Change the relationship

Let’s add some more ways to play those two note ideas I’ve been talking about. Doing this creates new relationships.

 

Idea A: Dynamics

 

 

Idea B: Instrumentation

 

 

Idea C: Articulations

 

So we’ve created three ways to say the same thing differently. Pretty simple. If you were using language this could be thought of as a change of tone.

 

Mixing ideas

Mixing these simple ideas together can yield complex results. What happens when you follow idea A with idea C? How does going from a quiet dynamic to staccato make you want to proceed? (The complexity emerges from how you proceed, by the way; just sticking a couple of things together doesn’t do it.)

 

Respond intuitively, then analyse what you’ve done (intuition to intellect). Maybe just thinking of dynamics made you repeat the figure, get gradually louder and end loud and staccato. Or maybe you alternated between quiet/staccato and quiet/no staccato.

 

Don’t just take these ideas and stick them together. Play them and let stuff happen. Think of all the things you could do. Then write that stuff down.