The fact is, the vast majority of composers in the history of the world have not repeated everything in their music literally. That only happens in strict strophic forms (on the formal level), early Minimalism (on the local level), and a few other oddball pieces.
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A Simple Trick To Think About Repetition in Music — or Anything
Composers work with patterns, which is another way of saying we work with repetition. Thus, if I have three elements, A, B, and C, it would be useful to know how I can reorder them.
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Why the “California Girls” Chorus Won’t Get Out of Your Ears
Some tunes won’t get out of your ears. The chorus from the Beach Boys’ “California Girls” is one of them
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Chromaticism: Accidentals Aren’t Created Equal
Why do composers use all those flats and sharps, let alone the weird x’s? Understanding this question can help you both as you play music and as you write it.
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Pre-composition is not the real work
Relating to my January composing report, I rediscovered this gem from the LA Phil while looking up notes on Joan Tower’s Violin Concerto:
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Composing Report: January 2016
As part of my PhD studies, I’ve wanted to develop professional work habits. I needed a composing system that would eliminate my excuses for not working and would cushion me against life’s curveballs.
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Melodies vs. Gestures
Many people say melody — the foreground sequence of pitches — is an essential part of music, but lots of music does just fine without any pitches. Even music that uses notes often doesn’t have melodies. So how does music operate when it does not have melodies?
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English Horn Sonata Consortium
Boston-based oboist Jeralee Johnson and I invite you to join us to create a substantial work for English horn and piano. Interested performers on alto saxophone, cello and other instruments are also welcome.
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“Summer Has” a Semi-Finalist in National Competition
A newsletter arrived in my inbox a few days ago from a competition I’d entered. I thought it was nothing. But I was wrong.
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Harmony in “Father in Heaven, We Do Believe,” Part 2
In my last blog post, I identified the gestures that compose the Latter-Day Saint hymn “Father in Heaven, We Do Believe.” Today I’ll show how these gestures are elaborated and how all these elements work in concert to make the arrival on “we receive” so striking.
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