[From a 9-part handout for my introductory composition class.]
| 5. How to Extend or Develop Musical Materials; Specific Suggestions (may be used in combination with one another) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Repeat… | Vary… | Extend… |
| •…with different dynamic | •…selected motives (i.e., a, or b, or c, etc.) | • …a + b +b' (or a+b+a', etc.) |
| •…in a different register | •…truncate | • … continue with similar intervals, i.e., la-do-ti-fa, la-do-ti-fa-mi-so, la-do-ti-fa-mi-so-di-re, etc. |
| •…with different orchestration | •…invert, retrograde, retrograde inversion | • … reorder same pitches, i.e., la-do-ti-fa, do-ti-la-fa, la-ti-fa-do, etc. |
| •…with different harmony | •…insert/subtract rests | • … combine previous two, i.e., la-do-ti-fa, la-ti-fa-mi, so-fi-la-si-ti-la-fa-mi, etc. |
| •…in a different mode | •…reorder, interpolate (insert), substitute | • … using similar or contrasting rhythms. |
| •…with different counterpoint | •…make nonretrogradable | • … make sequence |
| •…with different texture (i.e., pointillism, thicker, thinner, etc.) | •…rhythm | • …turn into a transition (how? Discuss…) |
| •…with different accompaniment figure | •…shift rhythmic emphasis, rotate | • …add dissimilar materials |
| •…in a different tempo | •…augmentation or diminution of all or any portion | • … gradually change character. |
| •…in a different meter | •…mode | • … create a dialogue |
| •…in a different key/transposition | •…articulation | • …invert texture (melody/accompaniment) |
| •…with overlap | •…selected intervals | • …continue linear contour |
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12 comments:
I wish I had something more profound to say... but I don't. I just really appreciate these notes, and I'm taking a lot from them. I think it is valuable to hear tips like these from someone who's been "in the business" for a while. Thanks Dr. Ross!
I love this chart!
I mean, we all know these things but sometimes we can forget about a way of manipulating and expanding our musical material!
I am a big fan of extensions onto musical material. I also love varying material that is already present. Its like you give someone an idea, repeat your thought so they THINK they're gonna hear the same thing, but then ... BAM!!! Something different, and the listener just doesn't know what to do but take it all in.
Also.
I think every attempt i've tried at retrograde, inversion, etc... have all sounded awful. I applaud anyone who comes up with an idea that can be manipulated in such a way to sound great!
This is a very interesting chart. Even if many of the possibilities are straightforward, it's actually sort of amazing seeing the sheer number of different kinds of variations and extensions lined up together, especially considering each of these points has a huge amount of possible variations within them.
It might be a good idea, when one is feeling stuck, to actually look at a chart like this, and maybe stumble into an option you hadn't considered.
Interesting chart- I like all the arguments made above. It really is interesting to note that great music has been made on all ends of spectrum. To that end, what is now the expected was once the unexpected. The key truly is balance, as you said.
This is such a helpful chart! It's so interesting because although we all know we need to extend our ideas, but I've never thought about the actual ways to do that in such a clear, succinct manner.
I'm actually in the midst of writing our piece for percussion right now and it's so interesting to think about how I might use some of these techniques with rhythmic writing rather than melodic. So many of them still apply, obviously, but others would have to be changed to suit percussion instruments instead of melodic. I'll definitely be using some of these tips in my next piece! Thanks Dr. Ross!
Love this chart! I am currently struggling with expanding my ideas in my percussion piece. Although I cannot use the pitched suggestions you have given there is a lot here that can help me vary my basic idea rhythms and repeat and expand them! I will definitely be trying contrasting rhythms for some of my BIs as well as trying to move my main rhythms to different meters. This will allow me to keep my ideas but develop and expand them. I also forget how much articulation can change an idea. I have many rhythms with similar articulation so maybe by changing those I can expand my ideas in a smarter, more musical way. I have lots to work with here. Thanks!!
I really loved this post! It is helpfull because I used to blocked after I found a good idea. Sometimes I am scared to ruin that idea so I don´t know how to expand an idea or what to do with a couple of ideas. I use to do some changes in the counterpoint, but I do that because I follow that idea from composers or Bach´s fugues. The only chart where I am confused is where it says "gradually change of character". Maybe I would understand it better if I see an example. Is this gradually changed prepared by rhythm, accompaniment texture?
Thank you for sharing this chart Dr Ross.
Angélica López
I think this chart provides an at hand strategy when experiencing something similar to "writers block", or if one wonders where to go next in a piece. I really appreciate the many technical examples of developing ideas such as imitation, transposition, repetition, and change of change of rhythmic activity. Collectively, these tools and more can be used to communicate motives in different ways than how they were previously, so having these methods at hand will not only allow us to make informed compositional decisions, but there may possibly be inspiration for another movement or other piece later on. As a composer, I value not using everything we have to offer such as being very selective with extended techniques (too much gets cheezy) and if there is a lot of contrasting textures then it may potentially loose character (in my experience that is). So, when I hopefully apply this table to my practical use then I believe utilizing 5-6 of these motivic devices will keep my piece in the same musical intent while developing meaningful and strategic contrast.
This is such a great guide for composing! I experimented with a good amount of these techniques when composing my 014 piece. I built off of one melodic idea, and performed it in different registers, then built harmonies on top of it. The registers ranged from the bottom of the piano, to the top. A lot of these types I would have never thought of, such as turning a melodic idea into a sequence, to taking an idea, and writing it backwards, because why not!
Great tips! I have never thought if trying to have a chart to fix these kinds of problems and I am looking forward to take a better look at them some time soon for one of my next pieces for the course. I think this also will almost inevitably will create interesting harmonies that I would have probably not thought about otherwise if I was "organically" writing. Same with articulation and maybe even character!
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