Lesson video

Hello, welcome to today's lesson, which is entitled "Experimenting With Texture." My name's Mr. Norris, and today we're gonna be looking at how when we're starting off with our compositions, we can use texture as a really powerful tool for adding some variety and interest to what we're doing.

So, without further ado, let's get into it.

Our outcome for today's lesson is I can create a short composition that experiments with texture.

Some key words that we're gonna be using.

First is monophonic.

A monophonic texture is where there's only one layer of sound.

Melody and accompaniment, a texture that features a clear melody and separate accompaniment is called melody and accompaniment.

And then finally, polyphonic.

Polyphonic texture is where there are two or more equally important, but independent melodies.

So, those are three words that we're gonna be using throughout the lesson as we explore texture.

The first part of the lesson today is looking at creating two parts.

In music texture refers to the combination of different parts or layers in a piece of music.

Terms describing texture can sometimes refer to sections of a piece or the piece overall and the terms can also overlap.

So, when we're talking about texture, we might be talking about a section of a piece of music, whole piece of music, or even just a little moment in a piece of music.

Can you think of any words, any terms that we might use to describe musical textures? While you're doing that, you can just pause my video.

Now, when you were thinking there, some of you might be thinking of the terms thick texture and thin texture, and those are some good simple ways to think about texture.

Thick texture beam when we have lots of layers of sound at the same time, and a thin texture beam when we don't have many at all.

But there are more sophisticated ways of thinking about texture as well.

So, let's have a look at some of those.

Most Western music uses a melody and accompaniment texture.

This is when we have a clear melody line supported by other layers of music that provide the harmony and the rhythm.

So, we've got a clear melody and then the accompaniment providing the harmony, the chords, and the rhythm as well is separate from the melody, and they're both clearly distinguishable so we can pick out the melody clearly above the accompaniment.

If all the parts have the same rhythm, we refer to this as a homophonic texture, homo meaning same, phonic meaning sounds, and the same sound.

So, where we have all the parts playing the same rhythm, that's a homophonic texture.

When the layers move independently of each other, and these layers are of equal importance.

For example, two different melody lines.

We describe this as polyphonic.

Poly means more than one, phonic meaning sound, so polyphonic more than one sound.

And this is really gonna be a texture where there are equally important melodies playing at the same time.

Where there's only one layer of music, this would be described as a monophonic texture.

Mono means one phonic sound.

So, one sound or one layer, one line of music.

Usually monophonic textures are used in a section of a piece of music to create interest or contrast.

They're rarely used for a whole piece of music in most styles that we will come across.

So, pop styles, classical and film music styles.

Generally, they might be used for a short section and then we'll revert to another texture afterwards.

And this is an important thing to remember here is one line of music doesn't necessarily mean only one instrument or performer.

If a group sings "Happy Birthday" together, for example, in unison, so they're singing the same melody altogether with no accompaniment, this would still be monophonic.

And that's because there's only one line of music, but there might be multiple people playing it together.

Equally, we might have a performer on the piano who might be playing some polyphonic music, some more complex music because they'll be playing different things at the same time.

So, monophonic does not mean one player, it means one line of music.

So, these are the main musical textures to use when we're composing.

Monophonic, which is where as we see there, we've just got a melody on its own, so one line of music.

Melody and accompaniment where we've got a clear melody and then a separate accompaniment providing the harmony and the rhythm underneath.

And then polyphonic, which is where we have two melodic lines that are both equally important, playing at the same time.

We can see those lines representing the way they might interact there.

So, these are the three most useful ones to be using.

Let's check your understanding.

A monophonic texture is when one performer plays alone.

Is that true or false? And then I'd like to justify your answer using one of the following statements.

A monophonic texture is one line of music, although it may be more than one performer, or a monophonic texture refers to one sound and therefore only one player.

So, I'll give you a few seconds to work out true or false, and then to justify your answer.

Let's go through this one then.

So, the correct answer is false.

A monophonic texture is not just when one performer plays alone, and our justification is that a monophonic texture is one line of music, although it may be more than one performer.

So, that's a common misconception that's really important to understand.

One performer or one instrument is not the same as one line of music.

So, well done if you correctly answered that.

What is the most common musical texture? Is it monophonic, melody and accompaniment or polyphonic? I'll give you a few seconds to work it out.

And the best answer here then is melody and accompaniment.

In most styles of music that we will come across, melody and accompaniment is the dominant texture.

As we start to experiment with texture in our compositions, we need to consider how the different parts will work together.

Most importantly, as we experiment with textures, we must all listen to the results.

For example, is there a particular parts such as the melody that you want the listener to hear the most? Is this possible with other parts in the music? We're gonna look at some examples.

Here we've got a two-part texture, we've got a melody in the top line, and then we've got a lower part as well.

What do you notice about the lower part? And in particular, I'd like to try and focus on the relationship between the lower part and the upper part.

What pattern or what link do you notice? Let's have a listen to it and follow the music through as we go.

Here we go.

(gentle music) I am gonna play it one more time, see if you can pick out the pattern.

Here we go.

(gentle music) Let's have a look at this one then.

So, the link we're looking for here is that the lower part always plays the same note as the melody, but an octave lower.

So, if you see there, we've got circled in those little boxes, the notes where they're the same.

So, the lower part is mimicking or sort of matching some of the notes of the melody.

Let's have a look at a second example here.

So, we've got the same melody now, but a different lower part.

I'd like to see if you can pick out some similarities between this lower part and the one that we heard before.

So, focusing on the similarities between this lower part and the one we've just listened to.

Let's have a listen, here we go.

(gentle music) Wait one more time.

Trying to think about the similarities between the lower parts in both examples.

Here we go.

(gentle music) Okay, let's get into this then.

Let's try and pick out those similarities.

So, key points here, the first one is both lower parts were less interesting than the melody.

They moved in less interesting ways melodically, so they avoided distinctive leaps that would make them stand out and make them really noticeable.

And they also used simpler rhythms that were less varied than the melody.

So, if we go back to those lower parts, they just used minimums and all the way through they use minimums. And because that repeats, there's no change in that, it doesn't draw your attention to it in the same way that a rhythm that was much more varied might do.

So, that's something that they both had in common.

Create the two part texture with a clear melody and accompaniment is a good place to start when we're building musical ideas.

Some things you might consider are how your lower part can be rhythmically less interesting than the melody so keeping it simple rhythmically than the melody.

How you'll avoid distinctive melodic shapes that might compete with the melody.

So, you want to avoid your lower part sounding too much like it's competing and like it's gonna distract from the main melody.

And then finally, the choice of notes.

You want 'em to come from the same scale, the same set of notes as your melody so that it works harmonically.

So, there's some three key considerations when we're making a melody and accompaniment texture there.

Let's check your understanding.

In what two ways might the lower part contrast with the melody? It might use a more simple rhythm, it might use less interesting and smaller intervals, or it might use more complex rhythmic patterns.

So, coming up with two answers, what are the best ways to have a lower part contrasting with the melody? Now, let's go through this then.

So, the best answers would be it might use a more simple rhythm and it might use less interesting and smaller intervals.

So, keeping the intervals simpler, no distinct leaps, and keeping the rhythm simple and maybe having some rhythmic repetition there as well.

So, well done, if you picked up on those two.

So, Task A, you're gonna add a lower part to your existing melody line, or you can use the melody line that is down below.

Some success criteria.

The lower part should be rhythmically less interesting than the melody.

That's a key point here.

So, keep it rhythmically simple.

It should avoid distinctive large intervals.

So, try and move by small intervals where possible.

And it should use the notes of the scale and make sure that you always listen for musical coherence.

So, if it doesn't sound right, it doesn't sound like it works, that's a good marker as there might be something that you want to change there.

In this example below the key is G major so you're gonna be wanting to use notes on the scale of G major.

I'm just gonna play you this example before we set you off on the task.

So, this is the one at the bottom there, you can have a listen.

(gentle music) So, it's grounded in G major using notes of G major.

And when you're adding your part, think about the success criteria there to make sure it works as successfully as possible.

So, you can pause my video now and give this task your best shot.

Good luck.

Let's move on to the second part of this task now.

And for this, I'm gonna play you an attempt at creating for that melody.

And I like to have a think about how it meets the success criteria of the task.

So, let's have a listen and there's the notation on the screen there for you to follow through.

Here we go.

(gentle music) Let's have one more listen, here we go.

(gentle music) I think, pause my video while you finish your answer for this one.

Let's review this then.

So, it meets the success criteria because there are two notes per bar.

The intervals are small contrasting with the larger intervals in the melody, and it uses the notes of the G scale and sounds musically coherent so it's rhythmically simple.

It doesn't have much of a varied rhythm.

The intervals are small and it is based in the same key, so it fits well.

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

Let's move on now to the second part of that lesson.

And here we're looking at extended textures.

Consider the texture in your music as you're with the composition of a painting.

We've got a painting there on the left-hand side, and I'd like to try and work out what would you say are the main focal points in this painting? What is it that is your focus, the first thing you want to look at when you look at that painting? You can pause my video just while you have a think.

So, I would argue that the focal point of the painting is the painter, the artist in the middle of the frame.

And the artist has created this focus by painting objects and features in the background in less detail.

And because we've also got perspective, the objects in the background are smaller and therefore we're drawn towards the painter.

They're the largest feature, they're the most vivid and detailed feature, and they're in the foreground.

They're at the front of the image as it is.

This helps to make them the centre of the viewer's focus and attention.

When you look at that image, we're drawn to the artist and that's what the artist wants.

They want us to focus on that figure.

I'm gonna pause my video in a second and have a think.

How could we use musical texture in a similar way? So, instead of a painting, if we had a piece of music, how could we use musical texture to focus the viewer's attention, the listener's attention on a specific thing? One of the things you might have said there then is that when we're thinking about musical texture, we want to make sure that we keep the listeners focused on what we want them to focus on.

If there's too much going on and too much distraction, then it'll be difficult for us to focus them in on the main thing that we want them to, which usually will be the melody.

So, making sure that whatever's in the background, we're keeping it in the background, and if we have things in the foreground that we can still pick everything out well enough to make it work successfully.

We can experiment with foreground and background in music by adding apart below and apart above our melody.

Lower parts will generally want sound less important, and less rhythmically interesting parts will sound less important, such as parts have an unchanging rhythm or a longer note value.

So, when we want to make things not stand out, thinking about lower pitch and simple rhythms are really key to doing that.

Let's have a look at this example here.

We've got our original melody, our main melody in the middle, and we've added a lower part and an upper part there as well.

Now, thinking about what we were talking about in terms of keeping the listeners focused on that main melody, not distracting from it too much, how successful do you think these upper and lower parts are in this example? I'll play you it now, let's have a listen.

(gentle music) Let's have a listen again, I'm really trying to pick out, how successful do you think those upper and lower parts are at making sure that we've still got that focus on the main melody? Here we go.

(gentle music) Let's reflect on this one then.

So, the upper part is musically coherent, so it does work musically, but perhaps it's a little bit too complicated for a melody and accompaniment texture.

There's a lot going on in that upper part.

And when I'm listening to that there, I'm struggling to pick out the main melody, the middle line that we really want to be the focus because there's so much distraction, so much else going on.

The lower part, on the other hand, contrasts with the melody as it's rhythmically simple with small intervals.

So, that lower part is more successful at not taking away and distracting from the main melody too much.

It's rhythmically simple and it uses small interval, so there's no distinct melodic leaps.

It doesn't sound like another melody that's trying to detract on the main melody.

If the added parts are as distinctive and interesting as the melody, then the texture is polyphonic.

So, if what we are creating is basically another melody, then we've got two equally important melodies, and that means we've got a polyphonic texture.

Remember that's when we've got multiple melodies sort of interweaving that we're playing at the same time.

If we listen to this again with just these two parts, so that's the middle part and the upper part, you'll hear that they both sound more or less as interesting as each other, and therefore they're equally important.

Let's have a listen.

(gentle music) So, that's clearly created a polyphonic texture with two equally important melodies.

For melody and accompaniment texture, which is what we're going for here, the upper part should be less distracting.

The main melody should stand out and be the focus of the listeners' attention.

So, this is the key point here.

Whatever else we have going on, if we're creating a melody and accompaniment, that melody has to be really separate and really easy to pick out.

We've got a different example here, so we've got the same melody in the middle.

We've got the same lower part, but we've changed the top part to make it more focused on the main melody.

So, less of a distraction from the main melody.

How is it less distracting? What's changed about the upper part that makes it work a little bit more successfully and less of a distraction from the main melody? Have a listen, here we go.

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

(gentle music) Just thinking for a few seconds, why is that less distracting as an upper part than the one was before? Have a quick think.

Let's analyse that then.

So, the part now uses smaller intervals, so it all moves by step.

If you look there, that whole upper part all moves by step.

It's more repetitive rhythmically, it's got the same rhythm throughout, which is that three-quaver pattern with a quaver rest.

And therefore it sounds less melodic.

It's more repetitive.

It uses smaller intervals and it sounds more like an accompaniment because it's just repeating a similar pattern throughout, and that means that it's easier to pick out that main melody.

So, this is more of an effective melody and accompaniment texture now.

I'm gonna play you three examples and let's try and pick out using your ears, which of these is a melody and accompaniment texture.

Here is example A.

(gentle music) Do that one more time, that's example A.

(gentle music) Now, example B for the first time.

(gentle music) Example B for the second time.

(gentle music) And finally, let's listen to example C.

(gentle music) Listen a C for the last time.

So, this is the last thing you're gonna hear, which of these has been a melody and accompaniment texture? (gentle music) Let's have a look at the right answer then.

So, in this case it was that third and final one that was a melody and accompaniment texture.

Let's have a quick listen.

(gentle music) And we know that because we've got a clear melody that is very separate from the accompaniment, although there are some interesting accompanying parts going on, they're mostly repetitive and they're mostly using small intervals, which means they sound more like accompanying parts and less like competing melodies.

So, that's the key point there.

The other two examples there, firstly, monophonic, because we had only one line of music in the first one, and then polyphonic in example B, because we had multiple equally important melodies playing at the same time.

So, really well done if you identified C as melody and accompaniment.

This task, you're gonna add a new part to your existing melody.

For a melody and accompaniment texture, the upper part should be less melodically interesting than the melody.

So, it's important that it doesn't detract from the main melody.

You could use quavers for some contrast, but in order to make it not sound like a melody, you want to use repetition.

So, repetitive shape and a rhythmic pattern.

And remember, you want to use small intervals to make it not sound too distinct melodically as well.

So, if you are using an upper part that uses quavers or uses faster rhythms, make sure they're repetitive and use small intervals.

You also take care with musical ideas that might compete with the main melody.

So, try and avoid having anything that sounds like a melody in itself.

And finally, make sure using the notes of the correct scale, if you're listening, you'll be able to hear from musical coherence so you can tweak it as you go to make sure that it works musically.

And remember, ultimately that's what is the most important measure.

Does it sound like it works? So, without further ado, you can get started on task B.

Good luck.

Let's move on to the second part of this task.

I'm gonna play you one final example.

We've got a melody in the middle and then we've added a lower part and an upper parts of it.

How do the lower and upper parts work with a melody to create a successful texture in this example? So, what's done here in both the upper and lower parts that helps this texture as a melody and a accompaniment texture work really well? Here we go.

(gentle music) Let's have another listen.

(gentle music) I need to pause my video while you're finishing your answer.

Okay, let's review that one.

So, this works well because there's some pleasing dissonance between the new upper part and the original melody.

So, some of the notes clash, but it works quite successfully.

As the upper part is mostly in quavers, it's not too much of a distraction from the main melody, but the wide scalic movement could be a little distracting.

So, we've got mostly repeated rhythm, mostly quavers in the top part, but because it is doing an interesting line going up and down a scale, that might extract a little bit from the main melody.

However, the lower part is very simple and is mostly the same pitch.

This creates balance with the varied pitches of the new upper part.

So, it's very simple and uses just sustain notes, which means it doesn't detract at all.

Let's review today's lesson.

Texture is an important element to consider when composing.

Melody and accompaniment is the most common musical texture.

Composers also use homophonic, polyphonic, and monophonic textures.

In a melody and accompaniment texture, the lead line or the melody should be really clear.

Less important musical lines contrast by using less interesting rhythms and less interesting melodic shapes.

So, that brings us to the end of today's lesson.

Thank you very much for taking part.

I hope this has been an interesting exploration of some of the different ways that we can use texture when we're composing.

And hopefully this has given you some ideas as to with your composition, how you can use texture in a really interesting and powerful way.

Thank you.