Composing Music

An introduction

Learning outcomes
By the end of this session you will be able to: Have an overview of the unit Have an awareness of some of the tools and methods of composition you will be using Learn about some of the projects you will be completing Produce your first idiomatic composition

Unit overview
On completion of this unit a learner should: 1 Be able to originate musical starting points 2 Be able to extend, develop and manipulate musical material 3 Understand the role and importance of the structural elements of composition 4 Be able to compose according to specific briefs 5 Be able to present a portfolio of compositions in an appropriate format.

How do we do this?

Be able to originate musical starting points

Originating ideas: extra-musical starting points, eg themes, texts, images, graphics; choosing resources and starting points appropriate to the desired effect or composition brief Musical starting points: pitch sets; harmonic systems; motifs (rhythmic and melodic); chord progressions and patterns; tone rows, riffs, hooks and loops; sound palettes, eg samples, synth sounds

Be able to extend, develop and manipulate musical material

Extending and developing: repetition (exact and loose); variation; decoration; sequence; contrasts and juxtapositions Manipulating musical material: transposition; transformations (inversion, retrograde, retrograde inversion); cut and paste techniques; additive and subtractive processes; diminution and augmentation (rhythmic and pitch); displacement

 Working with and manipulating layers: process techniques, eg phasing, canon; instrumentation; textures, eg polyphonic/homophonic, contrapuntal textures, etc; melody and accompaniment; contrasts and juxtapositions

Understand the role and importance of the structural elements of composition

Forms and structures: formal block structures, eg binary, ternary, rondo, arch; developmental forms, eg theme and variations, ground bass, sonata form; song structures, eg 12 bar blues, verse-chorus constructions, riff based songs; effective use of repetition and self-reference; circular/repetitive structures, eg those found in some minimalism or dance music

 Pace: maintaining momentum and interest; developing an analytical approach to listening to own work; balancing repetition with change and development; contrasts and juxtapositions; keeping within appropriate time scales; editing and refining

Be able to compose according to specific briefs

Types of composition brief: composing for specific instruments/voices and instrumental/vocal combinations; instrument/voice ranges and practical considerations; composing for specific purposes, eg concert performance, celebratory music, fanfare; media and commercial composition briefs, eg jingles, title music, incidental music, film scores

 Selecting appropriate resources according to the brief: selecting appropriate instrumentation; selecting appropriate style/genre; taking account of performance or production circumstances; idiomatic writing for instruments/voices; idiomatic writing within selected styles and genres; technological consideration, eg working to vision

Be able to present a portfolio of

compositions in an appropriate format
Developing a portfolio: contrasts; range of style/genre Appropriate presentation methods: conventions of particular styles, genres and situations; CD and DVD; MIDI and audio files; scores; sleeve design and artwork Types of score: selecting most appropriate format; full score; short score; lead sheet; chord chart; guitar tablature; graphic scores; prose scores; flexible scoring; relevant computer software

Todays task
Today, you have just under an hour to compose your first piece of music. I need you to do this so Gregg and I can see your existing skills in composing to a given brief.

Fantasy film
Compose music for the following scene from a fantasy film. It falls into five sections. You may wish to follow the suggested timings or to devise timings of your own. 0 00 The adventurers enter a forest. As they walk deeper into the forest, they hear strange chanting sounds. 0 40 Shafts of sunlight penetrate the overhead canopy but some areas are very dark. The adventurers gradually sense that they are being watched. 1 10 The chanting sounds continue. A sense of anticipation and excitement, rather than fear, builds up. 1 40 Many tall figures approach. 2 05 The music now a combination of instrumental sounds and chanting reaches a climax but the adventurers overwhelming feelings are of joy and security. 2 50 End