Lesson video

Hi, my name's Mr. Pate, and welcome to this lesson on genre-specific considerations from the unit Composing to a Brief: Creative Starting Points.

The outcome for this lesson is: I can analyze genre-specific considerations and apply these ideas to my composition to a brief.

We'll be using a number of keywords in this lesson, like the word genre.

This means a category of music with shared characteristics.

So if, for example, a piece of music is generally considered to be in the electronic dance music genre, then there might be a certain set of musical techniques, compositional techniques, that are used to compose a piece of music generally agreed to fit within that genre.

And these techniques are called the stylistic conventions.

This means a common musical feature that's typically part of a particular genre or musical period.

The instrumentation in a piece of music means the combination of musical instruments used to compose that piece, and the structure is the way that music is organized.

In today's lesson, we'll be analyzing genre-specific considerations and then developing your own musical starting point.

When composing to a brief, beginning with a musical starting point, like a melody, a riff, or a chord sequence or bassline, establishes our main musical material and gives us something to develop.

It's exactly that, a starting point, which we can then take on to develop the rest of our piece.

Different musical genres have different stylistic conventions, which can inform and help us to develop our musical ideas.

When we know what genre we're working in, it might give us ideas of how to take our piece further.

The musical genre that you compose in might be dictated by the brief, or you might be able to choose the genre yourself.

So read your brief carefully and see whether you have free choice to choose the musical genre or whether you must compose in a specific genre.

Here's an example.

This brief is called Instrumental Composition, and it says: compose a short instrumental piece suitable for performance at a springtime celebration.

The music should be inspired by the Western classical tradition, 1650 to 1910.

The requirements of this brief are: it must be 45 to 90 seconds.

You must write for one or two instruments and aim for clear, balanced phrases.

You must use a clear structure with at least two contrasting sections, and you must use tonal harmony with at least one clear cadence.

So this brief specifically mentions that you should be inspired by the Western classical tradition.

Baroque or Classical styles would probably be the most appropriate to work in here, as they match the clarity and balance required by these brief requirements.

This next brief doesn't mention a genre, only that it should include solo voice and accompaniment.

The brief's called Vocal Composition, and it says: compose a song for solo voice and accompaniment suitable for a performance at a celebration at the end of a school year.

The requirements are: include a clear song structure.

Write a memorable vocal melody with chord accompaniment.

Use at least three musical parts or layers, and you may choose any text or write your own.

So this song could be in any genre.

You might decide to write a pop song, something inspired by rock or classical music.

It could be a folk song, blues, electronic dance music, or more.

It's important to decide and be clear on your genre when you are composing, as this will shape your musical choices and your overall style.

Genres have typical stylistic conventions, such as the instrumentation, structure, typical rhythms, use of harmony, tempo, and meter, which help define their sound.

When you hear a rock song, it sounds like a rock song because of the instruments it uses, because of the structures, the use of harmony, and all of those other musical features which help define it as a rock song.

So knowing those things can really help you with your own composition and making it stylistically appropriate.

Using these conventions can make your piece sound stylistically clear, while also adapting them and thinking outside the box can lead to creative outcomes.

Laura is composing in a jazz style for her composition.

I want you to think about jazz music and list as many features of jazz music as you can.

You might consider things like: what sort of instruments does jazz music use?

What kind of structures might it use?

How does it use rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, and other musical features?

Pause the video now and list as many features of jazz as you can.

Now you've thought about features of jazz.

You may have mentioned the following: use of backline instruments like the piano, the double bass, and the drums, and frontline instruments like the trumpet, trombone, clarinet, and saxophone.

You might have thought about rhythm.

The use of syncopation and swung rhythms is really common in jazz music.

You might have thought about the use of melody.

Using improvisation and blue notes is really common in this style.

You might have thought about the harmony.

Jazz music uses a lot of extended chords.

And you might have thought about use of call and response and a structure that uses a head melody as a basis for improvisation.

All of these things are features of jazz and might inspire Laura's composition.

You don't need to use every genre-specific feature, but they are useful to consider when you're developing your initial ideas so that your composition clearly fits within your chosen style.

Let's listen to Laura's initial idea for her jazz composition.

While we are listening, I'd like you to think: which features of jazz has she used in her composition so far?

Listen to this clip, then pause the video to consider your answers.

So what did you think?

What features of jazz could you hear in Laura's composition so far?

Aisha says, "Laura's initial ideas for her composition use a swung rhythm and typical jazz instrumentation, including drums, double bass, and a piano.

" Alex says, "The harmony uses extended chords and the melody uses blue notes.

These are all typical jazz features which Laura has used in her composition.

" Stylistic conventions help your music sound clearly within a genre.

However, composers often adapt or break these conventions to make their music sound more original and expressive.

To be creative with your composition, you could change one feature while keeping others typical.

You wouldn't want to change every feature, 'cause then it won't sound like it's within the genre you are working.

But thinking carefully about the musical features of your chosen genre and changing one here and there can be a really creative way to find something new within that genre.

You could combine features from different genres.

You could alter a typical structure.

You could use harmony or rhythm in unexpected ways.

You could subvert expectations.

When we listen to a piece of music, we do have expectations about how a melody might go or where a chord might resolve to.

By subverting these expectations, we can make our music interesting.

Your composition, though, should still sound like it belongs to the genre overall.

So thinking carefully about the typical musical features of your genre is important to establish that.

Let's listen again to Laura's initial composition idea.

We decided that typical conventions of a jazz style include backline instruments like piano, bass, and drums; frontline instruments like trumpet, trombone, clarinet, and saxophone, syncopation and swung rhythms, improvised melodies and blue notes, extended chords, call and response, and a head melody used as a basis for improvisation.

When we listen again to Laura's piece, can you spot any ways in which she creatively breaks any of these rules?

Have a listen and then pause the video to consider your answer.

Now you've heard Laura's piece again.

Did you spot any ways in which she creatively breaks these rules?

Sam says, "Laura uses some traditional jazz instrumentation, but creatively uses some non-traditional instruments too, including a synthesizer.

" Jacob is starting a composition based on the brief below.

The brief is called Composition to a Visual Stimulus.

It says: using appropriate elements, techniques, and resources, compose a piece of music inspired by this picture.

The requirements are: the composition must be at least 90 seconds in length, and the composition can be in any musical genre.

This brief doesn't specify a genre, so Jacob has got free choice as to what genre he composes in.

He's chosen to compose in a rock style, which he thinks could reflect the busy feel of the image.

To begin this task, I'd like you to think about what features of the rock genre Jacob could use in this composition.

Pause the video now and list as many rock features as you can.

Now you've thought about features of the rock genre.

What did you come up with?

Did you get any of the following?

Use of distorted electric guitar, bass, drums, and vocals.

A four-four meter.

Often a fast tempo.

Use of syncopation.

Simple melodies using riffs, which are short, repeated musical ideas.

A homophonic texture with melody and accompaniment.

A verse-chorus structure and simple harmony using primary chords, sometimes using power chords.

Now let's have a listen to Jacob's initial ideas for his composition.

I'd like you to think about which of those features of rock music that we just identified he's used in his piece.

And you can see those listed on the slide, as well as thinking of which features he'd used.

I'd also like you to see if you can spot any ways in which Jacob has creatively broken these rules in his composition too.

After you've heard Jacob's initial ideas, pause the video and then answer the questions.

So what did you think?

Now you've heard Jacob's initial ideas for his composition.

What features of rock did you spot?

And did you spot any ways in which he's creatively broken those rules in his composition?

Izzy says, "Jacob's initial ideas for his composition use a distorted guitar playing a repeated riff.

It has a fast tempo, a driving bassline, and drum beats.

These are all features of rock.

" Andeep says, "There is a homophonic texture and simple harmony using power chords.

Jacob has used meter creatively, deciding to write this piece in three-four instead of the more traditional four-four.

" So now we've thought about genre-specific considerations and analyzed some musical starting points.

Let's develop our own musical starting point, bearing in mind what genre we're working in.

Creatively applying the stylistic conventions of a genre can help you to develop your musical starting point for your composition.

The brief may have specified a genre, or it could allow you the freedom to choose an appropriate one.

You should always aim to use several conventions from that genre to establish a clear style, but you may choose to creatively break some of these conventions too.

What those stylistic conventions are in your chosen genre are reflected in musical elements.

For example, the instrumentation, the structure, rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, and any other musical feature.

Thinking about what these are in the genre that you are working on will help to guide your musical decisions as you compose.

So what do we mean by genre-specific conventions?

Do we mean A, rules showing what features music from a genre must have; B, stylistic features commonly found in a particular genre of music; or C, features found in every song in a genre?

The answer is B.

Conventions aren't rules that you have to follow, and they're not necessarily followed exactly in every single song in that genre.

They are common features found in this style which composers can draw on to make their composition sound like it fits within a genre.

So thinking about genre-specific conventions, which of the following would not be considered a common feature of folk music?

A, use of a drone.

B, use of improvisation.

C, complex harmony using extended chords.

D, strophic or verse-verse song structure.

The answer is C.

Folk music tends to use simple harmony rather than complex, extended chords.

And considering elements like this within your chosen genre can really help to guide your composition.

Now it's over to you.

Using your own brief or one from earlier in the lesson, I'd like you to consider what genre-specific stylistic conventions you can draw on for your piece to develop your musical starting point.

The first part of this task is gonna be making a list of musical features that are common to the genre that you are working in.

Think about the elements of music like melody, rhythm, meter, tempo, texture, instrumentation, harmony, tonality, and structure.

How are they typically used within the musical genre that you're working in?

The second part of this task will be building on your musical idea using the conventions that you've identified to establish the style of your composition.

You don't need to use every single common musical feature of your genre, 'cause remember that composers will often ignore some of these conventions to create original ideas.

Pause the video now.

Identify the common features of your musical style and build on your musical starting point.

Now you've spent some time identifying the musical conventions in the genre you are working in and building on and developing your initial musical idea.

What genre-specific conventions have you used in your piece so far?

Are there any that you chose to avoid?

Sam says, "My EDM, or electronic dance music, composition uses a four-four time signature and 130 BPM tempo.

I've used drum machines and synthesizers and created some riffs to layer together to build the texture of my piece.

And these are all typical features of electronic dance music.

" Sam says, "I've used some extended chords to make my piece sound original, and these are not typically features of that genre.

" Jun says, "My minimalist composition uses orchestral instruments playing repeated ostinato patterns that make use of phase shifting.

My use of harmony is simple and static, as is common with minimalist music.

I've decided to use a pop-style verse-chorus structure for my composition, which is not a standard form in the genre.

" So in these examples, we can see students using common features of their genre to inspire their compositions and looking for opportunities to be creative.

In today's lesson, we've learned that different musical genres have typical stylistic conventions, such as instrumentation, structure, harmony, and rhythm.

We've learned that some features may be dictated by the brief, for example, three-four time for a waltz or use of 12-bar blues for a blues song.

Composers can follow stylistic conventions closely or adapt them creatively to make their music more original.

And making clear stylistic decisions early on helps to ensure that the composition sounds coherent and convincing.

Well done for your composition work in today's lesson.

I'll see you again in the next one.