Group 5
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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Thank you so much for your gracious words. I love the idea of story telling. I will take that idea and hopefully run with it.
A confession here really as at the outset of the this first assignment, the Musical Storytelling direction caught my mind (that is before thinking to try my hand at a Theme and Variations direction which I've never attempted one before). I had actually listed out 5 different scenes tracing events from about three months back that led to a wonderful culminating event that just happened a few days ago on January 14. What came out on paper (1st sketch) must have been a reflection of that quiet joy... Somehow, there is a happiness that I cannot explain of. Thank you so much for the idea of my 1st sketch being an introduction! 
Where do I find the pdf, please? I'd love to hear your suggestions.
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Antonella Di Giulio Wow! Thank you so much!
I will have a chance to look into the analysis at days end… Thank you SO MUCH! 
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Antonella Di Giulio Dr. Antonella! Such fascinating analysis! You're simply brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing your work. I am totally in awe of you. I am most grateful for this privilege of being coached special by you...This for all of us in the course. Thank you! Thank you so very much!!!
Thank you so much for the wonderful explanation of a personal musical code may be...
I feel the need to sit awhile longer with my piece and plot out the story (as it has mostly been by feel and of course creativity by guidance... of which I am so grateful for. Thank you so much. ) The result though may be quite a major overhaul... but for the piece to have a deeper meaning? it may be what it takes... Wow. It's taking it to another level... Will sit with my piece awhile... Thank you so very much for your guidance! -
Rudelle Gaje You are doing most of the work :)
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Antonella Di Giulio Hello Dr. Antonella! I hope things are well with you!
It has been awhile but I needed to sit with my piece and mull over it thinking 'what is it that I really want to convey?'... What is attached below is basically the "telling my story"... I've personalized it....I hope the major reworking especially of the opening part lends to the overall construct... and yes, there are personal musical codes integrated in the piece, perhaps some more subtle than others... 
The original theme (at the beginning of the class of the few bars that came upon inspiration), that really is the reflection-- "This is my peace, this is my song, offering praise to God. He's my Refuge, and my Portion, all through every moment"... (I tried putting words to the movement of the first few lines...) I feel it's so revealing, but it is truth...
I know this is still very much a draft and yet to be polished... I am so open to what you'll have to say. Thank you so much in advance!
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Rudelle Gaje Wow... I mean, this was just a little piece a few weeks ago :) I will play around with it later tomorrow, but it looks like it has acquired so much depth now...
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Antonella Di Giulio Thank you so much!
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Rudelle Gaje It flows very well. Maybe try ti print it and play it.... and think about what you would expect to happen as a listener.
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Antonella Di Giulio Thank you so much for your reply! I will try the listener approach more thoughtfully…
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Antonella Di Giulio I so hope that the dynamics and expression markings strategically placed make a difference...I also changed some notes as it seemed more pleasing to the ear... As for the listener's expectations, I'm not so sure what the listener is to expect...other than to be engaged in the listening!??... May I ask, please, what is it that the listener expects? Thank you again, so much!
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Rudelle Gaje Beautifully improved! Great job... Sometimes you might go with what the listener would expect to happen (for example, we usually expect a dominant to resolve on the tonic) and sometimes you might want to go with unexpected solutions in your soundscape. It depends on what you might want to achieve. According to our brain, meaningful responses (in the brain) are created by the unexpected, while we find comforting the known and expected.
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Antonella Di Giulio Thank you so much for your encouragement! And thank you so much for your wonderful explanation!
I feel like there’s more yet that can be done on my piece. I aim to find those places…. -
Antonella Di Giulio Thank you so much for such an incredible journey through this workshop of composing for the piano. I have enjoyed it so much. You are most knowledgeable and inspiring. You have opened up worlds for me in the way you comment, and guide...I deeply appreciate it all. Thank you so very much.
I went back to my piece, changed a few more notes, and also found the cadence that with the change led to a more expected and smoother transition (m. 103)...
I almost can't believe that from a simple 12-measure beginning this piece has so now evolved (like the rhizome) into a complex network of themes that diverge and converge in unpredictable ways...and yet still carries a singular vision... This piece in my mind is still open to be explored and refined, but for now, I so hope it provides for an inherent musical experience... Truly, I am most grateful for your guidance and inspiration. Thank you ever so much! -
Rudelle Gaje It was my pleasure to teach here, And you did an amazing work with the piece! I wonder if you will publish it somewhere and play it for recordings. <3
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Antonella Di Giulio wow. Coming from you, am so touched by your confidence. Thank you. I hope to see my piece being published someday and recorded, too…that now is a dream. Thank you for giving me inspirational wings in this world of composing for the piano… I am grateful.
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Rudelle Gaje This is so beautiful! I enjoy playing it and my husband enjoyed hearing it!
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Wendy I am touched by your kind words, Wendy. Thank you so much!
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Antonella Di Giulio Dear Dr. Antonella, I hope things are well with you! I came back to visit the forum space and found the time of party is to be at 11 a.m. PST. I was hoping to attend, but I have a rehearsal at the same exact time--a prior commitment. I'm so sorry to miss this grand time together. Your wonderful teaching and inspiration will remain with me, however. I am so glad to have met you here in Tonebase. Thank you so much for all that you have shared!
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Rudelle Gaje Thanks for your kind words
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I chose a story as the entry point. I have the idea of one bird singing, then another bird sings, and then they sing together. It’s not so much a story, I suppose, but I like the idea.
I found an A chord and another chord (I don’t know it’s name; I just started Ben’s music theory course) for a contented, monotonous baseline that is there as an introduction, and then the first bird sings in turns and trills, and then the second bird sings in grace notes and replies, but I haven’t got to the second bird on the piano yet. I haven’t thought about how to combine them yet.
When I’m playing the theme of the first bird, I try to stay with my melody and not get lost in following notes that sound like a theme from another composer. I can hear different ways the melody can go. I want to keep it mine and not a copy. I think that writing it down might help that?
I think I’m thinking too much and need to play at the piano more! I will try to write it out in MuseScore. It looks so great in Rudelle Gaje ’s music.
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Wendy Beautiful! Maybe look at these pieces :
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Antonella Di Giulio Thank you! This is inspiring and also brought back memories of my interactions with all of these birds, most humourlously a cickadee, and gives me a lot of new ideas!
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Wendy If you have a chance to get the score of these pieces, you will see how simple they are in the writing. Maybe you can model some of them.
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Wendy Hi Wendy, you're so kind! Thank you. It's actually my first time to use MuseScore. A friend mentioned it for use in his arrangements. It's a free download and quite friendly to use. There are learning videos offered shortly after the download... I only watched two as I was so excited to get started.
Am still very much in the learning process. I encourage you to use it! Have fun and all the best! -
Rudelle Gaje Thank you for the encouragement! I will try it and post my first try tomorrow. Now I have set a deadline. Good for me!
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Antonella Di Giulio Thank you very much! This is so helpful. I found some images of the Birds pieces and I found Raccoons on the internet archive. I will use this as a model. It is time to write it down and not keep it in my head. Thank you!
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