Music Composition Decision Path

[gongchime]

What tempo will the piece be in primarily? (What strategy will you use to make that decision?)(Tempo is the primary determinant of mood. Also, It used to be thought that 100 beats per minute was the easiest to keep, now there is new research which says that 125 bpm is optimal. Music at 125bpm is the most frequently played by musicians and listened to by non-musicians, the most frequently on the radio and the most frequently in dj playlists.)_________________________________________Decide what kind of rhythmic structure the motif will have: (What strategy will you use to make the decision? For me, choruses are predisposed to start on the beat, verses are predisposed to start off the beat.)1 Starts on a beat ends on a beat 2 Starts on a beat ends off the beat.3 Starts off the beat ends on the beat4 Starts off the beat ends off the beat ____________________________________________Which melodic rhythm will the motif have? 1 Slow,2 Medium3 Fast(What strategy will you use to make the determination? For me, I like choruses to have a faster melodic rhythm than the Bridge, verses may either have a similar melodic rhythm to the chorus or be between the chorus and the bridge as far as melodic rhythm is concerned. )____________________________________________How many rhythmic cells will the motif use? 12345678910Other(What strategy will you use to make the determination? In this case I think about complexity and how 7 is the limit of items in a set that people tend to be able to remember and for a great majority of them 5 items are much easier to remember than 7. Outside of the case when there are several melodic rhythms in use, a repeating melodic rhythm such as a string of eighth notes, is also effective, in which case it has only one melodic cell, eighth notes.)_____________________________________________If slow which rhythmic cells will the motif use? 1 Whole notes2 Dotted Half notes3 Half notes4 Half note triplets5 Dotted Quarter notes6 Quarter notes7 Quarter note triplets8 Eighth notes9 Rests at or below Half note triplets____________________________________________If medium melodic rhythm, which rhythmic cells will the motif use? 1 Half Notes2 Half Note triplets3 Dotted Quarter notes4 Quarter notes5 Quarter note triplets6 Eighth notes7 Eighth note triplets8 Rests at or below quarter note triplets(I analyzed all of my favorite pop songs and counted the frequency at which notes occur. In a sampling of Sting, Sade, Jon Secada, Seal, Bob Marley, Santana tunes etc… quarter notes occurred with the most frequency in the melodies, although they may not have started on a beat.)____________________________________________If fast melodic rhythm, which rhythmic cells will the motif use? 1 A Dotted Quarter note followed by an eighth2 An eighth followed by a dotted quarter3 Quarter notes4 Quarter note triplets5 A Dotted eighth notes and a sixteenth6 A sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth7 Eighth notes8 Eighth note triplets9 Two sixteenths followed by an eighth10 An eighth followed by two sixteenths11 A sixteenth note followed by an eighth followed by a sixteenth12 A sixteenth note rest followed by 3 sixteenth notes13 A sixteenth note rest followed by 2 sixteenth notes followed by another sixteenth note rest14 A sixteenth note rest followed by an eighth note followed by a sixteenth note15 An eighth note rest followed by two sixteenths16 A sixteenth note rest followed by a dotted eighth note.17 An eighth note rest followed by an eighth note.18 A dotted eighth note rest followed by a sixteenth note19 Other 20 Rests at or below quarter note triplets(When counting the frequency of the rhythmic cells above, there was a definite hierarchy of occurrence, starting with the quarter notes being most frequent {dotted quarters were not counted} and progressing down the list in frequency of occurrence except for the triplets which were not counted. The only other exception was the sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth, which should occur much further down the list. It's presented sooner because it is a member of the group that starts on the beat.)____________________________________________What low level rhythmic organization of the above will the motif have? 1 a2 aa3 ab4 aba5 abb6 abc7 aaaa8 aaab9 aaba10 abaa11 aabb12 abba13 abab14 abbb15 abac16 abbc17 abcc18 abca19 abcd20 Other(A motif with only one rhythmic cell or greater than 7 rhythmic cells will not have the required balance of simplicity and complexity that most people tend to enjoy. Minimally, having an a, b and c seems to be a good rule at this low level. However, a repeated rhythm is also common)____________________________________________Will the motif be: 1 Short2 Medium3 Long(If the first motif is short, then perhaps there should be a greater chance of at least one subsequent motif in a group of three to five motifs to be long, if not the very next motif then after that, in order to create balance. And visa versa.)____________________________________________If short, how many events does the motif have? 1 One rhythmic event2 Two events3 Three4 Four5 five(research says that people expect around 5 or 6 rhythmic events per measure at medium speeds.)_____________________________________________If medium length:1 Three events2 Four events3 Five events4 Six events5 Seven events_____________________________________________If long:1 Five2 Six3 Seven4 Eight5 Nine6 Ten7 Other_____________________________________________Where does the motif start?1 Before the bar2 On the downbeat3 After the downbeat_____________________________________________If before the bar, what beat does it start on? 1 One 2 "e" of one3 "and" of one4 "a" of one5 on beat 2 6 on e of beat 2 7 on and of 2 8 on a of 29 on beat 310 on e of 311 on and of 312 on a of 313 on 414 on e of 4 15 on and of 416 on a of 4Other (The melodies I've analyzed do not have a "pick-up measure/anacrussis which starts on that measure's downbeat. They all started after the beat of the beginning of the pick-up measure's first beat.)_____________________________________________Which scale or mode is the motif in? 1 Ionian2 Dorian3 Phrygian4 Lydian5 Mixolydian6 Aeolian7 Minor Pentatonic8 Minor Blues/Bebop9 Asian Pentatonic10 Harmonic Minor11 Melodic Minor12 A mode of the Harmonic or melodic minor scales12 Double Harmonic Minor13 Major Pentatonic14 Chromatic15 Whole tone16 Whole half17 Half whole(Modal groove based music such as pop, rock, funk, R&B, Hip-Hop, Urban, is often in either Dorian, Mixolydian or Aeolian if not in Ionian. Jazz often uses Dorian over minor chords and Lydian over major chords, and altered scales over dominant chords. Rock and Flamenco occasionally use Phrygian and harmonic minor. Mostly harmonic minor is for building chords for substitution in minor keys not for constructing melodies. Major pentatonic is primarily only used in country. Melodic minor is sometimes used in jazz fusion.)___________________________________________Will notes of the chosen scale be left out to be reserved for later use? 1 Yes2 No____________________________________________If so, which notes will be left out? (You may start with a pentatonic scale then fill it in later. Other good choices to leave out seem to be the 2 and the 6.)123456789101112___________________________________________Does the first note start: 1 on a chord tone (In pop styles such as rock etc..as well as jazz starting on a chord tone is usually the case.)2 on a non-chord tone or3 On a chromatic pitch?___________________________________________If the starting note is a chord tone, which one?1 The first note of the chord2 the fifth note of the chord3 the third note of the chord 5 the seventh note of the chord(In jazz, the third or the seventh of the chord is often the starting note of the motif. If you do not have a harmonic template yet, the harmonization of popular music is fairly straight forward with notes occurring on the downbeat after the barline where the chord starts usually being seen as chord tones in which case there are only three or four possible chords that can contain whatever note you have placed there.Sometimes they are however analyzed as suspensions.) ______________________________________________If the starting note is a non-chord tone, is it…?1 the two2 The four3 The six_______________________________________________If the starting note is chromatic is it….?1 b2/b92 2/93 11/b54 5/b65 6/b7____________________________________________What shape will the motif have? 1 A flat line2 rising3 falling4 rising stairs5 falling stairs6 upward arch7 downward arch____________________________________________Will the motif end on a non-chord tone or a chord tone? 1 Non-chord tone2 Chord tone_____________________________________________If ending note is a non-chord tone, which one?1 two2 four3 six_____________________________________________If ending note is a chord tone, which one?1 One2 Three3 Five4 Seventh______________________________________________Will the motif be arpeggic, scalar, a combination or something else?1 arpeggic2 Scalar3 A combination4 Other_____________________________________________What are the second, third, fourth etc… notes in the motif, based on the chosen shape? (Often melodies move by step or third. Fourths are possible but a fifth or greater is considered a leap and is usually reserved for climaxes, though not always. Some famous melodies start with no-no's such as a leap of a seventh which is supposed to be difficult to sing, but there they are anyway. The "rule" that says melodies return back in the direction they have lept is broken so often it cannot be called a rule and hence you are not required to follow it.) 123456789101112____________________________________________1 Repeat it to create a second motif2 or not repeat it and use a new motif for the second motif instead. (In the music of the Beatles there seems to be a repetition rule, such as if there is a motif then it will repeat. If it doesn't repeat next it will repeat after that as in aabb, aabc, abab, abac.)____________________________________________If the motif will be repeated, how?: 1 Exactly2 Sequenced 3 Varied4 Sequenced and Varied(Exact repetition and sequences diatonically transposed higher or lower tend to be boring. It's too easy for amateur composers to create unity that way when they should be stretching themselves.)_____________________________________________If the second motif is a Sequence of the first, will it move…?:1 Up or2 Down(Up is usually the preferred direction in order to constantly instill the music with greater interest. A movement down would create a feeling of greater relaxation and might trigger in the listener less interest in the music.)_____________________________________________If Up:1 By second, 2 By third, 3 By fourth or4 By octave5 Other(Again, motion by fifth or greater is considered a leap and is reserved for climaxes.)______________________________________________If Down:1 By second, 2 By third, 3 By fourth or4 By octave5 Other______________________________________________If the second motif is a variation of the first, how will it be varied?:1 By pitch2 By rhythm3 By pitch and Rhythm4 By Dynamics/articulation(Variations in rhythm tend to dissipate a feeling of unity more quickly than variations in melody alone.{Unity can be good but too much induces boredom which is bad} So, if more intense variation would instill a feeling of chaos {which is what too much variation does} then stick with only melodic variation. If the music needs to sound more fresh at that point, then use rhythmic variation or a combination of rhythmic and pitch variation. Also, a completely chaotic melody may be given a lot of order if confined to a simple, repeating rhythm.)_______________________________________________If the second motif is varied by pitch, how?:1 add accidentals2 Add notes 3 Subtract notes4 fragmented5 diatonic interval contraction6 diatonic interval expansion7 octave displacement8 Ornamentation9 Permutation____________________________________________If the second motif is varied by adding accidentals, which accidentals will you add? 1 flats2 sharps3 sharps and flats(Dominant chords handle all dissonances well. Minor chords less so, and Major chords hardly at all.)____________________________________________Where will you add the accidentals?1 On 22 On 33 On4 (chromatic variations over a major chord tend to sound too dissonant except for the 4.)4 On 55 On66 On7____________________________________________If adding notes to create a second motif as a variation of the first, which notes will you add and how many?12345678910 1112____________________________________________Where will you add the extra notes to create the second motif? 1 Before the repetition of the motif?2 After the repetition of the motif?3 In the middle of the repetition of the motif? (For much of the world, filling the space in between notes is basic for how sections are developed when they repeat. Perhaps a neighbor tone is added, or a jump of a third is now smoothed over by the addition of the skipped note. Or a step with long enough note durations gets the chromatic note between. Since we might use these technique when the section repeats, we probably don't want to exploit these techniques too much just yet right here. It's probably preferable to add notes either before or after the motif when it repeats if adding them, than to place them in the middle of the motif. Concerning this last point, that does seem to be the case with the popular styles of music which has been analyzed. The additions usually come before, after or both but not as often in-between.)4 a combination of before and after the repetition of the motif. 5 A combination of before and during6 a combination of during and afterA combination of before, during AND after.____________________________________________If before, in the middle, or after the repetition of the motif, on what beats will you put the additions?1 Beat one 2 "e" of one3 "and" of one4 "a" of one5 on beat 2 6 on e of beat 2 7 on and of 2 8 on a of 29 on beat 310 on e of 311 on and of 312 on a of 313 on 414 on e of 4 15 on and of 416 on a of 4Other _____________________________________________If you subtract notes to create a variation for the repeat of the motif, on what beats will they be subtracted?1 One 2 "e" of one3 "and" of one4 "a" of one5 on beat 2 6 on e of beat 2 7 on and of 2 8 on a of 29 on beat 310 on e of 311 on and of 312 on a of 313 on 414 on e of 4 15 on and of 416 on a of 4Other (In any measure in 4/4, the positions of the first beat, the 3rd beat, 2nd beat and 4the beat are the most important and in that order, so we are least likely to remove a note from the downbeat and most likely to remove notes which occur off the beat, the "e of 4, "and of 4"and the "a of 4" seem the most probable places to remove notes, if indeed a note exists there. Most of the time melodies need to be developing interest, not reducing it, so subtracting notes and rhythms is generally not so great except where it helps create a better MELODIC cadence. This is usually on beats 1 or 3, in that order, of the fourth measure of a four measure phrase in a verse where placement of an important pitch there would help produce the sense of finality which usually defines a chorus. The other place is on beat 3 or beat 4, in that order, in the second measure of a 2 measure phrase.)____________________________________________If fragmenting a motif to create a variation of the initial motif, which subfiguration will you use? 1 The initial notes of the motif.2 the last notes of the motif3 notes from the middle of the motif.(Using a fragment that starts with the initial notes or the last notes of the original motif is a good one to try.) ____________________________________________If using interval contraction, which interval will you contract?1 Highest2 Lowest3 a group of notes____________________________________________If using interval expansion, which intervals will you expand? 1 the highest note2 Lowest note3 A group of notes such as peaks.(Sometimes it's useful to make the highest note of a motif a bit higher on the repeat since the process of moving the music forward often requires a higher note, a greater leap, a more intense rhythm, a louder dynamic etc…in subsequent material. Just make sure this does not create an unintended interval such as a major 7th or a tritone which are usually treated with care.)____________________________________________If using octave displacement, which direction will you displace it?1 Up2 Down.(Up is probably the preferred direction.)____________________________________________If using ornamentation, which ornamentation will you use?1 Appogiatura/slow grace note on the beat.2 Nineteenth century appoggiatura/fast grace note before the beat.3 Nachlag/as in 16th note passing tones filling what was an eighth note arpeggio.4 Turn I/down the long side of a four note trough and up the short side. 3 down-1 up.5 Turn II/Encirclement by step/CDCBC. (In jazz, one of the neighbor notes may be chromatic)6 Vertical turn/ up the long side of a 4 note mountain then down the short side. Up 3 down 1.7 On beat trill up8 On beat trill down9 Before the beat trill up10 Before the beat trill down11 Pralltriller/ starts on the beat and the higher note. It is a rapid four note trill that ends on the low note. 12 Upper grace note on the beat/upper crush/fast pull-off13 Lower grace note on the beat/lower crush/fast hammer-on14Upper grace note before the beat.15 Lower grace note before the beat.16 Upper mordent on the beat/a single upper note then back down again.17 Upper mordent before the beat.18 Lower mordent on the beat/19 Lower mordent before the beat.20 Vibrato (in pop music usually four oscillations per beat but some people such as Stevie Nicks have machine gun vibrato.21 Arpeggiation/often triplet grace notes forming a triad.22 Upwards glissando/portamento on the beat23 Downwards glissando/portamento on the beat.24 Upwards glissando before the beat. (May not fully reach the next pitch and so could be microtonal as in Blues bends.)25 Downwards glissando before the beat. (May not fully reach the next pitch and so could be microtonal as in Blues bends.)26 Other ornaments such as the slow waves that occur in Classical Indian music, and grace notes of other intervals besides a 2nd. 27 Combinations of these such as the trill and mordent etc…___________________________________________If using rhythmic variation which will you use?1 Retrograde2 Interversion3 Rhythmic displacement4 Subtraction5 Addition6 Augmentation7 Diminution8 Rhythmic Permutation9 A combination of these10 Other ____________________________________________If using rhythmic displacement to create a repetition or sequence where will you start it?1 The first beat of the measure.2 "e" of one3 "and" of one4 "a" of one5 on beat 2 6 on e of beat 2 7 on and of 2 8 on a of 29 on beat 310 on e of 311 on and of 312 on a of 313 on 414 on e of 4 15 on and of 416 on a of 4Other (If the original was on the downbeat then the repetition or sequence may start before or after that rhythmic position in subsequent music such as later within the same measure or in a different measure. Rhythmic displacement is often used in jazz.)___________________________________________If varied by pitch and rhythm, which combinations will you use? ___________________________________________If varied by dynamics/articulation which will you use?1 Slightly Louder2 A lot louder3 slightly Softer4 a lot softer5 Crescendo6 Decrescendo7 Forzando8 Sforzando9 legato10 stacatto11 portato/articulated staccato/these staccato notes are longer12 stacattissimo/ very short staccato notes13 rinforzando/reinforced but not as much as an accent13 accented14 tenuto/held its full length15 marcato/new attack/16 marcato assia/ between legato and staccato17 a combination of any of the above___________________________________________If articulations are added, which beats/notes get the change?1 all2 some3 one____________________________________________If only some beats/notes get the change, which ones?1 The first beat of the measure.2 "e" of one3 "and" of one4 "a" of one5 on beat 2 6 on e of beat 2 7 on and of 2 8 on a of 29 on beat 310 on e of 311 on and of 312 on a of 313 on 414 on e of 4 15 on and of 416 on a of 417 A combination18 Other___________________________________________If varying by any combination of a change in pitch, rhythm, dynamics/articulations, ornamentation, which combinations?___________________________________________If creating a contrasting motif instead of using a sequence or variation, how will you create the contrasting motif?1 inversion/upside-down2 Retrograde/backwards3 retrograde-inversion/upside-down AND backwards4 inversion with retrograde rhythm5 retrograde rhythm with original melodic series.6 Retrograde-inversion of the melodic series with the melodic rhythm of the initial motif.7 Fragment (There are hundreds of ways to slice up an existing motif to get small little subfigurations and can't be defined adequately here without examples. However, one useful method is if there is a place where a chromatic note or microtonal bend occurs. Then we can use that as the beginning of a 3 or 4 note fragment which is repeated exactly several times or sequenced. Either will add emphasis to the alien note's interest inducing effect. It more fully obscures the initial motif if coming from the middle of the initial motif, so it's harder to use the label repetition of the original and more likely to be a new contrasting motif.)8 Combinations such as Inverted and Sequenced.9 Melodic Permutations of the original motif.10 melodic AND rhythmic permutations of original motif. 11 If the first is fluid then the second one may contain leaps.12 If the first is long then the second one may be short.13 Other____________________________________________If creating a permutation which permutation will you use? 1 Random?2 Structured? ______________________________________If using random permutations, here are the possible permutations of 3 notes. (The possible permutations of four notes is longer and 5 is truly unwieldy.) 1) 123 (This is the original, so we're not talking about this one really.)2) 1323) 2134) 2315) 3126) 321_________________________________________How many motifs will the first phrase have?1 2,3,4,5, 67 More than 6 ________________________________________What note will the antecedent of the first phrase end on? 1 first note of the scale2 Third note of the scale3 Fifth note of the scale4 Seventh note5 Second6 Fourth7 Sixth(It's not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)_______________________________________What rhythmic position will the antecedent of the first phrase end on?1 The first beat of the measure.2 "e" of one3 "and" of one4 "a" of one5 on beat 2 6 on e of beat 2 7 on and of 2 8 on a of 29 on beat 310 on e of 311 on and of 312 on a of 313 on 414 on e of 4 15 on and of 416 on a of 4(It's not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)_____________________________________________What note will the consequent of the first phrase start on?1 first note of the scale2 Third note of the scale3 Fifth note of the scale4 Seventh note5 Second6 Fourth7 Sixth(It's not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)________________________________________What rhythmic position will the consequent of the first phrase start on?1 The first beat of the measure.2 "e" of one3 "and" of one4 "a" of one5 on beat 2 6 on e of beat 2 7 on and of 2 8 on a of 29 on beat 310 on e of 311 on and of 312 on a of 313 on 414 on e of 4 15 on and of 416 on a of 4(It's not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)________________________________________Will the second phrase be a repetition of the first phrase?1 Yes2 No_________________________________________If yes, will the repetition be 1 exact2 a sequence3 a variation_________________________________________If the second phrase is a sequence, will it be sequenced1 Up or2 down______________________________________________If Up:1 By second, 2 By third, 3 By fourth or4 By octave5 Other(Motion by fifth or greater is considered a leap and is reserved for climaxes. A leap of a fifth or more might be a good idea when going to the next section which most of the time will be the chorus which is where any climaxing should occur.)______________________________________________If Down:1 By second, 2 By third, 3 By fourth or4 By octave5 Other______________________________________________If the second phrase is a variation of the first, how will it be varied?:1 By pitch2 By rhythm3 By pitch and Rhythm4 By Dynamics/articulation(Variations in rhythm tend to dissipate a feeling of unity more quickly than variations in melody alone.{Unity can be good but too much induces boredom which is bad} So, if more intense variation would instill a feeling of chaos {which is what too much variation does} then stick with only melodic variation. If the music needs to sound more fresh at that point, then use rhythmic variation or a combination of rhythmic and pitch variation. Also, a completely chaotic melody may be given a lot of order if confined to a simple, repeating rhythm.)_______________________________________________If the second phrase is varied by pitch, how?:1 add accidentals2 Add notes 3 Subtract notes4 fragmented5 diatonic interval contraction6 diatonic interval expansion7 octave displacement8 Ornamentation9 Permutation10 Rhythmic displacement11 retrograde rhythm with the original melodic series.____________________________________________If the second phrase is varied by adding accidentals, which accidentals will you add? 1 flats2 sharps3 sharps and flats(Dominant chords handle all dissonances well. Minor chords less so, and Major chords hardly at all.)__________________________________________Where will you add the accidentals?____________________________________________If adding notes to create a second phrase as a variation of the first, which notes will you add and how many?_____________________________________________Where will you add the extra notes to create the second phrase? 1 Before the repetition of the phrase?2 After the repetition of the phrase?3 In the middle of the repetition of the phrase?4 a combination of before and after the repetition of the phrase. 5 A combination of before and during6 a combination of during and afterA combination of before, during AND after.____________________________________________If before, in the middle, or after the repetition of the phrase, where will you put the additions?____________________________________________If you subtract notes to create a variation for the repeat of the phrase, where will they be subtracted?_____________________________________________If fragmenting a motif/motifs to create a variation of the first phrase, which subfiguration will you use? 1 The initial motif/motifs of the phrase.2 the last motif/motifs of the phrase3 motif/motifs from the middle of the phrase.(Using a fragment that starts with the initial motif/motifs or the last motif/motifs of the original phrase is a good one to try.) ____________________________________________If using interval contraction, which interval will you contract?1 Highest2 Lowest3 a group of notes____________________________________________If using interval expansion, which intervals will you expand? 1 the highest note2 Lowest note3 A group of notes such as peaks.(Sometimes it's useful to make the highest note of a phrase a bit higher on the repeat since the process of moving the music forward often requires a higher note, a greater leap, a more intense rhythm, a louder dynamic etc…in subsequent material. Just make sure this does not create an unintended interval such as a major 7th or a tritone which are usually treated with care.)____________________________________________If using octave displacement, which direction will you displace it?1 Up2 Down.(Up is probably the preferred direction.)____________________________________________If using ornamentation, which ornamentation will you use?1 Appogiatura/slow grace note on the beat.2 Nineteenth century appoggiatura/fast grace note before the beat.3 Nachlag/as in 16th note passing tones filling what was an eighth note arpeggio.4 Turn I/down the long side of a four note trough and up the short side. 3 down-1 up.5 Turn II/Encirclement by step/CDCBC. (In jazz, one of the neighbor notes may be chromatic)6 Vertical turn/ up the long side of a 4 note mountain then down the short side. Up 3 down 1.7 On beat trill up8 On beat trill down9 Before the beat trill up10 Before the beat trill down11 Pralltriller/ starts on the beat and the higher note. It is a rapid four note trill that ends on the low note. 12 Upper grace note on the beat/upper crush/fast pull-off13 Lower grace note on the beat/lower crush/fast hammer-on14Upper grace note before the beat.15 Lower grace note before the beat.16 Upper mordent on the beat/a single upper note then back down again.17 Upper mordent before the beat.18 Lower mordent on the beat/19 Lower mordent before the beat.20 Vibrato (in pop music usually four oscillations per beat but some people such as Stevie Nicks have machine gun vibrato.21 Arpeggiation/often triplet grace notes forming a triad.22 Upwards glissando/portamento on the beat23 Downwards glissando/portamento on the beat.24 Upwards glissando before the beat. (May not fully reach the next pitch and so could be microtonal as in Blues bends.)25 Downwards glissando before the beat. (May not fully reach the next pitch and so could be microtonal as in Blues bends.)26 Other ornaments such as the slow waves that occur in Classical Indian music, and grace notes of other intervals besides a 2nd. 27 Combinations of these such as the trill and mordent etc…___________________________________________If using rhythmic variation which will you use?1 Retrograde2 Interversion3 Rhythmic displacement4 Subtraction5 Addition6 Augmentation7 Diminution8 Rhythmic Permutation9 A combination of these10 Other___________________________________________If using rhythmic displacement to create a repetition or sequence of the phrase where will you start it?___________________________________________If the repetition of the first phrase is varied by pitch and rhythm, which combinations will you use? ___________________________________________If varied by dynamics/articulation which will you use?1 Slightly Louder2 A lot louder3 slightly Softer4 a lot softer5 Crescendo6 Decrescendo7 Forzando8 Sforzando9 legato10 stacatto11 portato/articulated staccato/these staccato notes are longer12 stacattissimo/ very short staccato notes13 rinforzando/reinforced but not as much as an accent13 accented14 tenuto/held its full length15 marcato/new attack/16 marcato assia/ between legato and staccato17 a combination of any of the above___________________________________________If articulations are added, which beats/notes get the change?1 all2 some3 one____________________________________________If only some beats/notes get the change, which ones?If varying by any combination of a change in pitch, rhythm, dynamics/articulations, ornamentation, which combinations?___________________________________________If creating a contrasting phrase instead of using a sequence or variation, how will you create the contrasting phrase?1 inversion/upside-down2 Retrograde/backwards3 retrograde-inversion/upside-down AND backwards4 inversion with retrograde rhythm5 retrograde rhythm with original melodic series.6 Retrograde-inversion of the melodic series with the melodic rhythm of the initial motif.7 Fragment (There are hundreds of ways to slice up an existing phrase to get small little subfigurations and can't be defined adequately here without examples. 8 Combinations such as Inverted and Sequenced.9 Melodic Permutations of the original phrase.10 melodic AND rhythmic permutations of original phrase. 11 If the first is fluid then the second one may contain leaps.12 If the first is long then the second one may be short.13 Rhythmic displacement14 Other____________________________________________If creating a permutation which kind of permutation will you use? 1 Random?2 Structured? _________________________________________How many phrases will the first section have?12,3,4,5, 67 More than 6 ________________________________________What note will the antecedent of the second phrase end on? 1 first note of the scale2 Third note of the scale3 Fifth note of the scale4 Seventh note5 Second6 Fourth7 Sixth(It's not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)_______________________________________What rhythmic position will the antecedent of the second phrase end on? (It's not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)_____________________________________________What note will the consequent of the second phrase start on?1 first note of the scale2 Third note of the scale3 Fifth note of the scale4 Seventh note5 Second6 Fourth7 Sixth(It's not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)________________________________________What rhythmic position will the consequent of the second phrase start on?(It's not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)

[milfus]

shouldnt this be songwriting forum? nice share though, reality of it is, its a good starting path, but by like the 30th time youve used it, youll feel all this stuff props tho, i yoinked it =0)yoinked: verb, past tenseto snatch fast and in a cartoon like manner

[ggalen]

Yes,I see it as a great checklist for generating fresh ideas.I have more fun composing less "analytically", so to speak. But then once I have something that moves me, I would use this as a way to start making it more special and fresh.It really illustrates how many things we do "by rote" without realizing there are alternatives...thus we end up with that are tunes too generic and derivative.Thanks, Gongchime.

[squids]

Wow, gong, that's.......really detailed!! Good info in there (I see milf has already 'yoinked' it, lol). I test drive rhythms if I'm unsure. But tha's jes me.

[Casey H]

Jeeeeees... What ever happened to just picking up the guitar, strumming a few chords, and singing something? Casey

[mazz]

This is a very detailed analysis and decision tree! I have a feeling that for experienced composers, a lot of this information is internalized and these decisions are made "on the fly" as a composition is being created. That is the case for me, although I probably don't use every single one of these (and I'm learning more about all of this every day!). I've certainly never broken it down this thoroughly! It must have taken quite some time to put this together.Whenever you make a statement like "tempo is the prime determinant of mood", my "there are no rules" meter gets activated. I think that the rhythmic subdivision of that tempo has more bearing on mood. I can set my metronome on 120 BPM and play pads that last for 4 bars in 4/4 time and the listener will never know what the real tempo is, to them it will feel like 30BPM or whatever it breaks down to. On the flip side, I can set my metronome to 50 BPM and play 128th notes on a high hat and I can guarantee that it won't translate to the listener as a meditative 50 BPM piece! 4 on the floor dance music does follow your theory because the tempo is so explicitly stated in that style of music. Other types of music, classical, for instance, change tempo and feel all over the place, the changing of the tempo being one way of expressing emotion and emphasis.Good stuff, thanks for posting. I just had to respectfully disagree with you on the tempo statement!Cheers,Mazz

[geo]

May 11, 2008, 9:30am, hurowitz wrote:Jeeeeees... What ever happened to just picking up the guitar, strumming a few chords, and singing something? Casey I thought that's all I had to do This is definately in the different strokes category for me... though part of me does envy the focus.... Geo

[Mark Kaufman]

I think the only thing about this excellent checklist that throws many of us off is to think of it as a "starting point"...But this is an extremely Left Brained analysis, whereas inspiration and the creative process so often leans toward the Right Brain. In my world, I could never take this thing out and use it to begin a new idea. But it sure has a lot of good points to consider. So, after those musical compositions just sort of "pop out" of many of us...this could be a great reference for improving the beast. Meanwhile, I am off to apply these considerations to "Louie Louie"...

[milfus]

well yeah mazz, but thats the trouble with making any definitive statement about music at all, It is like taxes, theres many many many sets of rules, tempo is a good guide line to start off with, but you might find octave, subdivision, denisity, or tonality in the end, I think its better to just state that tempo is the prime determinate, because even if that is totally wrong for you, you will realize it is, and you will know that because something very specific replaced it. That being said, whenever I am confronted with all these stuffy rules, I try to write a song in every permutation possible, really get in there and feel how each rule effects each other one, and by the time I am done, I really dont need the rules anymore, cause its all just a means to make a system, so you use it, develope yours, adapt what you like to your current system, and then discard it. I am from the background of beat making and stuff though, like really informal, people either bump your stuff or they dont, and for years I just had to feel it out, it was either good to me, or it needed work, so I would vary things and do a better or worse until I got it down, or every change made it worse. So I am a little biased, even now, thats what I do, I dont see systems or theory, I just practice them relentlessly until they come up through the same intuition that I am used to.So I mean, theres value in blatantly stating a rule like that, even if it is just to be disproven later, cause its like that first ladder rung, gives you something to hold on to till you find a better foot hold, just my 2 pennies.

[ibanez468]

Great information, but means absolutely nothin' ta' me. I'm a feel/instinct type a guy. I harness a tempo (and other miscellaneous factors) through feel & instinct. My analytical/technical side (in regards to your post) for music absolutely sucks. So I generally have ta' go with my ears & instincts. That's just me. My .02.