Friday 16 March 2012

Preparing a Composition Portfolio: thoughts

These are some thoughts I discuss with my composition students when they are preparing their portfolios:

Composition Portfolio Preparation
  1. Submit with a CD recording. Full, clear and accurate notation. Full score required in concert pitch.
  2. Avoid using a midi print-out (Logic etc) which can be meaningless.
  3. In pop music and jazz, rhythms are often difficult to notate because of slight changes to the beat - these don’t need to be notated– keep it simple and clear.
  4. Drum kit parts – keep it simple and of use to the drummer – not too complex.
Some useful texts:
  1.  Runswick, D. Rock, Jazz and Pop Arranging, London: Faber, 1992
  2. Baker, D Arranging & Composing: For the Small Ensemble, Jazz, R&B, Jazz Rock, Alfred Pub, 1988
  3. Adler, S The Study of Orchestration, New York, Norton, 2002
  4. Avoid production of looped backing tracks where there is no development nor main idea/melody – it is boring.
  5. Think about overall shape of piece and sketch that out first
  6. Well-structured music combines repetition and contrast. Avoid over-repetition and too many different ideas – vary and develop your ideas.
  7. Notational performance details: make sure that full details are provided for the players.
  8. Avoid pastiche – relate your music to today’s music scene.
  9. Listen to a wide range of music.
  10. Approach your own music with a critical ear – don’t be easily pleased.


Arrangement:
  1. Make sure the main melody is audible – think about balance of the parts and dynamics.
  2. Vary the ensemble – don’t have them all playing at once all the time.
  3. Find out the range of your instruments and what they sound like in their ranges, plus other aspects of their nature.
  4. Buy a book on orchestration and read it– see above.  (plus see Hugill’s website)  http://andrewhugill.com/manuals/intro.html
  5. In tonal music think about which chords you are using and what the key is.
  6. Listen to your harmonic progressions? Are they the most effective ones? Are there notes missing? Does it go anywhere?
  7. Melody is really important – it needs to be more than just part of the harmony – it needs a life of its own. It should have a memorable shape.
  8. Make sure you use a varied rhythm – not just crotchets and quavers.
  9. The bass-line is a second melody and needs to be memorable and singable – avoid just using a line of root position chords – use first inversions and passing notes – make it interesting.

Inspiration
  1. Anything can be inspiring: improvising – images – poems – other works – stories – events – musical processes – chemical processes – emotions (but beware of ‘cheese’…).
  2. Sketch the whole piece out first with just the main line – use a sound source to help.
  3. Don’t leave it too late so you cannot improve it.

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