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FridayAfternoons–aComposer’sguide
Acollectionofclassroomcomposingactivities,basedonideastakenfromtheFridayAfternoonsSongCollection
DavidAshworth
IntroductionInthelatestroundofFridayAfternoonscommissionsthefocusis,understandably,verymuchonthesongs.However,thereismuchtobegainedbyalsolookingmorecloselyatJonathanDove’scompositions.Hisaccompanimentsaremuchmorethansimplechordal‘vamp-alongs’;theyarecarefullycraftedvignettes,withmanyfeaturesofinterestforaspiringcomposers.Inthisresource,welookatsomeofthesefeatures,andsuggestwaysinwhichstudentsmightmakeeffectiveusetheseideasintheirownwork.Dependingonthestudentsandthecontext,thesecompositiontasksmaybequiteprescriptive,moreopenendedorsomewhereinbetween….Someoftheactivitiesmayleadtocompositionofcompleteworks.Othersmaysimplyprovideideasforelementsofacomposition.Teachersandstudentsshouldfeelfreeto‘pickandmix’withthesesuggestions–takingfromthemwhattheyneedasappropriate.Theteachercanadapttheseresources,andguidestudentsinusingthemintheirwork.TheyareintendedforusebystudentsacrossKeyStages3to5.Someactivitiesarequitestretchingandchallenging–othersaremorestraightforward.Althoughnotatedexamplesareusedtoillustratesomeoftheprocedures,studentswhoarelessconfidentwithstandardnotationcanmakeuseoftheunderlyingideas,withteacherguidanceandsupport.DownloadthePDFversionsofthefullscoresfromtheFridayAfternoonswebsiteandusethemalongsidethisresource.
1.ComposingideasfromMusicontheWaters
Usingkeysignatures‘creatively’Whatisgoingonhere?ThekeysignatureoffivesharpsclearlysuggeststhekeyofBmajor,butthepiecenevercomestorestonthishomenote.InsteadmostphrasesendwithanF#,whichwehavetoregardastheroot.OtherphrasesendonaC#,suggestingthedominantinthekeyofF#.Ifwethinkofthispieceasusingamixolydianratherthanamajorscaleitbecomeseasiertounderstand.Thiswayofwritingautomaticallyensurestheflattenedseventh,insteadofhavingtowriteitasanaccidentaleachtime.Themixolydianisapopularscaleusedacrossmanygenresofmusic,includingbluesandfolk(SheMovedThroughTheFair),Classical(GriegPianoConcertoinAminor-thirdmovement)andPop(Beatles-NorwegianWoodandRadiohead-MorningMrMagpie)
ActivitySetupacompositiontask,wherestudentsuseoneofthefollowingkeysignatures:
Wehavelabelledthese1to5.TheyshouldusethechartbelowtoselectakeynotetomakemusicineitherMixolydianorDorianmode:Label Mixolydian–rootnote Dorian–rootnote1 D A2 A E
3 E B4 C G5 F C
VocalostinatoThewaythevocalbackingpartsworkinthispieceisinteresting–theyoverlapandrise/fallsuggestingamusicalinterpretationofwave-likemovement.Themotifbeginsonthedominant(C#)andendsonthetonic(F#)Overlappingatashortonebeatintervalisveryeffective,givingasenseofforwardpropulsion.Intheabsenceofanyconventionalharmonicprogression,thishelpstocreateaninterestingandeverchangingtextureofharmonies.MorelikeDebussythanMozart.Unlikeaconventionalchorus,thebackingvocalspermeateratherthanpunctuatethesong.Sothe‘message’ofthesongiscontinuouslyandsubliminallyinthebackground.Canyoufindexamplesofpopmusicwherebackingvocalsfunctioninasimilarway?
ActivityAskstudentstoaddtexturallayerstoacomposition,usingtheaboveapproach:
• Deviseashortrepeatedmotif,overlappingafteronebeat.• Beginningonthedominantandendingonthetonicworkswell,butother
configurationsmaybeconsidered.• Usingasequencerpianorolleditorcanfacilitatethisprocess.• Donotworryiftheintervalsbetweenanyverticalpairingofnotesseemsto
clash.Thedissonanceislikelytobetoofleetingtobeaproblem.However,sustainednotesmayneedtobechosencarefully.
ThepianoaccompanimentIntherighthandtherapidsemiquaversaregentleandsustained,buildupanimpressionisticwashofsound.Again,thewaterthemedmusicofDebussyspringstomind,forexampleRefletsdansl’eau
Therighthandpatternisanunchangingostinato,usingthefirstfournotesofthevocalostinatomotifshownabove,butplayedattwicethespeed–adiminutionfromquaverstosemiquavers.Againstthispattern,thelefthandplaysapatternwhichusuallyrisesandfallsinastepwisepattern.
ActivityThispianoaccompanimentprovidesanexcellentmodelforacomposition.Studentcanbegiventhetaskonwritinganaccompanimentforpiano,guitarsorotherinstruments,foroneormoreplayers,whichhasthefollowingfeatures:
• Deviseashortarpeggiostylepattern,thenrepeat,butvaryoneofthenotes,toaddalittleinteresttotherepetition.
• Deviseanaccompanyingbassorlefthandparttogowiththis.• Movethelefthandparttodifferentintervals–useatrialanderrorapproach
toseewhichcombinationsworkbest.Theexamplebelowhasbeencreatedusingtheaboveapproach.Eachbarisrepeatedseveraltimes,beforefurtherdevelopingtheprogression.
2.Composingideasfrom“Legend”
TheaccompanimentThelefthandostinatofigurecommandsattentionandbearsrepetitionbecauseofitsarrestingrhythmandthedistinctively‘bare’soundofthechords.Thesearechordsusingonlyrootsandfifths-guitaristscallthisthepowerchord.ItchugsalongsteadilyontherootnoteofD,butnoticehoweffectiveitiswhenitsuddenlychangesatbar23,whereitclimbsathird.ThisanintervalbetweenchordswhichisusedfrequentlybytheFridayAfternoonscomposerJonathanDove.FollowingtheDtoFchange,itlaterfallsathirdDtoBthenlaterBtoG[climbsa6thratherthanfallingathirdwhichessentiallygivesthesameeffect].ParallelmovementratherthandiatonicprogressioncanbefoundinmanyworksofpopularmusicfromTheHouseoftheRisingSun,EleanorRigby,theworksofBowiethroughtomanyRadioheadtracks.ClassicalcomposerssuchasVaughanWilliamsalsofavouredthisinterval.Consider,forexample,theopeningtoSeaSymphony,whereanopeningbrassfanfaremovesfromachordofBbminortoDmajor.Thisisanimportantmotifwhichisusedextensivelythroughoutthepiece.Lateratbar53hitsthedominantchordofAbriefly-thensoonfallsagainthethirdstoFbeforefinallycomingtorestonD.
ActivitiesExperimentwith‘powerchords’onpianoorguitar.Powerchordsdonotnecessarilyhavetobeplayedforcefully-itrefersmoretotheuseofchordscomprisingcombiningnotesofroot/fifth/octave.Thesechordsaretonally‘ambiguous’–theyareneitherfullymajornorminor.HerearethenotesforaGpowerchord–sometimesreferredtoasG5orG[nothird]
• Movethesechordsaroundandletyourearsdecidewhichtoretain.Frequentlyreturntothekeychordanduselotsofmovementinthirds.
• Savetheuseofthedominantforadramaticorimportantpointinthe
composition.
• Keeptherhythmofthepatternsimple,butinteresting–achallenge!
Call/responseandfollowingthetuneNowlet’sturnourattentiontohowtherighthandfunctionsinthispianoaccompaniment.Therighthandpartdoesoneoftwothings:
• Itsetsupadramaticcall/responsewiththelefthandpartduringtheintroduction,interludesandending
• Itdoublesorharmonisesthemelodyduringthevocalsections.
ActivitiesUsethismodelasatemplateforanoriginalcomposition.Usethediagrambelowforguidanceonhowtodothis:
ThemelodyThemelodyforthissongcomprisesfourphrases:
• PhraseA:afourbarphrasestartingontherootnoteofD• PhraseB:transposesPhraseAupathird,withanalteredending• PhraseC:transposesPhraseAupafifth• PhraseD:agentlydescendingphrase
Theaccompanimentprovideslotsofspacetomakethemelodystandout,horizontallyandvertically:
• Therearefourbarinterludesbetweeneachofthephrases.• Thebassostinatoispitchedwellbelowthemelodicline.• Thepianodoublesorharmonisesthevocalline
ActivitiesSetupacompositionprojectwhichusessomeorallofthesefeatures.Thiscanbeforanycombinationofinstrumentsand/orvoices.
3.ComposingideasfromMadMoon
TweakingchordsAswithMusicontheWaters,thispieceisinmixolydianmode.ThekeysignatureofthreesharpssuggeststhekeyofAmajor,butthehomechord,usedextensivelythroughmuchofthepiece,isEmajor.Tooffsetthepossibilityofthischordbecomingtediousthroughoverrepetition,Dovetweaksoneofthenotesintheostinatopattern,replacinganEwithanF#.Thisdevicehasbeenusedbycountlessbluespianistsandguitaristsinstandard12barbluesshuffleaccompaniments.
ActivityAskstudentstowriteachordalvampusingoneofthesechords,plusthechordwithanalterednote,asshownbelow.Theyshouldthentransposethepatterntootherchordspriortoarrangingthechordsintoasequence.Thechordsshownareintendedforusebyaguitarist,butcanbeadaptedforkeyboarduse:
Theexamplebelowshowsthebeginningsofapiece,usingtheGchordillustratedabove.ThepatternhasbeentransposeduptothechordsofCandD.NoticetheDtranspositionhasbeenadaptedslightlytofacilitateguitarfingering.
Making‘wild’musicDoveintroducesa‘howling’chorusstartingatbar11inthispiece.Thissectioncontrastswiththemoreformallystructuredversethatprecedesit.Itsoundsmoreabandonedandanarchic.Thisispartlyachievedthroughthepitchandrhythmchoicesandisreinforcedwiththeportamentomarking.Thissenseofwildabandonisanimportantelementinarangeofpop/rockmusicfromacrossthedecades.ItisthereinLennon’sTwist&ShoutthroughtoMotherwiththePlasticOnoBand,thesoulmusicofJamesBrownandWilsonPickett,countlessHendrixguitarsolos,Radiohead’sParanoidAndroid…thelistgoeson.
ActivityWeareaskingstudentstoputasidemorestructured,formalconsiderationsofmelody,rhythmandharmony;toforgetthe‘rules’andrespondmoreintuitively.Obviouslythemoodsorscenesthemusicaretryingtoconveyhavetobe
appropriateforthistypeofmusicmaking–seastorms,highenergydancepieces,infactanythingonadramatictheme.Havingputtogethersomeappropriatebackingtracks,studentscandeviseideasbysingingoverthetoporusinganinstrumentcapableofproducingwailing,slidingsounds.Fretlessstringinstruments,pitchbendonakeyboardoraguitarbottleneckwouldbegoodchoices.Althoughtheresultsshouldsoundwildandanarchic,thereismoretothisthanrandomshoutingandscreaming.Musicallyitwillhavetomakesomesortofsenseintermsofhowitfitswiththebacking.Forexample,noticehowDoveachievesthisbymakingsurethatthephrasesendonnotesfromtheunderpinningB7chord.Studentsdon’tnecessarilyhavetothinktooanalyticallywiththis.Theycanbeguidedbytheirears….
WorkingwithchromaticpatternsFrombar19beginsadelightfulinstrumentalsolowhereatwonotefigurefallsandriseschromaticallyoverasimpletwochordaccompaniment.Youwouldexpectapassagesuchasthistosoundhighlydissonant.However,itisnotperceivedbytheearassuch.Theclashingintervalsarefleeting,andthesenseofstructureandordershiftsfromconsiderationsoftheharmonytoaperceptionofastrongsenseofpatterncreatedbythemovingmelodicfigure.Theideasoundssimpleenough,butcareandthoughthasgoneintochoosingwherethenotesland,particularlyatthepointofchordchangeinthelefthand.Forexample,thejudicioususeofaquaverrestatthebeginningensuresthattherepetitionofthesequencecomesexactlyatthebeginningofanewbar!
ActivityInthisactivity,studentsaregoingtocreateapatternwhichmoveschromaticallyoverasimplechordaccompaniment.Studentscanbeginby‘doodling’onaninstrumenttofindashortthreeorfournotefigurewhichsounds‘good’whenitismovedchromaticallyupordown.Thesechromaticpatternscanbetrickytoplay,sosomestudentsmightwishtousethepianorolleditorinasequencertofacilitatethisprocess.Guitaristsmightwanttobeginwithapatterninthemiddleofthefretboard,whichtheycanslideupanddownonefretatatime.
Theexamplebelowshowsthisprocess.Readingthetablature,ratherthanthenotation,makesitclearhowthechromatictranspositionisworking.
NoticehowthechordsaboveareathirdapartandhowthenotesatthebeginningofthethirdbararethenotesfromaBbminorchord.Thisisbydesign–notaccident.Sostudentswillneedtochoosechordscarefullythatfitwiththewaythechromaticprogressionismoving.Abitofaplanningchallenge,butmanystudentswillenjoyrisingtothedemandsofthispuzzlesolvingactivity.ChordsmovinginthirdsissomethingofaDove‘hallmark’whichwehaveobservedinotherpiecesfromtheFridayAfternoonscollection.Thelefthandaccompanimentvampisdeliberatelysimple,sothatitdoesnotdivertattentionawayfromthechromaticallymovinglineplayingaboveit.However,agentlesyncopationaddsadegreeofinterest.Thisembodiesausefulworking‘principle’foraspiringcomposers-whenamelodyorharmonyissimple,youcanaddinterestbythinkingabouttherhythmicelement.
DavidAshworth,October2016
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