Music Theory Necessities - Presenting
Essentials for Music Theory
This page offers you an additional instalment of some essential theoretical skills that might be worth acquiring before the start of the course. In addition to the other pages that have involved some preliminary research on different music notation systems that are adopted globally, as well as some relatively simple activities for other components, this page assists you in preparation for Presenting Music, which is for both standard-level and higher-level students.
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There is a complete list of skills for this component to be found HERE, but the purpose of this page is to focus solely on music theory and the aspects that will stand you in good stead once the course has begun.
A summary of those skills in relation to Presenting Music (see HERE for an overview of this component) can be summarised as follows:
- selecting music that matches your level of musicianship
- ability to demonstrate musicality and technical proficiency in solo and group settings
- writing to introduce, inform, and justify
- producing musical scores that represent your intentions
The focus of this page is the last of these skills, namely "producing musical scores that represent your intentions". This can be, for some, a daunting task in that one has to produce up to 6 minutes of original work*(s).
Remember that IF a staff/stave notation is the conventional form of notation for the type of music that you intend to write, the music must be notated accordingly (see p.35) for more on this. In other words, that if western notation is the standard notation type for the work that you wish to produce then it must be submitted as such.
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* original work(s) can stem from a stimulus, for example, for improvisations or theme and variations
Stimuli may include:
- chord progressions
- motfis
- lyrics
- visual stimuli (films or images for example) AND
- programmed loops
Selecting a Stimulus
For this task choose one of the stimuli suggested above (these are only suggestions and you are not limited to these).
For example, I am going to select "chord progressions". I have always like the rather odd progression in Zara Larsson's "Lush Life", which I have equated as follows:
E♭-Cm-Gm-F (I-vi-v-IV)
This is going to be the basis of my "original" composition.
It is important in the early stages (whether this is going to be an original composition, an improvisation OR a theme and variations) that you plan out what you wish to achieve.
Think carefully about how you wish to structure the music (as a possible starting point) and document any decision-making in your music journal. Some of the ideas may never find their way into the final product, but it is important that you provide a rationale for why you are rejecting or modifying those ideas.
Here is an example of an "original" composition:
* I have taken that chord structure (from Lush Life) as the basis for a work that will contain marimba
* I wish to use this, at least initially, as a harmonic ostinato
* I also like the idea of the rhythmic diminishment (this is prevalent here in the systemic reduction of note lengths)
* As the work progresses, the harmonic framework will become more complex
* In the B section, this will disappear altogether, and unlike many pieces, it will not return in any obvious way
* I wish to create a piece that is organic in nature, using the musical notation of fragmentation to create momentum
NOTE: I have decided to include marks of expression (dynamic indications, speed, accents) and a strategy to ensure that my intentions will be clear from the start
Initial idea for the Harmonic Framework, Inspired by Lush LifeEnsure that you are making notes on any changes that you make during the journey. It is important too that you keep copies of early versions so that you illustrate these changes with relative ease (see above for an example).
One other aspect that you may wish to consider is having a programme (a story), lyrics, OR an image attached to the piece, as this can help to guide the decision-making. I would also ensure that you are considering strategies to ensure that you unify the work through various means.
Here is an example of the changes made to my initial thoughts.
* I wanted to make the opening a little darker so I decided to change the opening chord to the minor form
* I also changed the progression to include a chromatic element
* This matches the dynamic "peaking" that appears in the middle of the phrase
* It also helps to better illuminate the idea of frustration, as there is a programmatic element to this piece involving escape from incarceration
Opening of the piece with slight modification from the initial ideas
* I also decided to add other instruments to enhance these programmatic ideas further
* the violin initially appears in fragmented form as the convict is planning his escape and he is unclear about how this will ultimately unfold
* the bassoon represents an erratic heartbeat, as the lengths of the notes do not appear to be appropriately accommodated by the time signature
A Summary of the Instrumentation for the Opening Portion of Escape and their Roles
You are under no obligation to complete a 6-minute work at this stage, but your teacher may set you some time frame for this preliminary exercise (along with accompanying written work that illustrates your rationale).
Remember too that for Presenting Music ALL four Areas of Inquiry need to be covered so you will not necessarily have complete freedom to write whatever you like, as you need to ensure that you have a full programme of works on offered (both as a performer, 12 minutes, and a creator, 6 minutes).
You may wish to read more about this HERE.
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For example, if you are a guitarist, you could choose something along these lines (see below). Remember that this is just one example and you are under no obligation to follow it. What you do need to ensure happens is that you meet the time requirements and that all FOUR of the Areas of Inquiry are addressed.
(PERFORMANCE in RED and CREATING in BLUE)
Area of Inquiry 1: Music for Sociocultural and Political Expression
* a protest song (4 minutes) - guitarist in a band
Area of Inquiry 2: Music for Listening and Performance
* a folk song (2 minutes) - solo guitar piece
* a pop song (3 minutes) - guitarist in a band
* programme music (3 minutes) - created on a music software programme
Area of Inquiry 3: Music for Dramatic Impact, Movement and Entertainment
* movie music (3 minutes) - solo guitar piece
Area of Inquiry 4: Music Technology in the Electronic and Digital Age
* electronic composition (3 minutes) - created on a DAW
Here is a finalised form for the work discussed above:
Example of a Student Work "Escape" for Violin, Bassoon and Marimba (Area of Inquiry 2)Here is one further example that also falls into Area of Inquiry 2. Here, however, the student has not used any particular form of inspiration other than broader periods in the Western Art canon.
The student explains his rationale for the creation of this work below. Pay particular attention to the fact that the student has incorporated the importance of RESEARCH into the creating process.
The intention of this piece, Emotions, is to mix elements from classical music and the twentieth century.
Elements from the earlier period include:
- the use of simple harmonies and tonality in the first and the last section,
- the use of the traditional ternary form, and
- the mixture of different textures.
Elements from the later period include:
- the use of dissonant harmonies and atonality in the middle section,
- frequent changes in metre and tempo,
- the use of extreme ranges of different instruments, AND
- the use of advanced techniques (harmonics and glissando).
In the creating process, each element is treated in different ways. The simple harmonies in the first and last section do not follow a particular pattern, and these harmonies only include major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. However, these harmonies appear in different inversions and keys arbitrarily to decorate the simplicity.
The sectional division is created through melodic and harmonic means. The first and last sections are based on the opening 3-bar theme while the middle section is based on completely different materials. The middle section is also full of dissonant harmonies to achieve atonality, which contrasts with the other sections.
For texture, the piece is mixed with homophonic, polyphonic and monophonic textures. There are gradual and sudden changes in tempo throughout the piece to provide a sense of instability. The change in metre is also arbitrary, which is common in the twentieth century.
I did a lot of research on the range of instruments to ensure that the extreme ranges used are playable. I also did a lot of research on special techniques that string instruments can perform and used harmonics and glissando to create certain effects.
I feel that I have successfully fused elements from both periods in a way that brings new light with great contrasts.
"Emotions" - A Fusion of Classical and Contemporary Elements