very simple and moves around beats 2 and 4 with the purpose of filling the silence in voice 1 in beat 4 and add a bit of variety.

The tremolo effect is alternated between the both voices using the one for voice 2 only when there is a quarter note rest in voice 1 which gives an interesting pattern which is not muddy. In this case I chose the bongos … just because I love their timbre and they are sometimes used in Flamenco.

I found that the technique of combining two independent rhythms is very useful to quickly create interesting rhythms in an easier way than if you try to build the piece as a single rhythm line with two pitches.

African Rhythm

I set out this exercise with the idea of transcribing a finger typing rhythm that I generally practise when I’m bored waiting for the metro. The idea was to play with some upbeats and triplets (demisemiquaver triplets) which I hadn’t touched so far!

By using the Congas it kind of goes into an African rhythm mood … not that I know much about African rhythms J.

It took me a while to transcribe the only beat of the first bar (upbeat).

It’s divided into 3 sections (3 lines below) with the middle section portraying the idea of an interlude on the dance while lines 1 and 3 (similar ones) have a clear dancing mode using the demisemiquaver upbeats.

The video below shows these 4 little compositions:

Composing Music 1 at OCA

I'll be using this blog as a learning log for the course "Composing Music 1" i'm taking at OCA.
After having gone through all my paperwork with OCA (student card for discounts :-), student profile, forum, etc) I've just spent a couple of days going through basic music theory on music notation on rythm (chapters 1,3 and 5 of The AB guide to Music Theory by Eric Taylor). I've mainly revised how to group notes and rests as a function of their duration and time signature as well as when to use ties vs. dots. However, I've also come across some new terms I was not familiar with such as "duplets" for compound time signatures (similar to triplets in simple time signatures) and other irregular divisions for simple and compound time values.
(I) I'll make sure I'll play with irregular division on the percurssion compositions of the chapter 1.

I have also adquired Sibelius 6 and therefore ... now i'm ready to start reading through the projects and exercises of part 1 on the course.

bye now!