Lesson video

Hi, my name's Mr. Pate, and welcome to this lesson on structure and bigger picture ideas from the unit composing to a brief creative starting points.

The outcome for this lesson is I can apply structure to a composition showing clear sections and using effective transitions between ideas.

Here's some of the keywords we'll be using in today's lesson.

We'll be talking a lot about structure, which means the way that music is organized.

We'll be talking about phrases.

A musical phrase is a musical thought or idea, a bit like a sentence in a story.

We'll be talking about different sections.

And a sections is a larger part of a piece, like a verse or a chorus, or an A section or a B section.

And in planning out our structure, we'll be thinking about contrast.

And contrast is the differences that we create between sections to create variety and add interest.

We'll start by understanding structure and stylistic conventions, and then we'll look at applying structure to our own compositions.

Structure refers to the way that music is organized.

Planning out the structure of our compositions helps us to see the big picture of how our piece will come together and highlight opportunities for repetition and contrast.

If we just start composing without an overall plan, then sometimes we can get a bit lost and lose track of how our ideas are gonna connect together.

So having a structure to aim for can be a really good thing at the start of your piece.

Different musical genres though, have different structural conventions, which is something to keep an eye on to think about how you are gonna use structure within your genre and in your piece.

Structure can be thought of on different levels.

A melody, for example, may have a two phrase structure like this example.

And in this case, each of the phrases is made up of two bars.

Have a listen to this example and see if you can spot the two phrases a bit like two separate sentences in this musical story.

So hopefully you heard that two phrase structure.

If we then zoom out to a different level, then this melody made up of two phrases could be part of a larger structure, perhaps that's an A B A structure.

Let's have a listen to this piece where we will hear an A B A structure.

So did you spot that A B A structure?

The first section we could call A with its initial two phrase idea, this middle section with contrasting ideas we could label B, and then the final section is a repeat of the first section, so we'll call it A again.

Giving those different sections labels like letter names or words like verse or chorus can help to show the similarities and differences.

And when we look at an A B A structure, we immediately have an idea about which sections are gonna be the same and which sections are gonna be different.

This 12 bar melody could then become part of a larger overall structure too.

This A B A idea could be the A section of a larger rondo theme, for example.

Let's have a listen to a composition.

Sofia is composing a fusion piece, which includes elements of Celtic folk music and traditional West African percussion music.

Let's listen to her composition so far and see if we can identify the structures.

We are looking for smaller scale structures, like how the initial melody can be divided up into phrases and sections, and the larger overall structure to the piece as well.

As you listen, you can follow the melody line in part four of the screenshot you can see below.

Let's have a listen.

So now you've had a listen, pause the video and consider, did you spot the smaller scale structures, and what is the larger scale overall structure?

So what did you think?

Can you identify the small scale and larger structures?

Sam says, "Sofia's melody can be separated into two phrases with each phrase being repeated.

This then follows an AB pattern, where the B section melody contrasts with the A section.

" Jun says, "The overall structure to Sophia's piece is verse-verse, also known as strophic form.

This is a common structure in Celtic folk music.

The verse repeats four times with changes in texture each time.

" So using this analysis of a piece, we can see how Sophia took her initial idea and developed it into a two phrase melody, and then developed that into a full piece using a structure which was typical of the genre she's working in.

Different genres do use typical structures, and this helps to find their style.

For example, classical styles compositions might be in binary or AB, ternary or ABA, rondo which has a recurring theme like ABACA, could use theme and variations or sonata form or another classical structure.

Pop style compositions will really commonly use a verse-chorus structure.

Jazz compositions might use a head structure where a head melody is presented, then there's some improvised solos, and then the head structure is heard again at the end, or it could be based around a 12 bar blues.

Electronic dance music, or EDM, might use a loop based structure with gradual layering of parts.

And folk and world music might use strophic form, might use call and response, or other genre specific structures such as the use of the alap, gat, and jhala sections in Hindustani classical music.

Film music and other genres might even use something called a through composed structure, which doesn't have distinctive repeating sections.

And for film music, that might be to do with following the action of what's happening on screen.

As with all of these genre specific features, though, they don't need to be followed exactly in every piece.

This isn't a, you must follow these instructions to make a piece of, for example, jazz music.

It's more, these are some common structures that you can use as a starting point.

They can be used as guidelines to help establish the style of your composition, and they can be adapted and changed to create some original ideas.

So which of these following structures is common to electronic dance music?

Is it: A, sonata form.

B, gradual layering of loops.

Or C, first chorus form.

The answer is B.

Electronic dance music will often use its structure based on gradual layering of loops.

Contrast between sections in your composition creates interest, but repeating ideas can help make the piece sound unified.

So when you are planning out the structure of your composition, it can be helpful to consider what will change in a new section and what will remain the same.

So if I'm planning an ABA structure, what's gonna be different in my B section to make it feel like a different section to A?

But also what's gonna be familiar so it still sounds like it's part of the same song?

The following musical elements can be changed to create contrast or kept the same to create unity.

Things like the melody, the use of rhythm, the use of harmony or chords, the use of texture, different accompaniment styles, use of tonality whether it's major or minor, use of dynamics, use of tempo, use of instrumentation, and use of timbre.

All of these things can be changed to make a piece sound different, or if we keep them the same it will make a piece sound familiar.

When we change some of these musical elements when we go into a new section, it'll feel different to the previous one.

But if we change too much, it might feel like a completely different piece of music.

So thinking about how many elements that we're going to change and also what we're gonna keep the same is great when you're planning a new section.

Let's have a listen to an example.

Jacob has got a new draft of his rock composition and he's composed two different sections in this composition.

As you are listening, I want you to think, what musical elements has he changed in his second section to create contrast?

And what things has he kept the same to create unity?

Let's have a listen to Jacob's rock composition.

So now you've had a listen and you've heard those different sections, what has he changed between section A and section B, and what has stayed the same?

Pause the video now and consider your answer.

So what do you think?

What changed and stayed the same?

Laura says, "Jacob changes the texture in the second section by having everything drop out except drums and bass, and then the parts come back in again as the section builds.

The dynamics start quieter and then they get louder.

" Andeep says, "Jacob has changed the harmony in the second section by using a new chord sequence.

He also composed a new riff which contrasts with the first section using long held notes.

" So really good key to being a new section, the fact that it has a new melody and a new chord sequence.

Alex says, the tonality, the metre, the tempo, and the instrumentation are all the same as in the first section, which helps it to feel like it's part of the same piece.

If Jacob had changed all of those things as well, it might not have sounded like it was part of the same song.

So balancing what you're gonna vary and what you're gonna keep the same is an important part of planning a new section.

Now let's have a look at applying structure to your own composition.

So structure is the way that music is organized over time, and it can be considered at different levels from short phrases to the overall form of a piece.

Different genres use typical structures which help to shape the style and how the music is organized.

These structures can be followed, they can be adapted, and they can be combined to suit your own composition.

When you are planning out your composition, think about how you are gonna organize your ideas into different sections.

Think about how you are gonna create contrast by changing musical elements between sections, but also how you're gonna create unity by repeating or developing ideas.

You might vary or maintain musical elements like the melody, the rhythm, the use of chords or harmony, the texture, the instrumentation, use of dynamics or tempo.

Any of those musical elements can be varied or maintained between sections.

And planning out how things are gonna change in new sections will help you create a clear and effective structure for your piece.

So thinking about structure, do you think that genre specific structural convention should: A, always be followed exactly.

B, should be ignored completely.

Or C, should be used as guidelines and can be adapted to suit your piece.

The answer is C.

Those structural conventions should be used as guidelines and you can use them as seems appropriate to your own piece.

So thinking about creating a plan for your structure, do you think that planning out the structure of your piece early on in the composing process, A, can limit your creativity?

B, is a useful way of looking at the big picture and ideas can be changed later?

Or C, is too time consuming?

The answer is B.

Planning your structure out in advance is a really useful way of looking at the big picture of what your final piece is gonna look and sound like.

And ideas that you come up with can be changed later.

Now it's over to you.

I'd like you to consider the typical structures that are suggested by the genre of your piece.

Then decide on what structure you are gonna use, and map out both the small scale structure, how your ideas are gonna be phrased, and the large scale structure like what different sections you're gonna have in your piece.

Then continue to develop your composition and think about when you build in a new section, what could be changed in this new section to create contrast and what could stay the same to still make it sound like it's part of the same piece and create unity.

Pause the video now and work on the structure of your composition.

So how did you do?

How have you developed the structure of your composition in today's lesson?

Lucas says, "I have planned out the full structure of my piece.

It's useful to see how it could develop, and I can always change these things later if needed.

Sofia says, "I have decided that my piece will be in rondo form.

I've considered how the B section might contrast with my A section to add interest.

" And Aisha says, "I have based my musical theater composition on a verse-chorus structure, but have decided to add some additional sections to help tell the story.

" And that's a great example of how typical structures can be adapted to suit your piece.

In today's lesson, we've learned that structure operates at different levels, both within melodies, in phrases, and across the whole piece in different sections.

We've learned that different genres use typical structures and those structures help to define their style.

We've learned that repetition creates unity while contrast between sections creates interest.

And sections can be given labels like A and B, or verse and chorus, and this helps us show similarities and differences between those sections.

Thanks for your hard work today on developing the structure of your composition.

I'll see you again in the next lesson.