Hello and welcome to today's music lesson.

I'm Miss Mansell and I'm gonna be your teacher for today.

Let's get started.

Today's lesson outcome is I can identify a range of aspects that should be considered when completing a composition and I can apply these to my own composition.

Let's look at some keywords for today.

Accidental, that's a symbol for a sharp, flat or natural that alters the pitch of a note.

Articulation, the way that a note is played.

For example, staccato, accented, legato.

Grouping, the way that notes are grouped together in notation.

There are strict conventions for how this is typically done.

Today's assessment on completing a composition is in two parts.

Part one is analyzing a brass quintet and part two is completing your composition.

Let's get started with part one, analyzing a brass quintet.

There are a number of different aspects to consider when finishing a composition.

Some are musical features that need to be accurate and consistent between parts.

Others relate to how the music is notated, to ensure that the directions are clear for performance.

Can you think of any of these features?

Let's analyze a brass quintet.

Picking out some of the key considerations when completing a composition.

One of the aspects you want to consider is consistency of articulation.

Articulation should be consistent within parts.

Have a look at the first phrase of this melody.

It uses legato and staccato notes, and you can have a listen to it.

When it repeats later, the composer has checked that it uses the same articulation.

Sometimes you might decide to change the articulation to create a contrasting effect, but make sure it's a deliberate decision, not a notation error.

Articulation should also be consistent between parts.

In this example, the composer creates a homophonic texture with the same rhythm in all the parts.

Have a look at the score there.

However, they have used different articulation between the parts, creating a slightly untidy rhythmic effect.

You can see those highlighted there.

In a homophonic texture like this, it works best to use consistent articulation between the different parts.

Compare this bar before and after it was edited.

Notice that the difference is subtle, but improves the tidiness of the rhythm.

So have a listen and look at it before the edit.

And now listen and look at it after the edit.

You can see how it matches now.

It's easy when composing to create inconsistencies or errors in the dynamics.

Can you spot the issues in this example?

Have a look at the score.

What did you see?

Here, the composer has indicated a crescendo, so getting louder, but has shown it is starting and finishing at the same dynamic, mezzo forte.

They have also used a quieter dynamic, mezzo forte in the the main melody than the lower accompanying parts which are forte.

This would result in poor balance with the melody being drowned out.

When checking your dynamic markings, make sure that you look for dynamic changes that don't make musical sense.

For example, a crescendo from forte to piano, which is obviously the wrong way around.

Dynamic changes without a clear end dynamic.

For example, a crescendo where it isn't clear what dynamic it ends at.

Dynamics that create poor balance.

For example, the melody is much quieter than the accompaniment.

In rare cases, you might do this as a deliberate effect, but make sure it is a deliberate choice.

Extreme differences between parts, for example fortissimo against pianissimo.

Let's do a check for understanding.

Which option shows a deliberate and effective use of dynamics?

Is it A, the accompaniment marked forte, and the melody marked piano throughout, B, a crescendo marked from mezzo piano to forte, C, a sudden change from fortissimo to pianissimo with no musical reason, or D, no dynamic markings.

Which of those is it?

Well done if you got B, a crescendo marked from mezzo piano to forte would be a deliberate use of dynamics.

Music is much easier for performers to read when accidentals are used consistently and accurately.

In this example, there are natural symbols where they aren't needed.

So you can see those highlighted there.

Later, they've written a G flat.

The key of the piece is G major, which uses F sharps.

So this note should be written as an F sharp, like this.

When checking the accidentals in each part, make sure you look for any unnecessary accidentals.

Repeated accidentals within the same bar, an accidental lasts for the whole bar so only needs to be inserted once.

Octave errors, accidentals only apply to the exact note, not the same note in a different octave.

Accidentals that don't fit the key.

For example, you should use an F sharp rather than a G flat in G major.

Inconsistencies between parts, for example, avoid using E flat in one part and D sharp in another at the same time.

Change one so they are the same.

Let's have a quick look at grouping.

So have a look at this example.

What isn't quite right about the groupings of the notes?

It uses some incorrect groupings of notes.

So quavers should be grouped in twos or fours in four four, and each group should fit within a beat, not be grouped across the beats.

It also uses inconsistent groupings between parts.

Here you can see the quavers are grouped differently in both parts.

The music is easier to read and play when notated correctly.

So here you can see it now, corrected.

Notation software and DAWs normally group notes correctly and consistently, but always double check.

You also need to make sure that the score and parts presented clearly.

So one final step is to make sure that the notation is presented clearly.

This applies to both the main score and the individual parts.

In this example, the score is untidy with various formatting errors that make it difficult to read easily.

How many issues can you spot?

Have a look.

We've got words and symbols that are hidden or unclear.

The crescendo symbol is out of proportion.

It's too large.

The stems are pointing in the wrong direction, for notes below the stave.

Tidying up those features makes the score much more professional and easier to read.

You can see that now.

One easy step for making a score tidy and clear is to ensure that the bars are evenly spaced out.

In this example, one line of stave has four bars, which looks squashed, and the next has one which looks stretched out.

If we rearrange the bars to spread them evenly between rows, it looks much neater, and you can see that version now.

Depending on the type of tonality and harmony you have used, it could be important to check for any wrong notes.

If you've used a key, make sure that any notes that have accidentals are used deliberately as chromatic notes, not just errors.

If using a chord sequence, make sure that chordal, bass and melodic parts all follow the same chord sequence and sound coherent together.

If there are notes that clash creating dissonance, make sure that this is a deliberate choice, not an accidental error.

In summary, this composer has created a well-presented and consistent score by, checking that articulation is consistent both between and within parts.

Checking that dynamics are logical, balanced and consistent.

Checking the accidentals are used correctly and consistently.

Checking that note groupings are correct and consistent.

Checking that the layout is clear and everything is visible.

Checking that there are no unintentional wrong notes.

Let's do a check for understanding.

Which two are correct uses of accidentals.

Is it A, using a flat symbol on a high E then also a low E, B, repeating the same accidental on a repeated note in a bar, C, using an A sharp in the key of F major, you can see the key signature there, or D, changing a G flat in one part to match an F sharp in another part.

Which two?

Well done if you said A and D.

So let's do task A.

We want you to listen to the whole brass quintet and follow the score and then write a paragraph explaining the key steps that this composer has taken to ensure that their score is clear, well-presented, consistent and musically accurate.

So listen to the whole brass quintet now and write your paragraph.

How did you get on with your paragraph?

You could have mentioned, checking the articulation is consistent both between and within parts, checking that dynamics are logical, balanced and consistent, checking that accidentals are used correctly and consistently, checking that note groupings are correct and consistent, checking that the layout is clear and everything is visible, checking that there are no unintentional wrong notes.

Let's move on to part two of the lesson, completing your composition.

Checking your score and individual parts is an important final step when completing a composition.

You should check that articulation is consistent both between and within parts, that dynamics are logical, balanced and consistent, that accidentals are used correctly and consistently, that note groupings are correct and consistent, that the layout is clear and everything is visible, and that there are no unintentional wrong notes.

As the composer, your aim is to produce a score that is easy for performers to read and clearly communicates your musical intentions.

When checking your dynamic markings, what areas should you look out for?

Have a think.

You could have said, dynamic changes that don't make sense.

Dynamic changes that don't show the end dynamic.

Dynamics that create poor balance or extreme differences between parts.

I hope you've got some of those in your answer.

So let's have a look at task B.

Check the following features of your notation to make sure that your score and parts are well-presented, clear and consistent.

So you should check your articulation, dynamics, accidentals, groupings, layout and formatting, and whether you have any unintentional wrong notes within the context of your piece.

So with articulation, you need to check for inconsistent articulation within a part, for example, when a melody repeats, or inconsistent articulation between parts, for example, when you have two parts playing together.

For dynamics, you need to check for dynamic changes that don't make sense, changes that don't show the end dynamic, dynamics that create poor balance, or extreme differences between parts.

And then with accidentals, you need to check for any unnecessary accidentals, any duplicate accidentals, errors with octaves, any accidentals that are out of place in the key, and making sure that accidentals are consistent between parts.

For groupings, you need to check for incorrect groupings, for example, groupings over a bar line, or inconsistent groupings between parts.

For layout and formatting, you should check for any symbols or words that are hidden or unclear, any unnecessary information on the score or bars that are squashed or too stretched out.

With wrong notes, you should check that any chromatic notes in the key are deliberate choices, not errors.

If you're using a chord sequence, you should check that the chordal, bass and melodic parts all follow the same sequence and sound coherent together, and make sure that any clashes or dissonance between notes are deliberate choices.

So pause the video now and go and look at your composition and check for all of these things.

How did you get on?

Reflect on the changes you have made to your composition and use these questions to help you consider your next steps.

Does your notation look well presented and easy to read?

Have you checked both your score and any individual parts?

Have you considered dynamics, articulation, groupings, accidentals, layout, and wrong notes?

Have you asked for a second opinion on whether there are any parts of your notation that are unclear?

Are there any further changes that you intend to make?

Let's summarize today's lesson.

When completing a composition, it is important to check the notation for a range of different potential errors.

These include checking for inconsistencies or errors in dynamics, accidentals, articulation and note groupings.

It's important to check that the layout and formatting of the score and individual parts is clear and easy to read.

Checking for any unintentional wrong notes is important.

Thank you for joining me for today's lesson.