Composing with Constraints

100 Practical Exercises in Music Composition

Jorge Variego

Komponowanie z ograniczeniami: 100 praktycznych ćwiczeń z kompozycji muzycznej zapewnia innowacyjne podejście do nauczania rzemiosła komponowania muzyki w oparciu o dostosowane do potrzeb ćwiczenia, które pomagają uczniom rozwijać kreatywność. Kiedy kompozycja jest skondensowana do serii logicznych kroków, można jej uczyć i uczyć się bardziej efektywnie. Mając to na uwadze, Jorge Variego oferuje różnorodne ćwiczenia praktyczne, które mają pomóc studentom-kompozytorom i instruktorom w tworzeniu konkretnych planów pracy obejmujących wysokie oczekiwania i pomyślne wyniki. Każdy rozdział rozpoczyna się krótką notatką dotyczącą terminologii i ogólnymi zaleceniami dla prowadzącego. Pierwsze pięć rozdziałów oferuje różnorodne ćwiczenia, od analizy i naśladowania stylu po wykorzystanie prawdopodobieństwa. Rozdział poświęcony podejściu przedkompozycyjnemu przedstawia oryginalne techniki, które student-kompozytor może zastosować, aby rozpocząć nowe dzieło. W oparciu o myślenie lateralne ostatnia część książki sprzyja twórczym powiązaniom z innymi dyscyplinami, takimi jak matematyka, sztuki wizualne i akustyka architektoniczna.

Chapter I - Melody (exercises 1 - 20)
Preliminary notes
Melody 1 - focal point
Melody 2 - using your own scale
Melody 3 - using your own scale and a subset
Melody 4 - using your own scale with a substitute pitch
Melody 5 - a scale in a given order
Melody 6 - a scale in a given order with ordered rhythm
Melody 7 - concatenating triads
Melody 8 - concatenating triads of any type
Melody 9 - segments of equal duration
Melody 10 - segments of unequal duration
Melody 11 - the melody of an image
Melody 12 - integer notation
Melody 13 - integer notation collections and subsets
Melody 14 - integer notation collections and transition subsets
Melody 15 - simple probabilities
Melody 16 - a twelve-tone row
Melody 17 - a twelve-tone row in palindrome
Melody 18 - intervallic content
Melody 19 - leitmotifs
Melody 20 - eliminations

Chapter II - Harmony (exercises 21 - 40)
Preliminary notes
Harmony 21 - composing transitions
Harmony 22 - using segments, melody becomes harmony
Harmony 23 - axis of symmetry Harmony 24 - using the harmonic series
Harmony 25 - using the harmonic series with a pedal tone
Harmony 26 - just triads
Harmony 27 - using integer notation
Harmony 28 - diatonic?
Harmony 29 - a twelve-tone row
Harmony 30 - alla circle progression
Harmony 31 - triads that move in thirds
Harmony 32 - triads that move in thirds and progressions within a progression
Harmony 33 - polychords, triads over triads
Harmony 34 - polytonality
Harmony 35 - pedal tones
Harmony 36 - ideas using parallel modes
Harmony 37 - clusters
Harmony 38 - sequences and patterns
Harmony 39 - implied harmonies
Harmony 40 - contrafacts

Chapter III - Rhythm (exercises 41 - 60)
Preliminary notes
Rhythm 41 - transformations using simple math
Rhythm 42 - using segments
Rhythm 43 - using segments per measure
Rhythm 44 - non-retrogradable rhythms
Rhythm 45 - patterns within patterns
Rhythm 46 - extracting the rhythm of a text
Rhythm 47 - why meter?
Rhythm 48 - short, long, long, short - using Morse code
Rhythm 49 - ostinato
Rhythm 50 - playing with hemiolas
Rhythm 51 - hemiolas and melodic construction
Rhythm 52 - polymeter
Rhythm 53 - metric modulations
Rhythm 54 - using rhythmic motifs
Rhythm 55 - motivic displacement
Rhythm 56 - isorhythmic motets, talea and color
Rhythm 57 - repeat signs, loops and internal spiraling
Rhythm 58 - composing with unequal rests and pauses
Rhythm 59 - eliminations, everything coming from the same tune
Rhythm 60 - perceivable and non-perceivable pulse

Chapter IV - Texture (exercises 61 - 80)
Preliminary notes
Texture 61 - analyzing Chopin
Texture 62 - homorrythmic
Texture 63 - leitmotifs
Texture 64 - all the same but different
Texture 65 - phasing
Texture 66 - analyzing Debussy, plaining
Texture 67 - Liszt, simple harmonies, complex texture
Texture 68 - ostinatos
Texture 69 - letting the performer make decisions
Texture 70 - aleatoric counterpoint
Texture 71 - micropoliphony
Texture 72 - counterpoint, appropriating from Fux's species
Texture 73 - counterpoint “tree; 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and others combined
Texture 74 - same chord, different color (orchestration)
Texture 75 - the magic of the unison and timbral modulation
Texture 76 - volume of orchestration
Texture 77 - text painting, representing text with sounds
Texture 78 - heterophony
Texture 79 - using stratified layers alla Ives
Texture 80 - sound masses

Chapter V - Form (exercises 81 - 90)
Form 81 - planning contrast
Form 82 - composing with modules
Form 83 - the one-way-trip composition, developing variations
Form 84 - theme and variations
Form 85 - spinning around A, rondo?
Form 86 - form as process, minimalism
Form 87 - palindromic structures
Form 88 - available forms alla Brown
Form 89 - monolithic structures
Form 90 - game pieces

Chapter VI - Pre-compositional strategies (exercises 91 - 100)
Starting a new composition. Challenges and possible solutions.
Strategies.
Formal plans.
Using matrices.
Analysis and stylistic imitation.
Improvisation.
Soundscapes and nature.
Using the computer as assistant.
Pre-composition 91 - writing a compositional recipe
Pre-composition 92 - using a matrix
Pre-composition 93 - deconstructing and reconstructing I
Pre-composition 94 - deconstructing and reconstructing II
Pre-composition 95 - transcribing your own improvisations
Pre-composition 96 - bringing ideas from other “worlds” to your music
Pre-composition 97 - quotations as triggers
Pre-composition 98 - drawing sketches
Pre-composition 99 - oblique strategies by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt
Pre-composition 100 - the computer as assistant