Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only genius's do. What a myth! It's a skill that can be learned. What can't be learned is the intuition that guides the creative force. What can be learned is the technique. And the most important part of composing technique has to do with THINKING IN PHRASES.
A musical phrase can be 2-bars long. It can be from 4 to 8-bars long as well. It is a unit of music that composers use, along with repetition and contrast to create ENTIRE SECTIONS OF MUSIC. There is no secret here people. It's like building up a structure. That's why music is often referred to as frozen architecture. It is built up. The building up creates FORM. A structure such as ABA form can be composed of the A section (8-measures) B section (4 or more measures) then back to the A section.
Now you may be thinking, it looks logical but how does it transfer into actual music? Ah, this is where you get your feet wet and actually try composing a piece. We start from simple means and learn the principles of repetition and contrast first. We start with an 8-bar phrase for the A section.
Now a problem arises. How do I fill up this section? You can either start with the melody or with the chords. If you've had a chance to look at my free lesson, you'll see that by improvising, MATERIAL IS INSTANTLY CREATED! This solves your problem doesn't it? Now, you may be thinking, how do I get this material into the 8-bar framework you've been talking about? First, you need to be able to count in 3/4 or 4/4 time. Not very difficult but if you can't do this now, there are many sites on the web that can teach you this.
Now it's just a matter of transferring this raw improvisational material into the 8-bars. Most likely, you will be jotting down your chord changes. I explain this in a lot more detail in my online class. It's a quick sketch method. You have the raw uncensored germ coming from your improvisations - you then write down what chords you are playing and perhaps the first 2-bars of melody so you remember what the initial impulse was.
The reason I use the 8-bar phrase is that it is a nice unit of time to work with. I don't try and reinvent the wheel here. It's been used for centuries and can be used in New Age music as well. Once you have this 8-bar phrase you can repeat it and add in another section (B) to add contrast.
This may be hard to understand by just reading about it. You have to do it in order to really understand.
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lesson s.html for a FREE piano lesson!
There are many things to consider when buying a new... Read More
Frustrated in a gridlocked?Job got you stressed out?The children have... Read More
Do you ever feel there is an inner voice speaking... Read More
A student once asked me; "How come sometimes the music... Read More
Have you ever been told that you were good at... Read More
Rosemary Brown (1916-2001) was a middle-aged South London widow, making... Read More
A lot of new age piano music consists of repeating... Read More
Facts about MC Big Proof"If I was you, suicide would... Read More
Small independent record labels are facing a different fight today... Read More
Today's music fan interacts with a "community" that is far... Read More
Propelled into fame as one of the Beatles, along with... Read More
Chords. They're amazing. There's no doubt about it. Especially when... Read More
Members of LAMN (founded in 1988) and NARIP (founded in... Read More
"Turn it down!"How often have you heard that command in... Read More
Often people receive a banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar or some... Read More
Many piano students spend much time learning how to play... Read More
Those of you who have been reading my articles for... Read More
OK, say you've got one thousand of your favorite MP3... Read More
Out of the 250 million people in the United States,... Read More
It's really not your fault. You see, you've been taught... Read More
Ostinato means "repeating pattern" and is used frequently in all... Read More
Ever wonder what would happen if you mixed the progressive... Read More
The new competition package available for the BMW M3 is... Read More
Did you know that the health and beauty of your... Read More
How is it that a little white boy from Kansas... Read More
Repetition is the key to learning something deeply. It works... Read More
Despite the title of this article, the purpose of it... Read More
Music is the art of arranging sounds in periodic time... Read More
All right, folks, here you go: My 12 reasons why... Read More
The first time I heard George Winston play back in... Read More
Many students want to create music that has a certain... Read More
While most students want to know when to play certain... Read More
Every student realizes that guitar practice is important if they... Read More
1. Learn how to ImproviseLearning how to improvise is the... Read More
Every day musical instruments enrich the lives of people around... Read More
Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the... Read More
One of the most intriguing aspects of music is how... Read More
Eric Clapton performs his slow-handed magic on his. Even with... Read More
Your first drum set purchase is very exciting! You have... Read More
Who would have ever thought that a call out for... Read More
The music of Rush influences and inspires, at least that's... Read More
The harp that once through Tara's halls the soul of... Read More
I met New York jazzman Tim Armacost in college almost... Read More
Piano lessons provide a wide range of benefits to young... Read More
A number of people have asked about my own methodology... Read More
Yowza! Did you hear that hideous noise? It sounded like... Read More
There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn... Read More
Before the internet, unsigned music artists couldnt make a living,... Read More
In the last article, the creation of a theme, its... Read More
The Ibanez SR400 bass guitar is very comfortable to play.... Read More
As industry insiders, we sometimes forget that when discussing the... Read More
We all know, if only instinctively, that music has a... Read More
Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that... Read More
This article is designed to help anyone to enjoy karaoke... Read More
P2P file sharing programs are free. Period. But there are... Read More
Throughout the past few years downloading music on the internet... Read More
This article takes a look at musicians' injuries. For an... Read More
Celebrities now such as Outkast, a fashion wear can be... Read More
Gibson guitars have been around forever. It's funny, but although... Read More
Often people receive a banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar or some... Read More
Boy, I really detest how some people do websites. Bands... Read More
Do you have a wide variety of things that you... Read More
Rocket Piano is a very professionally done piano lesson package.... Read More
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has launched a... Read More
"Turn it down!"How often have you heard that command in... Read More
With the increased proliferation of online guitar and musical equipment... Read More
Music & MP3 |