Questions tagged [composition]
For questions about the creation of new music and the techniques used to do so.
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What does the marking "Tempo" mean in the middle of a piece of music?
In Hubert Parry's (1848-1918) choral work "There is an Old Belief", there is a marking in a few places that just reads "Tempo". The first time it happens after a ritard, following ...
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When would I write E sharp and when would I write F natural? [duplicate]
My song is in E Major. The notes go as follows: A, G#, F#, E#/F natural, F#. My instinct is to do E# so that I don't have to put another accidental on the next note. Is there a specific reason to use ...
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How to compose like Liszt? [closed]
I've been trying to compose like him for a long time but I've got no idea where to start. What are some of his most used chord progressions? Info like this would help.
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What options do I have to utilize all my created riffs to their full potential?
Playing guitar, I tend to create a whole bunch of different riffs that flow one after the other in the same key. They all sound really good together but then I wonder how I could turn them into a song....
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Is there a word for the motif of linearly-tumbling & surging little bundles of notes? (E.g., "FEDC-FEDC-BCDEF")
For example, Cerulean's Flight (from the start and throughout):
I've found this to be one of the most common attributes of my favourite music. In my notes I've had to ...
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Are there any recorded cases of two composers working independently composing the same thing?
I heard the Miley Cyrus song Party in the U.S.A. on the radio yesterday (never heard it before) and I heard a vocal phrase that sounded very familiar. I couldn't place it for a while, but then it came ...
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Help with note grouping in 6/4 time
I'm currently preparing music for a rehearsal and recording session, and I want my charts to be easy and clear to read without any problems.
I have a tune in 6/4 and am a little unsure of what looks ...
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Harmonic accuracy check [closed]
I would like a harmonic accuracy check for a variation that I composed based on a section of the first movement of Brahms's Violin Concerto. I am concerned with whether or not the notes of Bars 18 - ...
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How can I maintain interest with a repeating bassline?
If it helps, this is my bassline(opening the piece as the melody of a chorale), for a classical orchestra plus trombones and piano.
This bassline has to repeat for the entirety of the piece, with the ...
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How well can woodwind instruments leap large intervals?
I've composed this passage:
I'm concerned about it due to the large leaps in three of the four instruments. I have tried to find some information online about leaps and woodwind instruments, but ...
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What methods can composers use to make the listener's perception of time feel slower or faster?
When composing or arranging, what methods can be exploited to affect the listener's perception of the speed they are moving through time?
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Greek modes, minor and major scales
By definition, a major scale is:
W W H W W W H
similarly, a minor scale is:
W H W W H W W
Now, the standard notion of Greek modes begins with: a major scale, and the construction of the modes with ...
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Is there a specific name for this cadence melody?
The trill or any ornamentation is optional but seems like it is usually there. I am familiar with this melody more generally as part of an authentic cadence, but this particular rhythm seems very ...
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How can I explain/understand a flattened 2nd in a minor melody
My 10yo daughter (~grade 4 piano level) likes composing her own tunes, and then we'll discuss them and expand on them. Recently she composed a melody that appears to be in c# minor, except that every ...
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Is deliberate voice crossing a common method for part writing?
In basic harmony exercises voice crossing is avoided.
But, in actual string music, well I suppose all instrument genres, voice crossing is fairly common, and by my reckoning it seems to be a method ...
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