all those who compose PLEASE help me!

[Tash]

ok so i have an assessment due next week in which i have been given the beginning and end of a composition and have to add in the middle of it, so basically just put in theme B as whatever i want it to be. but the problem is i have no inspriation whatsoever and can't think of anything to write. like i'll get some silly little two bar phrase and that's it, which i somehow don't think is quite long enough for my theme B, and i can never think of how to develop it.

agh i hate composition! so if any of you composers can give me some advice on what to do, it'd be most appreciated. thanks heaps

[Spatula]

ok so i have an assessment due next week in which i have been given the beginning and end of a composition and have to add in the middle of it, so basically just put in theme B as whatever i want it to be. but the problem is i have no inspriation whatsoever and can't think of anything to write. like i'll get some silly little two bar phrase and that's it, which i somehow don't think is quite long enough for my theme B, and i can never think of how to develop it.

agh i hate composition! so if any of you composers can give me some advice on what to do, it'd be most appreciated. thanks heaps

Um, I’m definitely not a pro at composition but here’s what I suggest.  You may perfectly ignore and consider my suggestions rubbish if you wish, but then again I’m not Beethoven.

I’m assuming your composition has a fairy legato-allegro feeling to it (although this speculation is by far way off because I’m just assuming).  I’m also assuming it is in common or waltz timing, 4/4 and ¾ respectively.  

For the second theme or middle, I would transpose the current key in the exposition or main theme to its opposite key.  In other words, if your piece is in a major key, I’d transpose the B part to a minor key, and vice versa if your piece is in a minor key.

Second of all, I’d slow down the tempo and mix around with the rhythm but not too much, since a slower piece with mixed rhythms will not be as effective as a faster piece.  When I say to transpose, don’t simply go note for note transpose, but make the LH the base of a simple rhythm or in slow triplets.  For example C-E-G- or for 4 notes, C-Eb-G-B.  

Also try to invert your main theme, kind of like the Variation 18 of Paganini.  If your opening interval is say a perfect fifth going up, then make your middle section a pefect fifth going down or even a major or minor third going down.  

A lot of this is just messing around with notes and coming out with a SIMPLE melody to hold out the middle section whilst fiddling around with the LH to come up with a mellow middle.  You don’t want your middle to distract from the essence of the main theme but to expand and build upon it.  And with this messing around, it’s just a matter of how much time you have to mess with these notes and pray to God that something good turns out.  Or else….  You might be sent to ayers rock!  (haha just kidding)

If your main theme is fiece and terrifying, let the middle section be the soothing calm.  However I highly recommend that if your main theme is calm in the first place, you should be cautious as to add a fiery or scary middle.  If you do it just right, you might have an interesting twist in your piece, however if you screw up your “fierce” middle, then your piece will fall apart and you’d loose the cohesion of the main theme.

Ummm… I have no clue how much this will help but that’s generally how I’d compose my sonatas or preludes or whatever.

Also (AND THIS IS YOUR ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT, if you’re totally stumped, play your “G.F Handel” card and start plagiarizing like hell and take snippets of Beethoven and Mozart and VOILA! Your masterpiece is ready for submission.

By the way, I don’t plagiarize my pieces because:

1.      I make up my own pieces and there is no deadline to submit them
2.      I think people who plagiarize music are inconsiderate, obnoxious sons and daughters of female dogs (except tashie of course …..kiiisss! )
3.   I’m asian and I’d rip copyrights of other things…(ahem cough cough spit sputter)

Happy Composing!

[Daevren]

Take one musical element from part A and build on that.

Take the rythmic pattern/motive and use that but with different notes.

Take the theme from section A and develop it.

Take the harmonic frame from A and build new melodic/rhytmic things inside it.

Take the original melody, transpose it down an octave or two octaves, (or down a 4th/11th) and use it in the bass. Add counterpoint with the other voices.

Take the same music and only add extra stuff. Ornament the melodies, double notes in the chords, add instruments, add mild dissonances to some chords.

Do the opposite, remove everyting except the very essential parts. Then maybe cut some chords in half(time wise), add rests, add rests inside(time wise) chords etc.

Obviously with the last ones you need something very dense or something very minimal in part A.

Take section A and transpose it totally to the dominant. Add minor changes if needed.

Take the melody of part A and make it very rhythmicly ambigu. Maybe cut it in bits and add little 'interludes' inbetween. Make it staccato and add new harmony.

Take the chords of part A and have a compound melody play one note at a time play the chords in thee voices.

Transpose the melody to a different mode. Sharp the fourth, or flat the 7th if its major. Sharp the 6th or flat the second if its minor. Add the correct static modal harmony. Maybe repeat it twice in two different modes.


It all depends on part A and C. Maybe there is some relation between them. But there is a missing link. Then part B should be the missing link. If part A and C are in the tonic, then write part B in the dominant. Make sure you have a cadence returning to the tonic at the end. If part A ends with a cadence on the dominant you 'must' write section B in the dominant key.

So the point is to connect A and C, but do it in a fresh way. So the function of B has two properties. Connect A and C and on the other hand do something new. So the melody connects and the harmony does something new. Or the rhythm is new and the harmony connects.

Its all about structure and form.  

[Tash]

super duper ok i'm playing around a bit, except i didn't have a keyboard with me at the time, so let's see what the notes i wrote down sound like!! but yes i think it may be working thanks heaps you're all legends