Music Composition Decision Path

What tempo will the piece be in primarily? (What strategy will you use to make that decision?)
31bpm
33bpm
35bpm
37
39
41
43
45
47
49
51
53
55
57
59
61
63
65
67
69
71
73
75
77
79
81
83
85
87
89
91
63
95
97
99
101
103
105
107
109
111
113
115
117
119
121
123
125
127
129
131
133
135
137
139
141
143
145
147
149
151
153
155
157
159
161
163
165
167
169
171
173
175
177
179
(Tempo is the primary determinant of mood. Also, It used to be thought that 100 beats per minute was the easiest to keep, now there is new research which says that 125 bpm is optimal. Music at 125bpm is the most frequently played by musicians and listened to by non-musicians, the most frequently on the radio and the most frequently in dj playlists.)
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Decide what kind of rhythmic structure the motif will have: (What strategy will you use to make the decision? For me, choruses are predisposed to start on the beat, verses are predisposed to start off the beat.)
1 Starts on a beat ends on a beat
2 Starts on a beat ends off the beat.
3 Starts off the beat ends on the beat
4 Starts off the beat ends off the beat
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Which melodic rhythm will the motif have?
1 Slow,
2 Medium
3 Fast
(What strategy will you use to make the determination? For me, I like choruses to have a faster melodic rhythm than the Bridge, verses may either have a similar melodic rhythm to the chorus or be between the chorus and the bridge as far as melodic rhythm is concerned. )
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How many rhythmic cells will the motif use?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Other
(What strategy will you use to make the determination? In this case I think about complexity and how 7 is the limit of items in a set that people tend to be able to remember and for a great majority of them 5 items are much easier to remember than 7. Outside of the case when there are several melodic rhythms in use, a repeating melodic rhythm such as a string of eighth notes, is also effective, in which case it has only one melodic cell, eighth notes.)
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If slow which rhythmic cells will the motif use?
1 Whole notes
2 Dotted Half notes
3 Half notes
4 Half note triplets
5 Dotted Quarter notes
6 Quarter notes
7 Quarter note triplets
8 Eighth notes
9 Rests at or below Half note triplets
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If medium melodic rhythm, which rhythmic cells will the motif use?
1 Half Notes
2 Half Note triplets
3 Dotted Quarter notes
4 Quarter notes
5 Quarter note triplets
6 Eighth notes
7 Eighth note triplets
8 Rests at or below quarter note triplets
(I analyzed all of my favorite pop songs and counted the frequency at which notes occur. In a sampling of Sting, Sade, Jon Secada, Seal, Bob Marley, Santana tunes etc… quarter notes occurred with the most frequency in the melodies, although they may not have started on a beat.)
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If fast melodic rhythm, which rhythmic cells will the motif use?
1 A Dotted Quarter note followed by an eighth
2 An eighth followed by a dotted quarter
3 Quarter notes
4 Quarter note triplets
5 A Dotted eighth notes and a sixteenth
6 A sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth
7 Eighth notes
8 Eighth note triplets
9 Two sixteenths followed by an eighth
10 An eighth followed by two sixteenths
11 A sixteenth note followed by an eighth followed by a sixteenth
12 A sixteenth note rest followed by 3 sixteenth notes
13 A sixteenth note rest followed by 2 sixteenth notes followed by another sixteenth note rest
14 A sixteenth note rest followed by an eighth note followed by a sixteenth note
15 An eighth note rest followed by two sixteenths
16 A sixteenth note rest followed by a dotted eighth note.
17 An eighth note rest followed by an eighth note.
18 A dotted eighth note rest followed by a sixteenth note
19 Other
20 Rests at or below quarter note triplets
(When counting the frequency of the rhythmic cells above, there was a definite hierarchy of occurrence, starting with the quarter notes being most frequent {dotted quarters were not counted} and progressing down the list in frequency of occurrence except for the triplets which were not counted. The only other exception was the sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth, which should occur much further down the list. It’s presented sooner because it is a member of the group that starts on the beat.)
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What low level rhythmic organization of the above will the motif have?
1 a
2 aa
3 ab
4 aba
5 abb
6 abc
7 aaaa
8 aaab
9 aaba
10 abaa
11 aabb
12 abba
13 abab
14 abbb
15 abac
16 abbc
17 abcc
18 abca
19 abcd
20 Other
(A motif with only one rhythmic cell or greater than 7 rhythmic cells will not have the required balance of simplicity and complexity that most people tend to enjoy. Minimally, having an a, b and c seems to be a good rule at this low level. However, a repeated rhythm is also common)
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Will the motif be:
1 Short
2 Medium
3 Long
(If the first motif is short, then perhaps there should be a greater chance of at least one subsequent motif in a group of three to five motifs to be long, if not the very next motif then after that, in order to create balance. And visa versa.)
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If short, how many events does the motif have? 1 One rhythmic event
2 Two events
3 Three
4 Four
5 five
(research says that people expect around 5 or 6 rhythmic events per measure at medium speeds.)
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If medium length:
1 Three events
2 Four events
3 Five events
4 Six events
5 Seven events
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If long:
1 Five
2 Six
3 Seven
4 Eight
5 Nine
6 Ten
7 Other
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Where does the motif start?
1 Before the bar
2 On the downbeat
3 After the downbeat
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If before the bar, what beat does it start on?
1 One
2 "e" of one
3 "and" of one
4 "a" of one
5 on beat 2
6 on e of beat 2
7 on and of 2
8 on a of 2
9 on beat 3
10 on e of 3
11 on and of 3
12 on a of 3
13 on 4
14 on e of 4
15 on and of 4
16 on a of 4
Other
(The melodies I’ve analyzed do not have a "pick-up measure/anacrussis which starts on that measure’s downbeat. They all started after the beat of the beginning of the pick-up measure’s first beat.)
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Which scale or mode is the motif in? 1 Ionian
2 Dorian
3 Phrygian
4 Lydian
5 Mixolydian
6 Aeolian
7 Minor Pentatonic
8 Minor Blues/Bebop
9 Asian Pentatonic
10 Harmonic Minor
11 Melodic Minor
12 A mode of the Harmonic or melodic minor scales
12 Double Harmonic Minor
13 Major Pentatonic
14 Chromatic
15 Whole tone
16 Whole half
17 Half whole
(Modal groove based music such as pop, rock, funk, R&B, Hip-Hop, Urban, is often in either Dorian, Mixolydian or Aeolian if not in Ionian. Jazz often uses Dorian over minor chords and Lydian over major chords, and altered scales over dominant chords. Rock and Flamenco occasionally use Phrygian and harmonic minor. Mostly harmonic minor is for building chords for substitution in minor keys not for constructing melodies. Major pentatonic is primarily only used in country. Melodic minor is sometimes used in jazz fusion.)
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Will notes of the chosen scale be left out to be reserved for later use?
1 Yes
2 No
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If so, which notes will be left out? (You may start with a pentatonic scale then fill it in later. Other good choices to leave out seem to be the 2 and the 6.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
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Does the first note start:
1 on a chord tone (In pop styles such as rock etc..as well as jazz starting on a chord tone is usually the case.)
2 on a non-chord tone or
3 On a chromatic pitch?
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If the starting note is a chord tone, which one?
1 The first note of the chord
2 the fifth note of the chord
3 the third note of the chord
5 the seventh note of the chord
(In jazz, the third or the seventh of the chord is often the starting note of the motif. If you do not have a harmonic template yet, the harmonization of popular music is fairly straight forward with notes occurring on the downbeat after the barline where the chord starts usually being seen as chord tones in which case there are only three or four possible chords that can contain whatever note you have placed there.Sometimes they are however analyzed as suspensions.)
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If the starting note is a non-chord tone, is it…?
1 the two
2 The four
3 The six
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If the starting note is chromatic is it….?
1 b2/b9
2 2/9
3 11/b5
4 5/b6
5 6/b7
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What shape will the motif have?
1 A flat line
2 rising
3 falling
4 rising stairs
5 falling stairs
6 upward arch
7 downward arch
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1 Repeat it to create a second motif
2 or not repeat it and use a new motif for the second motif instead.
(In the music of the Beatles there seems to be a repetition rule, such as if there is a motif then it will repeat. If it doesn’t repeat next it will repeat after that as in aabb, aabc, abab, abac.)
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Will the motif end on a non-chord tone or a chord tone?
1 Non-chord tone
2 Chord tone
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If ending note is a non-chord tone, which one?
1 two
2 four
3 six
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If ending note is a chord tone, which one?
1 One
2 Three
3 Five
4 Seventh
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Will the motif be arpeggic, scalar, a combination or something else?
1 arpeggic
2 Scalar
3 A combination
4 Other
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What are the second, third, fourth etc… notes in the motif, based on the chosen shape? (Often melodies move by step or third. Fourths are possible but a fifth or greater is considered a leap and is usually reserved for climaxes, though not always. Some famous melodies start with no-no’s such as a leap of a seventh which is supposed to be difficult to sing, but there they are anyway. The "rule" that says melodies return back in the direction they have lept is broken so often it cannot be called a rule and hence you are not required to follow it.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
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If the motif will be repeated, how?:
1 Exactly
2 Sequenced
3 Varied
4 Sequenced and Varied
(Exact repetition and sequences diatonically transposed higher or lower tend to be boring. It’s too easy for amateur composers to create unity that way when they should be stretching themselves.)
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If the second motif is a Sequence of the first, will it move…?:
1 Up or
2 Down
(Up is usually the preferred direction in order to constantly instill the music with greater interest. A movement down would create a feeling of greater relaxation and might trigger in the listener less interest in the music.)
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If Up:
1 By second,
2 By third,
3 By fourth or
4 By octave
5 Other
(Again, motion by fifth or greater is considered a leap and is reserved for climaxes.)
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If Down:
1 By second,
2 By third,
3 By fourth or
4 By octave
5 Other
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If the second motif is a variation of the first, how will it be varied?:
1 By pitch
2 By rhythm
3 By pitch and Rhythm
4 By Dynamics/articulation
(Variations in rhythm tend to dissipate a feeling of unity more quickly than variations in melody alone.{Unity can be good but too much induces boredom which is bad} So, if more intense variation would instill a feeling of chaos {which is what too much variation does} then stick with only melodic variation. If the music needs to sound more fresh at that point, then use rhythmic variation or a combination of rhythmic and pitch variation. Also, a completely chaotic melody may be given a lot of order if confined to a simple, repeating rhythm.)
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If the second motif is varied by pitch, how?:
1 add accidentals
2 Add notes
3 Subtract notes
4 fragmented
5 diatonic interval contraction
6 diatonic interval expansion
7 octave displacement
8 Ornamentation
9 Permutation
10 Rhythmic displacement
11 retrograde rhythm with the original melodic series.
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If the second motif is varied by adding accidentals, which accidentals will you add?
1 flats
2 sharps
3 sharps and flats
(Dominant chords handle all dissonances well. Minor chords less so, and Major chords hardly at all.)
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Where will you add the accidentals?
1 On 2
2 On 3
3 On4 (chromatic variations over a major chord tend to sound too dissonant except for the 4.)
4 On 5
5 On6
6 On7
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If adding notes to create a second motif as a variation of the first, which notes will you add and how many?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
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Where will you add the extra notes to create the second motif?
1 Before the repetition of the motif?
2 After the repetition of the motif?
3 In the middle of the repetition of the motif? (For much of the world, filling the space in between notes is basic for how sections are developed when they repeat. Perhaps a neighbor tone is added, or a jump of a third is now smoothed over by the addition of the skipped note. Or a step with long enough note durations gets the chromatic note between. Since we might use these technique when the section repeats, we probably don’t want to exploit these techniques too much just yet right here. It’s probably preferable to add notes either before or after the motif when it repeats if adding them, than to place them in the middle of the motif. Concerning this last point, that does seem to be the case with the popular styles of music which has been analyzed. The additions usually come before, after or both but not as often in-between.)
4 a combination of before and after the repetition of the motif.
5 A combination of before and during
6 a combination of during and after
A combination of before, during AND after.
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If before, in the middle, or after the repetition of the motif, on what beats will you put the additions?
1 Beat one
2 "e" of one
3 "and" of one
4 "a" of one
5 on beat 2
6 on e of beat 2
7 on and of 2
8 on a of 2
9 on beat 3
10 on e of 3
11 on and of 3
12 on a of 3
13 on 4
14 on e of 4
15 on and of 4
16 on a of 4
Other
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If you subtract notes to create a variation for the repeat of the motif, on what beats will they be subtracted?
1 One
2 "e" of one
3 "and" of one
4 "a" of one
5 on beat 2
6 on e of beat 2
7 on and of 2
8 on a of 2
9 on beat 3
10 on e of 3
11 on and of 3
12 on a of 3
13 on 4
14 on e of 4
15 on and of 4
16 on a of 4
Other
(In any measure in 4/4, the positions of the first beat, the 3rd beat, 2nd beat and 4the beat are the most important and in that order, so we are least likely to remove a note from the downbeat and most likely to remove notes which occur off the beat, the "e of 4, "and of 4"and the "a of 4" seem the most probable places to remove notes, if indeed a note exists there. Most of the time melodies need to be developing interest, not reducing it, so subtracting notes and rhythms is generally not so great except where it helps create a better MELODIC cadence. This is usually on beats 1 or 3, in that order, of the fourth measure of a four measure phrase in a verse where placement of an important pitch there would help produce the sense of finality which usually defines a chorus. The other place is on beat 3 or beat 4, in that order, in the second measure of a 2 measure phrase.)
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If fragmenting a motif to create a variation of the initial motif, which subfiguration will you use?
1 The initial notes of the motif.
2 the last notes of the motif
3 notes from the middle of the motif.
(Using a fragment that starts with the initial notes or the last notes of the original motif is a good one to try.)
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If using interval contraction, which interval will you contract?
1 Highest
2 Lowest
3 a group of notes
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If using interval expansion, which intervals will you expand?
1 the highest note
2 Lowest note
3 A group of notes such as peaks.
(Sometimes it’s useful to make the highest note of a motif a bit higher on the repeat since the process of moving the music forward often requires a higher note, a greater leap, a more intense rhythm, a louder dynamic etc…in subsequent material. Just make sure this does not create an unintended interval such as a major 7th or a tritone which are usually treated with care.)
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If using octave displacement, which direction will you displace it?
1 Up
2 Down.
(Up is probably the preferred direction.)
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If using ornamentation, which ornamentation will you use?
1 Appogiatura/slow grace note on the beat.
2 Nineteenth century appoggiatura/fast grace note before the beat.
3 Nachlag/as in 16th note passing tones filling what was an eighth note arpeggio.
4 Turn I/down the long side of a four note trough and up the short side. 3 down-1 up.
5 Turn II/Encirclement by step/CDCBC. (In jazz, one of the neighbor notes may be chromatic)
6 Vertical turn/ up the long side of a 4 note mountain then down the short side. Up 3 down 1.
7 On beat trill up
8 On beat trill down
9 Before the beat trill up
10 Before the beat trill down
11 Pralltriller/ starts on the beat and the higher note. It is a rapid four note trill that ends on the low note.
12 Upper grace note on the beat/upper crush/fast pull-off
13 Lower grace note on the beat/lower crush/fast hammer-on
14Upper grace note before the beat.
15 Lower grace note before the beat.
16 Upper mordent on the beat/a single upper note then back down again.
17 Upper mordent before the beat.
18 Lower mordent on the beat/
19 Lower mordent before the beat.
20 Vibrato (in pop music usually four oscillations per beat but some people such as Stevie Nicks have machine gun vibrato.
21 Arpeggiation/often triplet grace notes forming a triad.
22 Upwards glissando/portamento on the beat
23 Downwards glissando/portamento on the beat.
24 Upwards glissando before the beat. (May not fully reach the next pitch and so could be microtonal as in Blues bends.)
25 Downwards glissando before the beat. (May not fully reach the next pitch and so could be microtonal as in Blues bends.)
26 Other ornaments such as the slow waves that occur in Classical Indian music, and grace notes of other intervals besides a 2nd.
27 Combinations of these such as the trill and mordent etc…
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If using rhythmic displacement to create a repetition or sequence where will you start it?
1 The first beat of the measure.
2 "e" of one
3 "and" of one
4 "a" of one
5 on beat 2
6 on e of beat 2
7 on and of 2
8 on a of 2
9 on beat 3
10 on e of 3
11 on and of 3
12 on a of 3
13 on 4
14 on e of 4
15 on and of 4
16 on a of 4
Other
(If the original was on the downbeat then the repetition or sequence may start before or after that rhythmic position in subsequent music such as later within the same measure or in a different measure. Rhythmic displacement is often used in jazz.)
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If varied by pitch and rhythm, which combinations will you use?
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If varied by dynamics/articulation which will you use?
1 Slightly Louder
2 A lot louder
3 slightly Softer
4 a lot softer
5 Crescendo
6 Decrescendo
7 Forzando
8 Sforzando
9 legato
10 stacatto
11 portato/articulated staccato/these staccato notes are longer
12 stacattissimo/ very short staccato notes
13 rinforzando/reinforced but not as much as an accent
13 accented
14 tenuto/held its full length
15 marcato/new attack/
16 marcato assia/ between legato and staccato
17 a combination of any of the above
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If articulations are added, which beats/notes get the change?
1 all
2 some
3 one
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If only some beats/notes get the change, which ones?
1 The first beat of the measure.
2 "e" of one
3 "and" of one
4 "a" of one
5 on beat 2
6 on e of beat 2
7 on and of 2
8 on a of 2
9 on beat 3
10 on e of 3
11 on and of 3
12 on a of 3
13 on 4
14 on e of 4
15 on and of 4
16 on a of 4
17 A combination
18 Other
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If varying by any combination of a change in pitch, rhythm, dynamics/articulations, ornamentation, which combinations?
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If creating a contrasting motif instead of using a sequence or variation, how will you create the contrasting motif?
1 inversion/upside-down
2 Retrograde/backwards
3 retrograde-inversion/upside-down AND backwards
4 inversion with retrograde rhythm
5 retrograde rhythm with original melodic series.
6 Retrograde-inversion of the melodic series with the melodic rhythm of the initial motif.
7 Fragment (There are hundreds of ways to slice up an existing motif to get small little subfigurations and can’t be defined adequately here without examples. However, one useful method is if there is a place where a chromatic note or microtonal bend occurs. Then we can use that as the beginning of a 3 or 4 note fragment which is repeated exactly several times or sequenced. Either will add emphasis to the alien note’s interest inducing effect. It more fully obscures the initial motif if coming from the middle of the initial motif, so it’s harder to use the label repetition of the original and more likely to be a new contrasting motif.)
8 Combinations such as Inverted and Sequenced.
9 Melodic Permutations of the original motif.
10 melodic AND rhythmic permutations of original motif.
11 If the first is fluid then the second one may contain leaps.
12 If the first is long then the second one may be short.
13 Other
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If creating a permutation which permutation will you use?
1 Random?
2 Structured?
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If using random permutations, here are the possible permutations of 3 notes. (The possible permutations of four notes is longer and 5 is truly unwieldy.)
1) 123 (This is the original, so we’re not talking about this one really.)
2) 132
3) 213
4) 231
5) 312
6) 321
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If using structured permutations, which pre-computer-encryption cipher will you use? (The first 3 will retain more structural relationship to the original than the rest. The last four or five will have the least structural relationship to the original than the rest.)
1 Rail fence
2 Route cipher
3 Columnar transposition
4 Double transposition
5 Myszkowski transposition
6 Disrupted transposition
7 Grilles
8 Simple Substitution
9 Homophonic substitution
10 Polyalphabetic substitution
11 Polygraphic substitution/digraphic ciphers such as Play Fair
12 Bifid cipher
13 Four-square cipher
14 Trifid cipher
15 Hill cipher
16 One time pad
17 Block ciphers
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How many motifs will the first phrase have?
1
2,
3,
4,
5,
6
7 More than 6
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What note will the antecedent of the first phrase end on?
1 first note of the scale
2 Third note of the scale
3 Fifth note of the scale
4 Seventh note
5 Second
6 Fourth
7 Sixth
(It’s not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)
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What rhythmic position will the antecedent of the first phrase end on?
1 The first beat of the measure.
2 "e" of one
3 "and" of one
4 "a" of one
5 on beat 2
6 on e of beat 2
7 on and of 2
8 on a of 2
9 on beat 3
10 on e of 3
11 on and of 3
12 on a of 3
13 on 4
14 on e of 4
15 on and of 4
16 on a of 4
(It’s not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)
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What note will the consequent of the first phrase start on?
1 first note of the scale
2 Third note of the scale
3 Fifth note of the scale
4 Seventh note
5 Second
6 Fourth
7 Sixth
(It’s not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)
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What rhythmic position will the consequent of the first phrase start on?
1 The first beat of the measure.
2 "e" of one
3 "and" of one
4 "a" of one
5 on beat 2
6 on e of beat 2
7 on and of 2
8 on a of 2
9 on beat 3
10 on e of 3
11 on and of 3
12 on a of 3
13 on 4
14 on e of 4
15 on and of 4
16 on a of 4
(It’s not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)
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Will the second phrase be a repetition of the first phrase?
1 Yes
2 No
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If yes will the repetition be
1 exact
2 a sequence
3 a variation
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If the second phrase is a sequence, will it be sequenced
1 Up or
2 down
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If Up:
1 By second,
2 By third,
3 By fourth or
4 By octave
5 Other
(Motion by fifth or greater is considered a leap and is reserved for climaxes. A leap of a fifth or more might be a good idea when going to the next section which most of the time will be the chorus which is where any climaxing should occur.)
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If Down:
1 By second,
2 By third,
3 By fourth or
4 By octave
5 Other
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If the second phrase is a variation of the first, how will it be varied?:
1 By pitch
2 By rhythm
3 By pitch and Rhythm
4 By Dynamics/articulation
(Variations in rhythm tend to dissipate a feeling of unity more quickly than variations in melody alone.{Unity can be good but too much induces boredom which is bad} So, if more intense variation would instill a feeling of chaos {which is what too much variation does} then stick with only melodic variation. If the music needs to sound more fresh at that point, then use rhythmic variation or a combination of rhythmic and pitch variation. Also, a completely chaotic melody may be given a lot of order if confined to a simple, repeating rhythm.)
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If the second phrase is varied by pitch, how?:
1 add accidentals
2 Add notes
3 Subtract notes
4 fragmented
5 diatonic interval contraction
6 diatonic interval expansion
7 octave displacement
8 Ornamentation
9 Permutation
10 Rhythmic displacement
11 retrograde rhythm with the original melodic series.
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If the second phrase is varied by adding accidentals, which accidentals will you add?
1 flats
2 sharps
3 sharps and flats
(Dominant chords handle all dissonances well. Minor chords less so, and Major chords hardly at all.)
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Where will you add the accidentals?
____________________________________________
If adding notes to create a second phrase as a variation of the first, which notes will you add and how many?
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Where will you add the extra notes to create the second phrase?
1 Before the repetition of the phrase?
2 After the repetition of the phrase?
3 In the middle of the repetition of the phrase?
4 a combination of before and after the repetition of the phrase.
5 A combination of before and during
6 a combination of during and after
A combination of before, during AND after.
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If before, in the middle, or after the repetition of the phrase, where will you put the additions?
____________________________________________
If you subtract notes to create a variation for the repeat of the phrase, where will they be subtracted?
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If fragmenting a motif to create a variation of the first phrase, which subfiguration will you use?
1 The initial motif/motifs of the phrase.
2 the last motif/motifs of the phrase
3 motif/motifs from the middle of the phrase.
(Using a fragment that starts with the initial motif/motifs or the last motif/motifs of the original phrase is a good one to try.)
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If using interval contraction, which interval will you contract?
1 Highest
2 Lowest
3 a group of notes
____________________________________________
If using interval expansion, which intervals will you expand?
1 the highest note
2 Lowest note
3 A group of notes such as peaks.
(Sometimes it’s useful to make the highest note of a phrase a bit higher on the repeat since the process of moving the music forward often requires a higher note, a greater leap, a more intense rhythm, a louder dynamic etc…in subsequent material. Just make sure this does not create an unintended interval such as a major 7th or a tritone which are usually treated with care.)
____________________________________________
If using octave displacement, which direction will you displace it?
1 Up
2 Down.
(Up is probably the preferred direction.)
____________________________________________
If using ornamentation, which ornamentation will you use?
1 Appogiatura/slow grace note on the beat.
2 Nineteenth century appoggiatura/fast grace note before the beat.
3 Nachlag/as in 16th note passing tones filling what was an eighth note arpeggio.
4 Turn I/down the long side of a four note trough and up the short side. 3 down-1 up.
5 Turn II/Encirclement by step/CDCBC. (In jazz, one of the neighbor notes may be chromatic)
6 Vertical turn/ up the long side of a 4 note mountain then down the short side. Up 3 down 1.
7 On beat trill up
8 On beat trill down
9 Before the beat trill up
10 Before the beat trill down
11 Pralltriller/ starts on the beat and the higher note. It is a rapid four note trill that ends on the low note.
12 Upper grace note on the beat/upper crush/fast pull-off
13 Lower grace note on the beat/lower crush/fast hammer-on
14Upper grace note before the beat.
15 Lower grace note before the beat.
16 Upper mordent on the beat/a single upper note then back down again.
17 Upper mordent before the beat.
18 Lower mordent on the beat/
19 Lower mordent before the beat.
20 Vibrato (in pop music usually four oscillations per beat but some people such as Stevie Nicks have machine gun vibrato.
21 Arpeggiation/often triplet grace notes forming a triad.
22 Upwards glissando/portamento on the beat
23 Downwards glissando/portamento on the beat.
24 Upwards glissando before the beat. (May not fully reach the next pitch and so could be microtonal as in Blues bends.)
25 Downwards glissando before the beat. (May not fully reach the next pitch and so could be microtonal as in Blues bends.)
26 Other ornaments such as the slow waves that occur in Classical Indian music, and grace notes of other intervals besides a 2nd.
27 Combinations of these such as the trill and mordent etc…
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If using rhythmic displacement to create a repetition or sequence of the phrase where will you start it?
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If the repetition of the first phrase is varied by pitch and rhythm, which combinations will you use?
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If varied by dynamics/articulation which will you use?
1 Slightly Louder
2 A lot louder
3 slightly Softer
4 a lot softer
5 Crescendo
6 Decrescendo
7 Forzando
8 Sforzando
9 legato
10 stacatto
11 portato/articulated staccato/these staccato notes are longer
12 stacattissimo/ very short staccato notes
13 rinforzando/reinforced but not as much as an accent
13 accented
14 tenuto/held its full length
15 marcato/new attack/
16 marcato assia/ between legato and staccato
17 a combination of any of the above
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If articulations are added, which beats/notes get the change?
1 all
2 some
3 one
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If only some beats/notes get the change, which ones?
If varying by any combination of a change in pitch, rhythm, dynamics/articulations, ornamentation, which combinations?
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If creating a contrasting phrase instead of using a sequence or variation, how will you create the contrasting phrase?
1 inversion/upside-down
2 Retrograde/backwards
3 retrograde-inversion/upside-down AND backwards
4 inversion with retrograde rhythm
5 retrograde rhythm with original melodic series.
6 Retrograde-inversion of the melodic series with the melodic rhythm of the initial motif.
7 Fragment (There are hundreds of ways to slice up an existing phrase to get small little subfigurations and can’t be defined adequately here without examples.
8 Combinations such as Inverted and Sequenced.
9 Melodic Permutations of the original phrase.
10 melodic AND rhythmic permutations of original phrase.
11 If the first is fluid then the second one may contain leaps.
12 If the first is long then the second one may be short.
13 Rhythmic displacement
14 Other
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If creating a permutation which kind of permutation will you use?
1 Random?
2 Structured?
If using structured permutations, which pre-computer-encryption cipher will you use? (The first 3 will retain more structural relationship to the original than the rest. The last four or five will have the least structural relationship to the original than the rest.)
1 Rail fence
2 Route cipher
3 Columnar transposition
4 Double transposition
5 Myszkowski transposition
6 Disrupted transposition
7 Grilles
8 Simple Substitution
9 Homophonic substitution
10 Polyalphabetic substitution
11 Polygraphic substitution/digraphic ciphers such as Play Fair
12 Bifid cipher
13 Four-square cipher
14 Trifid cipher
15 Hill cipher
16 One time pad
17 Block ciphers
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How many phrases will the first section have?
1
2,
3,
4,
5,
6
7 More than 6
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What note will the antecedent of the second phrase end on?
1 first note of the scale
2 Third note of the scale
3 Fifth note of the scale
4 Seventh note
5 Second
6 Fourth
7 Sixth
(It’s not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)
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What rhythmic position will the antecedent of the second phrase end on?
(It’s not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)
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What note will the consequent of the second phrase start on?
1 first note of the scale
2 Third note of the scale
3 Fifth note of the scale
4 Seventh note
5 Second
6 Fourth
7 Sixth
(It’s not critical to answer this question with any kind of strategy.)
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What rhythmic position will the consequent of the second phrase start on?