Building a pop ballad to a climax
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can develop a musical climax in my pop ballad through the use of a countermelody and modulation.
Key learning points
- Pop ballads typically build to an emotional climax in the final chorus.
- They do this through developing the texture, adding countermelodies and modulation.
- A countermelody should complement the main melody and both melodies should be easy to hear.
- A typical modulation for a pop ballad is to modulate up a tone (two semitones).
Keywords
Climax - a musical climax is the emotional and expressive high point of a piece of music
Countermelody - a countermelody is a second melody that plays at the same time as the main melody
Modulation - modulation is when the key changes part way through a piece of music
Common misconception
To create a good countermelody, you just need two melodies playing at the same time.
It's a bit more complicated than that. An effective countermelody has to contrast with the main melody, so that it can be heard. This is done by choosing an appropriate timbre and octave, and using the 'space' in the main melody.
Teacher tip
To encourage pupils to compose an effective countermelody, enourage them to think in terms of melodic shape. If their main melody ascends, get them to improvise descending phrases and so on. Countermelodies can be very simple - encourage students not to overcomplicate their countermelody.
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