Composing a further variation to a theme
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can make further changes to a theme to create a variation, changing the sound, mood and feel of the music.
Key learning points
- Composers use the elements of music to vary the theme in lots of different ways.
- A composer might alter the pitch, rhythm, tonality, timbre, dynamics or tempo in a variation.
- Tonality is the organisation of notes around a central note, the tonic, which helps to shape the music’s sound.
- These changes affect the sound, mood and feel of the music in each variation.
Keywords
Timbre - a description of the sound or tone of an instrument
Tonality - the organisation of notes around a central note, the tonic, which helps to shape the music’s sound and character
2-time, 3-time - the organisation and feel of the beats, beginning with a strong beat
Tempo - how fast or slow the music is played
Dynamics - how loud or quiet the music is
Common misconception
Changing the tonality from major to minor will automatically make the music sound sad.
This is an oversimplification. All of the musical elements work together to create the character or mood of a piece of music.
Teacher tip
Adapt the composing task to meet the needs of the pupils. Rhythmic variations and making use of repeated phrases are less challenging; more challenge can be created by encouraging pupils to add a harmony part or focus on motivic development of the theme.
Equipment
Class set of glockenspiels or other tuned instruments.
Licence
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