There are three criteria that apply to all of your Unit 2 compositions. Each piece must:
- be between 2:30 and 4 minutes long.
- include at least FOUR instrumental parts (one could be a vocal part).
- use “real” instruments, either recorded or played into Garageband using the keyboard – software instruments. So, no synths.
It is also crucial to write yourself a composition brief to provide a starting point. Your creativity can then set sail and may well develop in many varied and unplanned ways, but the “blank page” situation can be unhelpful, so giving yourself some guidelines is a great way to kick off the compositional process..
So, what makes a successful composition brief? There are three important steps:
1. Choose a musical genre to compose in. You must also find two reference tracks that are in this style. Choose from the following list:
- Pop song – this can be in any style i.e. R’n’B, acoustic pop, indie, etc.
- Rock song or Rock instrumental piece.
- Jazz instrumental
- Instrumental movie theme
- Classical instrumental
2. Choose one link to the strand – this year’s strand is The Western Classical Tradition. Click HERE FOR A LIST OF LINKS TO THE STRAND FOR YOU TO CHOOSE ONE FROM. It is important that you pick a link that will fit with your chosen genre/style.
3. Pick TWO Areas of Study from the following list. These will then provide the focus for how your composition develops. Below are some suggested starting points for each Area of Study:
- AoS1 Rhythm & Metre – Your piece might start by establishing a clear sense of pulse and develop to include: variety of rhythmic grooves, drum fills, syncopation, polyrhythm etc.
- AoS2 Harmony & Tonality – Your piece might start with a diatonic chord sequence and develop to include chord inversions, 7th chords, modulation, etc.
- AoS3 Texture & Melody – Your piece might start with a monophonic texture or by using melody with accompaniment and develop to include polyphonic (also called contrapuntal) textures, layered textures, octaves, doubling in unison, harmonised melody, etc.
- AoS4 Timbre & Dynamics – Your piece might feature strings and include legato, pizzicato and staccato sections. This could also apply to the use of guitars – picking, fingerpicking, strumming, single line melody, use of FX.
- AoS5 Structure & Form – If your composition is instrumental then you might explore Ternary form or Rondo form, begin by writing a strong A section. If you are writing a song, consider standard song form using verse/chorus structure, possibly with a bridge, middle eight and intro/outro sections.
Now you can consider your initial instrumentation. You must use “real instruments”, these can be garageband software instruments, i.e strings, drums, guitars, piano, woodwind, brass, etc. but not synths. Think about what the typical instruments are in your chosen style, this is where your reference tracks will come in handy.