Group 1
Welcome to the NEW FOUR WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
This special FOUR-week workshop is a journey into the heart of piano composition, tailored for both beginners and seasoned pianists. Dr. Antonella Di Giulio will share her insights and techniques in creating structured piano compositions, drawing from her experience as a pianist, music theorist, and teacher.
Pianists of all levels are welcome.
More Detailed instructions coming soon!
- Sign-Up : January 12 - 15th
- Course Period: January 15th - February 11th
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom: TBD
Assignment 1:
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/uO_4ITnzrvo
"We will start this creative musical journey by exploring the cognitive processes of creativity and then we will dive into practical strategies you can use to start writing your own music. Creativity in music involves preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification.
Musical storytelling, theme and variation, collaborative composition, and constraint-based composing are powerful strategies to start creating music.
Improvisation is a key tool for developing musical intuition and creativity.
Tools to Begin Outlining Your Composition
- Manuscript Paper or Notation Software
- Piano or Keyboard
- Recording Device
- Reference Materials
- Creative Journal:
Breaking the Ice with Composition
For those who are new to composing or feel intimidated at the prospect of creating a full-fledged piece like a sonata, it's essential to start small and approach the process with a sense of exploration and fun. Here are some suggestions to ease into the composition process:
- Start with a Miniature Composition
- Improvise Freely
- Use a Familiar Piece as a reference
- Set a Time Limit
- Embrace the 'Sketch'
Assignments:
- Choose one of the strategies you might want to try out, maybe one you might feel more comfortable with and start experimenting with it.
For "Musical Storytelling:" write a short story with about 5 or more different scenes, create some sounds or ideas for each scene and write the notes down (symbols or sketches are ok!)
For "Theme and Variation": choose a short theme, start sketching what you could do with the theme (for instance, Var. 1/ in triplets, Var. 2/ in quadruplets, Var. 4/ in minor)
For "Collaborative Composition": find a partner or a group, start with a few notes, pass them along to your partner(s), let them complete the sentence, then continue what they have done and keep exchanging ideas.
For "Constraint-Based Composing": chose a constraint. For instance, you might want to work only with a certain rhythmic pattern, or only using certain pitches, or even transcribe an existing composition. Then start sketching your own piece on that base.
- Sketch a Short Piece: Using the chosen method, start outlining a short piece of music.
- Reflective Journal: Keep a musical journal of your process, noting your thoughts, challenges, and insights. It is easy to forget a short motive or a beautiful accompaniment if we do not write it down.
- Post your progress to receive suggestions and feedback.
Remember, it has to be fun!
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Assignment #2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdHlCiIIMuY&feature=youtu.be
"In the second week of the workshop, we will explore the intricate world of musical structure. Because each one of you is working on very different projects, it would be meaningless to just analyze traditional types of structures and the overused traditional forms. Instead, I have chosen to focus on two general concepts that can help everybody.
I will introduce two essential structural concepts: paradigmatic and syntagmatic structures. Paradigmatic structure, likened to a musical palette, involves making choices from available musical elements such as melodies, harmonies, rhythms, dynamics, and articulations vertically, to create depth and meaning in a piece. Syntagmatic structures help craft a narrative and focus on the sequence of musical events over time and the logical flow within a composition.
Music composition is a dynamic interplay between structure and creativity. So... if you consider these two main structural concepts, you might feel free to move within a structure in whichever way you'd like.
Assignments for Week Two: "Unlocking the Secrets of Musical Structure"
Paradigmatic Exploration: Choose a section of your composition and experiment with different paradigmatic choices. Alter the harmony, rhythm, or articulation to evoke different emotions or moods. Reflect on how these changes impact the overall expression of your piece.
Syntagmatic Storytelling: Review the structure of your composition. Ensure it has a clear narrative arc – introduction, development, climax, and conclusion. Consider the transitions between sections and how they contribute to the flow of your music.
Balancing Act: Explore how you can seamlessly blend paradigmatic and syntagmatic elements in your composition. Identify moments where introducing new musical material enhances the overall impact of your piece."
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Assignment #3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg43G3uOOH0
"This workshop focuses on understanding music as a system of signs and codes, following Umberto Eco's theories. The session aims to expand participants' understanding of how musical elements convey meaning within a composition's structure.
Key Points:
Music as a System of Signs:
Emphasis on how music uses signs like notes, rhythms, dynamics to communicate. Discussion on the semiotics of music.
Eco's Theories:
Exploration of Umberto Eco's concepts of 'Structures That Move' and 'Structures Within Which We Move', applying them to music composition.
Musical Codes in Composition:
Importance of understanding and creatively using musical codes. Discussion on genre-specific codes and cross-genre exploration.
Crafting Music with Intention:
Focus on intentional use of musical codes to enrich narrative and emotional depth in compositions.
Practical Assignments:
Analyzing Musical Codes:
Choose a music piece, identify and analyze its musical codes, understanding their contribution to the piece's message and emotion.
Composing with 'Structures That Move'/ 'Structures Within Which We Move':
Apply this concept to your piece.
Examine how codes combine in music to express meaning. Add codes to unlock the meaning in your piece.
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Assignment #4 (Final!)
"As we consider finalizing our compositions with the rhizomatic concept in mind, it's important to embrace the idea that a composition might never be 'finished' in the traditional sense but can always remain open to new interpretations and developments. Your composition is complete not when every possibility has been explored but when it provides a coherent musical experience that feels resolved yet open to further exploration.
Assignments for the Final Week
Review with Rhizomatic Perspective: Revisit your composition, considering the interconnectedness and multiplicity of musical ideas. Reflect on how each segment offers paths to new explorations.
Subtle Refinements: Focus on detail-oriented tweaks that enhance the interconnected themes, ensuring each motif contributes to the overall rhizomatic structure.
Seek Feedback: Gather diverse perspectives on your composition's rhizomatic nature. Use this feedback to open new paths within your work.
Embrace Evolution: Allow your composition to develop organically, exploring alternative paths and creative experimentations.
Maintain Your Vision: Ensure your rhizomatic composition remains true to your original intent, even as it evolves and expands.
Final Presentation: Prepare to share your composition here on Tonebase on February 20th (watchparty)
As we conclude this workshop, remember that composing with a rhizomatic perspective enriches your creative process, offering endless possibilities for growth and exploration. Your compositions become living, breathing entities, constantly evolving and inviting new interpretations. Thank you for joining me on this unconventional journey!
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Hi everyone!
I have been working on my Theme and Variations project. Here is the main theme with a few variations and another variation in waltz time.
Any critique would be welcome!
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Morgan Nogradi Look at some piano variations as a template to follow. You can get some new ideas about to organize them.
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Antonella Di Giulio Hi! Sorry I haven't posted in a bit. I have been refining my composition (now named 'Dirge of the Unforgotten'). I ended up writing a few new variations and cutting out some of the old ones. I was trying to maintain a level of consistency throughout the piece and some of the variations were a little too different.
Here is my current semi-polished version (still has a few hiccups!). I hope you like it!
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Morgan Nogradi Very nice! I am looking forward to listening to your composition during the Watch party, if you can join us.
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Morgan Nogradi I absolutely love what you have created! Great job! And it is totally playable, which is appreciated by everyone on this platform, LOL.
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For everybody: this is a 1st grader composing a small constraint based piece. In the short video you can also see the piece he modified.
Nguyen’s Constraint-based
https://youtube.com/shorts/Gk3kb8RJtV4?feature=share -
Hello fellow aspiring composers!
I'm happy to join you in this four week intensive. After giving it some thought, I decided that the constraint-based approach is the most suitable for me.
I have one question for the instructor: is it ok if I share my piece as an audio file exported from a music notation program? I don't feel very comfortable performing it myself on the piano. :)
I'm looking forward to listening to all the compositions from the rest of the group!
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NatM Yes, feel free to share what you feel comfortable sharing, but probably at this stage any image of what you have written down or a pdf should be just fine,
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Antonella Di Giulio
I'm sharing with you the result of the first week assignment.
I chose a constraint-based approach, the constraint being to try to limit myself to the use of arpeggios.
I'm not really sure where I could go next with this composition as a starting point.
I'm really looking forward to the next assignments!
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NatM Great starting point! Maybe you could add a melodic line in aerpeggios to make it more interesting?
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NatM does you program export to midi? I also second that with Antonellas advice, a bit of melodic movement in the arpeggios, technically you restrained yourself to arpeggios and adding melodic lines goes beyond that, but that’s okay.
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Antonella Di Giulio
Thank you for your feedback! I really like your suggestion. I hadn't thought of that possibility.
I'll try some things and let's hope I come up with something interesting :)
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Michael Bruce My program does not export to midi, but it does export to wav. I'm sending it as an attachment, in case you want to hear it.
Adding a melodic line will definitely make things more interesting!
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A bunch of us (including Andrea Buckland and Gail Starr and Natalie Peh and Harriet Kaplan )are going to work on a collaborative composition. Here is a short video where I am just coming up with the melody that turned into a waltz in d minor. We will start writing out the piece as well.
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Vidhya Bashyam It sounds so beautiful already! Maybe consider some alternative harmonies underneath the beautiful melody :)
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Antonella Di Giulio Will do. Thank you!
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Vidhya Bashyam How about this Follow up?? This is so much fun!! Thank you so much Vidhya, for your beautiful tune
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Andrea Buckland Vidhya Bashyam You guys are doing such an amazing job! It sounds so beautiful!
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Andrea Buckland I just noticed you added an opus number. Love it!
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Vidhya Bashyam I’ll try to add a bit in MuseScore once you have time to sketch the first draft in Staffpad (if I can open that?).
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Vidhya Bashyam Andrea Buckland Wow! This is wonderful! You should come up with a group name, too.
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Michelle R We actually DO have a group name but it is quite long!
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Michelle R Gail Starr
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I've taken a flute study that I'd decided to learn, and have improvised on the first them from what I remembered in my ear, This gave me an A section of 8 bars, Then I thought, why not do a piece with an A A' B C (or reprise of A to conclude) structure and why not take the melodic line where I felt it could go in a much more chromatic, slightly jazzy vein. I've now written the A' section and am trying to figure out the underlying harmony, today starting from a bass line. I'll post a recording of the first two or three sections as soon as I have them sketched out.
Another possibility - if I've been too ambitious - would be to go back to the chord progression underlying the original melody, perhaps re-harmonizing it from time to time.
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Douglas McCarthy Both great ideas... :)
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Here is my first go. I've enjoyed doing this. Except for writing it down on paper at the piano which was a hassle, and then transferring it to Sibelius, with help from a friend, was even worse. It took ages.
