Relationships 2

 

Training

This isn’t just about intervals. It’s a detailed way of thinking about anything. The idea is to focus intently on a particular thing, and see how much change you can bring to  it. This isn’t composition as much as composition training.

 

Changing the interval

 

The original interval can be changed in 11 ways. The interval we’re working with is a perfect 4^th.  The other intervals are:

 

• unison
• minor 2^nd
• major 2^nd
• minor 3^rd
• major 3^rd
• augmented 4^th
• perfect 5^th
• minor 6^th
• major 6^th
• minor 7^th
• major 7^th

 

Here’s the original interval again.

 

 

You can change the interval by keeping one of the original notes and changing the other.

 

Or you can change both notes, and form either a different interval…

or the same interval as the original.

 

 

Keeping one of the notes maintains a clear relationship with the original interval even though the interval changes. So does changing both notes and keeping the original interval.

 

Changing both notes without maintaining the original interval is the only move that cuts all contact to the original.

 

Melody strings

Try stringing a few 2-note ideas together. Make all of the notes the same duration (this is so you can focus on pitch relationships). If there’s something you don’t like about what you’ve got, change a note.

 

Be clear about what needs to change, and why. Maybe there’s a large leap that doesn’t work where it is, but might work elsewhere. Keep track of your decisions. This brings self-understanding, indispensible to being a composer.

 

Of course, it may not be the notes that need to change. It might be the rhythm…