Lesson video

Hello and welcome to the second lesson of the unit "Fundamentals of composition." I'm Mr. Farrell and this lesson is called "Developing a melody" where we're going to be looking at using motifs and sequences to develop and extend the melodies we write, building upon the last lesson.

Today's outcome.

I can use a motif to give coherence to a melody and can extend a melody using a sequence.

Let's look at some keywords.

Motif.

A motif is a short, memorable part of a melody that is used multiple times within a piece of music.

Coherence.

Coherence is when the parts of a piece sound like they belong together.

Using a repeated motif can help with this in finding a balance between unity and variety.

A sequence is where a melodic idea is repeated in steps, either rising or falling.

In today's lesson, we have two learning cycles.

They are "Using a motif in a melody" and "Extending melodic ideas with a sequence." Let's make a start on "Using a motif in a melody." When composing a melody, it's important to consider how to balance repetition and contrast.

If a melody is too repetitive, it can seem uninteresting, just doing the same thing over and over again.

However, if a melody is too varied, with too much contrast, it can lack musical coherence and not make musical sense.

Successful melodies balance both repetition and contrast.

They're repetitive enough to be memorable and catchy without being boring, and contain enough contrast to be interesting without being disjointed or incoherent.

We're going to listen to two examples of melodies now, and while we listen, we're gonna think about how successfully they balance both repetition and contrast.

Let's have a listen to melody one.

(bright music) And now we'll listen to melody two, thinking again about whether there's a good balance of repetition and contrast in this melody.

Let's have a listen.

(bright music) Now that we've heard them both, pause the video and answer the question, which of these melodies do you think has a better balance of repetition and contrast? Okay, let's look at the answer to that question now.

The first melody has very little repetition.

The ideas are all different from each other.

This makes it sound less musically coherent.

The second melody, on the other hand, has a much better balance of repetition and contrast.

It repeats some short melodic ideas throughout.

These short, repeated melodic ideas are called motifs.

Let's look closer at what motifs are.

Motifs can be rhythmic ideas that are used throughout a melody.

We're going to listen to an example now of a melody using a rhythmic motif.

(bright music) Did you notice the repeated rhythmic ideas that are consistently appearing in this example? But motifs don't just have to be rhythmic.

Our second example here is of a pitch-based motif.

Let's have a listen to it now.

(bright music) So, did you notice the pattern? This melody here uses the notes F sharp, G, and A in that order, over and over again, as its motif.

So between those two ideas, rhythmic ideas and patterns of pitch, we get the sense that a motif is any distinct, recognizable, and repeatable pattern that occurs in the melody.

We're going to hear another example now, this time of a melody that combines both approaches, both rhythmic and pitch-based.

While listening to this example, see if you can pick out where the motifs are in the melody.

Let's listen now.

(bright music) Okay, the motif in this example uses both the same rhythm every time it shows up and a similar pattern of notes.

When a motif is used, it means that the listener hears something familiar every time it plays, helping to make the melody catchy and memorable.

A motif doesn't have to be identical every time it repeats.

Instead, it can be adapted to use slightly different notes which fit the chords more effectively and create some variety.

However, it should be instantly recognizable to the listener when it repeats, creating a feeling of familiarity.

This method of composition creates an effective balance of both unity and variety.

So, a check for understanding now.

Which statements are true of a motif? A, it's short.

B, it can be any length.

C, it is heard once.

Or D, it is heard multiple times.

Pause the video and answer that question.

Okay, so the answers are that both A and D are correct.

Motifs are short and are heard multiple times through a piece of music.

When we are composing, we can adapt a melody by using motifs, giving our melody a sense of coherence.

We're now going to watch a video about creating a distinct motif in the first phrase of a melody.

Let's watch that now.

<v Instructor>So to build a motif into my melody,</v> I want to experiment with some ideas using my first phrase, which is these first two bars here.

Let's have a quick listen to what it sounds like, first of all.

(bright music) So that's my first phrase, and I'm gonna be wanting to create a motif there that I can then adapt to use throughout my melody.

Now, for this, I'm gonna go into GarageBand to do this, but whatever software you're working on, you'll be able to do a similar process.

So my first phrase looks like this.

(bright music) And I'm gonna experiment with some different ideas, so I could experiment with just changing the rhythm on the first note.

(bright music) I could do an even faster rhythm.

(bright music) There's lots of different ways I could build in rhythm, I could also experiment with changing the rhythm in the second part of the phrase.

(bright music) Something like that that's quite distinct and quite memorable.

I could also think about changing the pitches slightly to make a distinct motif as well.

So if we take that first note, that C, I could do a little bit of movement around that instead of just playing a C.

(bright music) So there I just went down to being back instead of just a sustained C.

I could do it the other way.

(bright music) Or I could do a jump.

(bright music) There's lots of different ways that I could add in another note, and that creates quite a distinct little idea, so I quite like actually this one that I had there (bright music) as a little distinct motif.

(bright music) And in my first phrase, I could fit it in quite easily.

(bright music) And I think that's gonna be easy to adapt to other parts of my melody.

So what I'm gonna do is I can either record in if I'm using GarageBand, or if I'm using a notation software I'm just gonna notate that.

So it started on a C.

Then it went down to B, and then it went back to C.

Let's have listen to that first phrase now.

(bright music) So we can see there I've created that little motif, three notes.

(bright music) And I'm gonna try next to adapt that to use it through different parts of my melody.

<v ->All right, our next video is about adapting that motif</v> to fit in other phrases.

So let's watch that now.

<v Instructor>So, I've created</v> this distinct three-note motif, which is my first three notes here, C, B, C.

(bright music) That's my little motif that I've used, and I'm now gonna want to adapt that so that it fits with the notes in some other parts of my melody as well.

Now, the obvious first place to use it would be to use it at the start of bar 5 because this phrase here, bar 5 and 6, is identical, or was identical, to bar 1 and 2.

So it makes sense to use that motif at the start of bar 5 as well.

(bright music) I'm just gonna copy and paste it.

So now we've got one version of the motif here (bright music) and one version of the motif in bar 1 as well.

And for motif to really work, you want to use it enough times that it is distinctly repeated so that as a listener you'd pick up, oh, that's that repeated familiar idea that I've already heard.

So if I was just using it twice, it's maybe not enough to really use it effectively as a motif, but equally we don't wanna use it too much so that it's just really repetitive.

So I think probably in an 8-bar melody, using an idea three times is probably about right.

So I'm gonna look for another opportunity to use that motif there.

And if I think about what this motif actually is, it's three notes, it's quavers and then a crotchet, and it's starting on one note, descending by a semitone, and then back up to the original note.

So the shape is starting at a pitch, going down, and then back up.

So that's really what I'm gonna want to recreate, is the rhythm and the shape of it, the melodic shape of going down and then back up.

So I think I'm gonna look at the start of bar 3.

If we just listen to this melody here.

(bright music) I think I could build in the motif in the first two beats of this bar here.

So if my starting note is D, I could use the same rhythm that I used in my motif, so two quavers.

I'm gonna go down and then back up, so let's see if that works.

And we can see if we look here that I've created the same rhythm and the same shape as the motif at the start.

That'll be what makes it sound like the motif, make it sound familiar.

Let's see how this sounds here.

(bright music) So I think that works.

Let's now have a listen from the start, and we're gonna try and pick out the three uses of the motif, so the very start, the start of bar 3, and the start of bar 5.

Let's have a listen.

(bright music) So I think it works quite effectively.

If I wanted to use it a fourth time, the obvious place to do so, because I've used it every two bars so far, would be to build into the start of bar 7 in the same way that I did the start of bar 3, and then I'd have four uses of the motif.

And there's no hard and fast rule as to how many times you should use it.

I think three or four times maybe max within an 8-bar melody is about right, but you judge for your melody and see what you think sounds about right.

Not too repetitive, but repeated enough that it sounds familiar when you hear it.

<v ->A quick check for understanding now.

</v> I'm going to play you a melody which contains a specific motif.

I want you to answer which of the four possible rhythms, A, B, C, or D, accurately reflects the motif of the melody you hear.

Let's listen to it now.

(bright music) Now that we've heard the melody, pause the video and answer the question.

The answer was C.

C was reflective of the rhythm of the motif in that melody.

It's time now for a task.

Task A here is about developing an 8-bar melody, our 8-bar melody from the last lesson, by using a motif.

So our success criteria is to create a short motif, no more than four beats long, that fits with our existing first 2-bar phrase.

Then we want to adapt this motif to fit with some of our other phrases, and use a version of the motif at least three times in the overall 8-bar melody.

Now we want to keep in mind some of the rules from the last lesson.

We wanna make sure that bar 4 still ends with a long note playing G, and that bar 8 ends with a long note playing C, the tonic of the key that we are in.

Pause the video now and have a go at that task.

All right, now that we've had a go at that, we want to be able to analyze how successful our motifs are.

Let's use an example.

We're going to listen to an audio clip and answer two questions.

While listening, count the number of times that the motif is used in the melody.

The second question is whether this melody contains a suitable balance of both repetition and contrast.

Let's listen now.

(bright music) Now that we've heard the clip, pause the video and answer those questions.

Okay, looking at the answers, the motif is used 16 times in the 8-bar melody we just heard.

This is not suitable for creating a balance of repetition and contrast because there's far too much repetition of the same idea.

Let's make a start on "Extending melodic ideas with a sequence." We can extend an 8-bar melody into a 16-bar melody in a number of different ways.

We can just repeat the first eight bars again.

We could create a contrasting 8-bar melody and add it onto our original eight bars.

Or we could create a variation of the first eight bars to balance contrast and familiarity.

Let's listen to some examples of these three options.

Our first example, extending the melody by simply repeating it.

Let's have a listen.

(bright music) The second way we're going to hear now is by creating a contrasting 8-bar melody and adding it to the end of our existing eight bars.

Let's listen to what that might sound like.

(bright music) And the third option, to create a variation of those first eight bars to balance contrast and familiarity, which we will listen to now.

(bright music) The third method of those three helps to strike a balance between repetition and contrast.

An effective melodic device for balancing these is a sequence where the melodic idea is repeated but at a different pitch, either getting higher or lower.

Let's listen to an example of a sequence now.

(bright music) In the example we just heard, we had a short two-note motif repeat again and again, but starting from a slightly higher point each time.

This repetition is really important because a sequence isn't a sequence unless the idea is repeated at least three times.

We're now going to watch some videos which will walk you through the process of expanding your melodic ideas using sequences.

The first video is about identifying and choosing a suitable motif for developing into a sequence, which we'll watch now.

<v Instructor>The first step</v> is to identify a motif within my melody that I could use to build a sequence.

Now, when you're doing this, what you're really looking for is the most distinct or memorable, noticeable sections of your melody.

So I'm looking for things that are quite memorable and that when I hear them, they sound quite distinct.

One obvious candidate would be the first part of my melody here.

(bright music) I think that's quite a distinct phrase, from that C to that E could create an effective sequence 'cause it's quite memorable.

(sings melody) That phrase.

I've also got this descending phrase in bar 2 that's quite a distinct shape as well.

(bright music) It's simple, but I think that could work really effectively in a sequence as well.

So I'm gonna choose one of those two.

And when you're doing this, have a look through your melody.

Try and pick out a short phrase, so you don't want it any longer than four beats.

Try and pick out a short phrase that is distinct that if you repeated it and changed the pitch, it would sound quite effective in a sequence.

<v ->The next video is about developing a 4-bar phrase</v> using that sequence.

Let's watch that video now.

<v Instructor>Now I'm gonna have a go</v> at creating a sequence from that motif.

So the motif I've decided to use is this first little phrase here.

(bright music) And I think what I'm gonna do is rather than adding in the fourth note of my bar, I'm just gonna extend that E to make it a minim.

(instructor sings melody) That's gonna be the phrase that I base my sequence on.

So I'm gonna copy it and paste it (bright music) into bar 9 because we're gonna use our sequence in bar 9 to 13.

And as I said, I'm gonna extend that last note so it'll last the bar.

(bright music) Let's just have a listen to that motif.

(bright music) Now, with the sequence, I'm gonna repeat the idea, but each time it's gonna change in pitch, either by gradually ascending each time or by gradually descending each time.

And I want to do this by step, so I don't want to make it an octave higher all of a sudden.

I want to make it one tone higher, so one note higher up the scale or one note lower down the scale.

So I've copied it, I'm gonna paste it into the next bar, and I'm gonna move it up to the next note of my scale.

And I need to make sure that all the notes still fit within my key, so because we're in C major, I don't want any sharps, so I'm just gonna adjust those so that the notes fit in the key.

Let's have a listen to what this sounds like.

(bright music) Sounds quite effective so far.

And we're gonna make this last for four bars, so I'm gonna repeat that same process, copying it, pasting it.

And again, we're ascending, so I'm gonna take it one note higher up the scale in this third bar.

(bright music) And then one final time.

Again, making sure I get rid of notes that aren't in the key and change them to the closest note in the key.

(bright music) So we've got four steps there, each time it's going one step higher.

It's the same motif, so it's the same rhythm, the same shape, and let's have a listen to it.

(bright music) So that's an ascending sequence.

If I was doing it descending, it'd be the exact same process but each time I'd put it down, so descending through the scale.

So this one would be a little bit lower.

(bright music) This next one would be lower still.

And making sure that all the notes still fit in the key of C major so there's no sharps or flats.

Let's have listen to a descending version of that sequence.

(bright music) So out of the two, I think with my motif that I've used here it works more effectively ascending, but you'll have to judge when you've created your sequence that lasts for these four bars, whether it works better going up or going down, because it will depend really on the melody and on the effect you're trying to create.

<v ->Lastly, we're to create a final 4-bar phrase</v> based on what we've got in bars 5 through 8.

This next video will show us how to do that.

<v Instructor>Finally, I need to fill the last four bars</v> of my 16-bar melody.

And for this, I'm gonna copy my second four bars, so bar 5 to 8 are gonna go into bar 13 to 16.

So I can do a bit of copy and paste.

And the reason we do this is so that we balance repetition and contrast.

This line here now, these last four bars, is exactly the same as this line, my second four bars, so it repeats.

And that means we've got a balance of different ideas in this melody and some repetition, so when we hear this final phrase, this final line, it will feel a bit familiar.

And that's one of the key things when you're writing a melody, is the balance of repetition and contrast.

So we're gonna listen through now to my melody with its four different phrases, with its sequence in bar 3, with the motif that I've used in the first phrase, and then finishing with that nice, long C, that tonic note to make it feel complete by the end.

(bright music) <v ->A check for understanding now.

</v> Which of these are true for a sequence? Now, there's more than one possible correct answer, so choose all that apply.

A, the melodic idea is repeated in a sequence.

B, the repetitions each use a different melodic shape.

C, the repetitions in a sequence get steadily higher or lower in pitch.

Or D, the idea repeats at least three times.

Pause the video and choose all that apply.

The answers now.

So, A, C, and D are all correct.

In a sequence, the melodic idea is repeated, the repetitions get steadily higher or lower in pitch, and the idea repeats at least three times.

Now, our next question, true or false? Sequences are helpful in balancing repetition with contrast in a melody.

Pause the video and answer the question.

The answer is true.

Second part to this question.

Why? Pause the video and have a go at that.

So the answer is that sequences involve repeating a motif, but the motif ascends each time or descends each time.

This balances both repetition and contrast because the music sounds both familiar and slightly contrasting at the same time.

Okay, so we've got another task now, Task B.

And this task is to extend the 8-bar melody that we have been working on to last for 16 bars by using a sequence.

So, our success criteria.

We must use a four-beat motif to create a sequence from bars 9 through 12.

We have to copy or adapt bars 5 through 8 into bar 13 through 16 to complete the melody.

Bar 12 should end on a long note playing G and bar 16 should end on a long note playing C, which is the tonic.

Pause the video and crack on with that task now.

Right, now that we've had a go at that task, we want to be able to analyze how successful our balance between contrast and repetition is in our compositions.

We're going to listen to an audio clip and answer the question, how could this 16-bar melody balance contrast and repetition more effectively? Let's listen now.

(bright music) Now that we've heard the clip, pause the video and answer that question.

So, the answer.

It could use a motif or a sequence to create some repetition.

At the moment, all of the melodic ideas contrast.

It's giving us something new all the time, not creating an effective balance between contrast and repetition.

So, to summarize today's lesson all about developing a melody.

Composers use motifs, short melodic ideas that are repeated, to give melodies a sense of coherence and unity.

Motifs don't need to be repeated exactly the same way every time, but they do need to sound familiar to the listener.

Sequences are an effective melodic device for extending a melody, as they help to maintain a balance between both familiarity and contrast.

That brings us to the end of today's lesson.

Hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you in the next one.