Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's lesson entitled "Thinking about structure." My name is Mr. Norris, and I'm gonna be taking you through today as we have a look at some of the ways we can use structure to really develop our composition.

Our outcome for today's lesson is I can plan for and create developed and contrasting sections in a free composition.

Some keywords.

The first is ternary form, and this is a musical structure in three sections, with the first section repeated at the end.

It's also referred to as ABA.

Melodic material, this refers to musical ideas that contribute to the melody.

So it could be the melody.

It could be key musical ideas such as motifs, riffs, or counter-melodies.

Harmonic material, and this refers to musical ideas that contribute to the harmony of the music.

So it could be chords, the chord sequence, the bass line, and different harmonic devices, such as pedals.

The first part of our lesson today is looking at creating a contrasting section.

Composers create interest for the listener by taking them on a journey in their music.

This journey is created through structure.

So if you think about any piece of music or song that you like, there'll be some sort of journey that it takes us on as we listen to it.

It might be that we experience a particular emotional journey.

There might be a beginning, and then it will build to a climax and then a satisfying ending.

Or it might be that it tells a bit of a story, maybe through combination with the lyrics and the way that the instruments are used, that it takes us on a bit of an emotional journey as well.

When we organise music into different sections, we can therefore sustain the listener's interest.

So this journey is told through different sections through contrast.

Creating contrast and developing ideas in different sections helps to achieve this.

So if the music was just the same and repeated all the way through, it wouldn't really take us on that journey in the way that if we develop ideas and build them and change them, it takes us on more of a journey.

On the surface, ternary form is a very simple structure to use when composing.

It's often represented like this, ABA, where we've got an A section, then a contrasting B section, and then the A section returns.

A section, contrasting B section, and then the A section returns.

Composers can simply repeat the A section when it returns at the end.

And if it is repeated unchanged, this makes the composition process very quick and simple.

You know, if you've created an A and B section and then you just wanna copy your A section, if you're using a DAW or notation software, you could just copy and paste it and have it exactly the same.

However, to use ternary form in a more sophisticated way, composers can develop the A section slightly when it returns.

We can refer to this developed A section as A1.

You can see there we've got A, B, and A1.

And the B section is a completely contrasting section using different material.

So the key point here is, when we've got that A1 section, we're not creating a completely new contrasting section.

We're just slightly developing the A section so it's familiar, but it's not too contrasting, it doesn't feel like a new and different section.

I want us to think about the B section.

What are some of the ways that you could create contrast in this section? Have a think about the different elements, and pause my video while you have a think.

Here are some of the main ways that we could do that then.

You might consider creating new melodic material, so having a new melody or new melodic ideas or motifs that creates contrast.

New harmonic material, so using different chords or a different chord sequence.

Changing the key or tempo.

We have to be a little bit careful when we're doing that because if we don't do it carefully, it can create too much contrast and make it just feel like a totally separate piece of music.

So we have to do that carefully.

Changing the texture or the timbre.

These are good ways of creating contrast.

Using a range of musical elements differently to create a contrasting mood and character.

So sometimes by combining these different aspects, we might be able to create a totally contrasting mood, which might be what we want in our B section, our contrasting section.

Analysing the opening section of our music can help us identify ways to create contrast in the second section.

So if we look at our first section, work out what's going on there, then it makes it easier to work out how we can make the next section contrast.

I'm gonna play you this clip now of these five bars that we can see in that notation at the bottom of a piano composition.

I'd like you to try and pick out the main melodic features in this section.

So what are the main, most distinct melodic features you can identify? And the melody is in the right hand there, so it's in the top stave if you're following the notation through.

Let's have a listen.

What are the main melodic features here? (bright piano music) I'll play you it one more time.

Make sure you follow the notation through.

(bright piano music) Okay, so hopefully you've got a couple of ideas of what you would think are the main melodic or the most distinct melodic features in that melody.

One key feature, and I think this is the most distinct one, are falling leaps.

And we can see them really throughout most of the melody.

There's some there.

There's one right at the end as well.

And that's a really distinct feature.

And we've also got them in the accompaniment.

So if we look in that left hand, we've got those falling leaps as well.

Just have a listen to see if you can pick out the falling leaps in both the melody and the accompaniment.

(bright piano music) So it's really quite a distinct feature, and that's a piece of information we can use to help us make a contrasting section, or B section.

So we could contrast these descending melodic shapes with ascending musical ideas.

So instead of doing falling phrases, we could do rising phrases.

I'd like you to look at this developed version of the original melody here.

Do you think it contrasts enough to form the basis of a new section? So do you think it creates enough of a contrast with the original melody that we could use it for a contrasting section? Here we go.

Let's have a listen.

(relaxing piano music) I'll play you it one more time.

So do you think this contrasts enough with the original melody that we could count it as a new section? (relaxing piano music) So it's not black or white, this one.

You know, it's not clear cut whether we would use this for a second section or not, but I would argue that because the rhythm is exactly the same as the opening section, it doesn't really contrast enough.

It doesn't create a stark enough difference with the A section that it would feel like a really contrasting B section.

We've got a different version here, and in this, the melody uses two rhythms from the original material in bar 2 and at the start of bar 4 as a basis for a new melody that also utilises ascending leaps.

And this contrasts more with the original.

Let's just have a listen to it.

(relaxing piano music) So we can hear there that contrasts much more because we've got these dotted rhythms throughout, so contrasting rhythms, and we've got the ascending shapes rather than the descending shapes.

So we've got those two things make it feel much more contrasting with the original.

For a contrasting section, we can take ideas and inspiration from our original section, but it's important that the new melodic and harmonic material sounds distinct.

So we can do what we've done there, which is to take a little bit of inspiration, a couple of ideas from the original part, the original section, the original melody, but it's got to sound different and contrasting.

And as we've just demonstrated in the last couple of examples, if we don't change it enough, it just sounds like a variation of the original melody rather than a new and contrasting melody that's totally different.

This could mean that we use part of the rhythm or other distinctive features to compose a new melodic line.

We could use some of the same chords but maybe in a different order to compose a new chord progression.

And remember, having some connections between the different sections creates coherence.

So we do need to find a balance between having something contrasting but also making it feel coherent enough and unified enough and like it's got some links or some connections so that it doesn't just feel like a totally different piece of music.

Let's check your understanding.

Ternary form has which two of the following characteristics? It always has an introduction, the opening section returns at the end, or it has three sections.

I'll give you a few seconds to choose your two answers.

And the best two answers then are the opening section returns at the end and it has three sections.

Remember, it's ABA, so that A section comes back at the end.

And those are our three sections.

A is the first one, B is the second one, and A is the third one.

It does not always have an introduction, although you do get examples of pieces of music in ternary form that do have an introduction as well.

True or false? The B section in ternary form is a variation of the A section.

And I'd like to justify your answer with one of the following statements.

The B section is a totally contrasting section that may take ideas from the A section to create coherence, or the B section only has slight differences to the A section because it should be more similar than different.

I'll give you a few seconds to come up with your two answers here.

And the best answers here then are false.

The B section is not just the variation of the A section, and we know that because the B section is a totally contrasting section that may take ideas from the A section to create coherence.

So it's not just a variation, it's gotta be a contrasting section that sounds quite different.

But there might be one or two ideas that give it a feeling of coherence because they are borrowed or adapted from the A section.

Which two can create coherence between an A section and a B section? Using part of the rhythm or other distinctive features from the melody, using the same melodic and harmonic material, or using some of the same chords.

So which two would be the best way to create coherence between these two sections? Well done then if you said using part of the rhythm or other distinctive features from the melody and using some of the same chords.

If we just used the same melodic and harmonic material, that wouldn't just be creating coherence; that would just be playing the same thing, that would just be a variation of the same thing.

So it's got to be using some aspects to create a bit of coherence, but not too many, not too much of the original material that it just sounds the same.

For Task A, you're gonna create a contrasting version of the melody below, or you could use a melody that you've already composed to use as a melodic idea for a new section of music.

Let's have a listen to this example here, and you can follow the notation through as we do.

(relaxing piano music) I'll play you it one more time.

(relaxing piano music) So you're gonna be creating a contrasting version of that that you're gonna be able to use as a melodic idea for a new section, and as I say, you can do it with one of your own melodies if you prefer.

Some success criteria for you.

You have used melodic shapes that are the opposite of the shapes in the original version.

So the first thing to do is to look at that melody or the melody that you're using.

Look at the melodic shapes.

Are there falling shapes, ascending shapes? Are there leaps? Is it moving by step? You know, what are the melodic shapes? And try and use contrasting shapes.

And then you have made more use of rhythmic ideas in your new version that were underused in the original version.

So look at some of the rhythmic ideas there.

Try and find some that are underused, and try and exploit those and really use them in your new melody.

So you can pause my video now and have a go at this task.

For the second part of this task, I'd like you to take a look at this developed melody.

What features of the original melody have been used here, and how has the composer created contrast? So what features have been used, but how has the composer taken those and made this melody contrast with the original? Let's have a listen to this.

(bright piano music) I'll play it one more time.

(bright piano music) Now, while you're comparing the two, you can pause my video.

Let's go through this one then.

So we might say that this contrasting version makes use of the syncopated rhythm that was used only once in the original version.

So with that emphasis on the second quaver of each bar, we heard that once in the original, but we hear it a lot in this.

And there was some attempt to use more leaps, where previously, there was mostly stepwise movement.

So in the original, lots of the notes were moving by step.

In this, we can see there are a few examples of moving by a leap, particularly at the start and at the end of this melody as well.

Well done if you picked up on either of those points.

For the second part of this lesson, we're gonna look at planning the return of material.

Unlike the B section, or a new section, a repeated section such as A1 has to be recognisable as the same section as the original, the A section.

This means that the melodic and harmonic material must be fundamentally the same and we are looking to develop ideas rather than creating new, contrasting ones.

So whereas in a B section, we're going for contrast, we want a few links with the A section, but we want something that really sounds quite different and new, when it returns, the A section, as A1, we want it to be mostly the same with just a few little tweaks or a few adjustments.

We want it to sound fundamentally the same.

How might we develop ideas while still using fundamentally the same melodic and harmonic material? What are some of the ways we could do that without changing the fundamentals? You can pause my video while you have a think.

Here are some of the ways that we could do that then.

We could vary the melodic material by changing some rhythms, so keeping more or less the same melody but tweaking it a bit so it sounds a bit different with rhythmic changes.

We could develop harmonic material through use of different patterns or broken chords and pedals.

So although we're still using fundamentally the same chord sequence, we might use some different ways of playing those chords or some different harmonic devices to develop it a bit and to alter it a bit.

We could change the texture and the timbre.

That's not gonna change the fundamental melodic and harmonic material, but it will create a little bit of contrast so it sounds like it's developed a bit.

We could add new melodic material that has different characteristics.

So we might, for example, add a counter-melody.

That's quite an effective way of doing it.

Or we might tweak the melody a bit so it has some slightly different characteristics or features.

We're gonna listen to two versions of the same music here.

I'd like you to identify what has changed in the second version.

Here's the first one.

(bright piano music) I'll play the first one for you one more time just to get really familiar with it.

(bright piano music) Now the second version.

So what's changed here? (bright piano music) I'll play it one more time.

(bright piano music) So it's not a particularly obvious difference, but really well done if you picked up that the accompaniment has changed but the melody is the same.

So we've got the notation for those two examples there.

You'll notice the top stave in each example, that's the melody, the right-hand part, is identical in both parts, but in the left-hand part, that's the accompaniment where we've got those semiquaver patterns in the original version, in version 2, we've got a slightly different rhythm.

Now if we look, fundamentally the harmony hasn't changed.

The same notes are still being used in the accompaniment.

It's just that the rhythm and the pattern and the shape of those phrases has changed slightly.

Let's just compare the two and try and pick out that difference in the accompaniment, focusing on the rhythmic pattern that's changed.

This is the original, this is version 1.

You can follow it through there.

(bright piano music) And now compare the accompaniment in version 2.

(bright piano music) So although the accompaniment pattern is different, the harmony is the same as it uses the same notes and it's derived from the same chords.

And because of this, because the harmony and the melody are the same, we consider it the same section of music.

So the fundamental harmonic and melodic material has not changed.

All that's changed is that little tweak to the rhythm and the pattern in the accompaniment.

Look at the third version here.

And this time, I'd like you to focus on the melody.

What do you notice about it, and how does it compare to the original melody? (bright piano music) I'll play it one more time.

(bright piano music) So well done here if you picked up on that the melody has been made simpler by making some notes longer and removing some notes.

We can compare the two there.

The second version, we can see there are fewer notes, so it is simpler rhythmically.

The melody has been simplified.

And some of the notes have been taken out.

Let's just compare those two on their own.

Here's the original.

(relaxing piano music) And the new version.

(relaxing piano music) And there's enough melodic and harmonic material that has stayed the same to make it recognisable as the same section of music.

So although we've tweaked the melody, we've changed the melody, we've not changed it so much that it sounds like something totally different.

It sounds like a variation or a development of the original melody rather than a totally contrasting one.

And that's the key point here.

When we're bringing this returning material back, when we're bringing it back as our A1 section, we wanna tweak it a bit, develop it a bit, but not too much that it's unrecognisable as the same thing.

Let's check your understanding.

In which of the following three ways can you vary returning material? Altering the rhythm of the melody, changing the instrument or timbre, changing the tempo, or changing the accompaniment pattern? You can pause my video just while you choose your best three answers.

So the best three answers here then are altering the rhythm of the melody, changing the instrument or timbre, and changing the accompaniment pattern.

Those are three ways we can alter or vary the returning material in such a way that it doesn't fundamentally change it and make it sound like something contrasting.

If we change the tempo, that would really alter the character and mood of the material, and that would probably create too much contrast if we're planning the returning material.

Why is it important to keep the melodic and harmonic material similar when developing a section of music? You can pause my video while you have a think.

So it's important because it means the music is recognisable as the same section.

If the melodic and harmonic material is not similar, it will just sound like a contrasting and completely new section of music.

Whereas when we're developing a section, when it's returning and we just want to develop it a bit, it needs to be recognisable as the same section.

So just a few tweaks, a few adjustments, nothing too extreme.

For Task B, I'd like you to look at a section of a composition that you're working on.

Plan for and create a repeat of this section which includes developed ideas.

So you're gonna be bringing this section back as a repeat, but you want to develop it slightly.

I'd like you to consider if the melody can be developed with a slight change in rhythm, just like that last example we looked at where the melody sounds fundamentally the same, but we've changed some of the rhythms and simplified it a bit to develop it.

Consider if the melody or other parts should be played on a different instrument.

So could you change the timbre by using a different instrument to play the melody, or a different instrument to play the accompaniment, for example? And how the accompaniment patterns might be changed, including adding any harmonic devices.

So how could you keep the same fundamental harmony, the same fundamental chords, but change the pattern of the accompaniment? Maybe the rhythm, maybe the shape of the accompaniment pattern so that it sounds developed and so that it gives us a little bit of variation.

And are there any harmonic devices that might work there as well, such as, for example, a pedal? So you can pause my video now and give this your best shot.

Let's move on to final part of this task.

And here I'd like you to consider how that success criteria applies to your developed section.

And here are some questions that will help you reflect.

Which devices have you used to extend your ideas? So what devices have you used to build on your original ideas? How has the melody changed? So have you changed the melody at all, or have you kept it identical? How has the accompaniment pattern changed? Do you use different rhythms or broken chords or a pedal? Still keeping that fundamental same harmonic material.

How has the use of timbre changed? So have you swapped any of the instruments around? Have you put a different instrument playing the melody, for example? And what has stayed the same? Are the melody and harmony still recognisable? And that's the key point here.

When you're reflecting on where you're up to with this, you wanna make sure the melody and harmony are still recognisable as the original section, but that we've created some variation and some development without altering that.

So you can pause my video while you reflect on these questions.

Let's review today's lesson then.

When musical material returns, composers often make subtle changes to it.

Keeping the melody and harmony recognisable is important when we're developing repeated sections.

In new sections, like a B section in ternary form, new melodic and harmonic ideas can be derived from earlier sections.

This maintains the coherence of the music and shows understanding of how musical elements can be explored creatively.

So that's the end of today's lesson.

Hopefully you feel like you've got a bit more of an understanding of how we can balance contrast and development, unity and variety, in our compositions.

And hopefully this has given you some ideas with your composition as to how you can go on and develop it further to really make it take the listener on a journey through the course of the composition.

Best of luck with your composing, and I'll see you in another lesson, thank you.