Composing music that doesn't sound scary
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can compose a musical idea in C major which appropriately complements the beginning of a story.
Key learning points
- Composing music using notes of the major scale can create music with a postive and cheerful feel.
- Appropriate use of other elements such as pitch, tempo and timbre can also help to create the desired mood.
- When composing using a major scale, the home note is important in defining the feel of that scale.
- Composin an ostinato in C major.
Keywords
Ostinato - a repeated pattern
Major scale - a set of notes that sound bright and cheerful; the C major scale uses all the white notes on the keyboard
Home note - the main note in any key, often the note that the music will finish on; in C major, C is the home note
Common misconception
Using all the white notes is C major will sound cheerful
It's important that the home note (in this case C) is used appropriately to reinforce the notes sounding like they are in C major.
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to consider the quality of their ideas and why some note choices are more musical than others. Major is more complex than just the white notes but referring to the home note allows pupils to compose contrasting music without necessarily needing to know the theory of major/minor.
Equipment
Keyboard instrument or other suitable instrument/DAW that can be used as a composition tool
File needed for this lesson
Scary Story - Narration Only 1.5 MB (MP3)
Download this file to use in the lesson.
Licence
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