Featured Links

Other Topics


Quote of the Day

"Pictures must not be too picturesque."

Ralph Waldo Emerson



 

 
Featured Bars Articles

Choosing the healthiest frozen meals
When it comes to eating healthy, fresher is almost always better. In some cases, however, it is impossible to cook fresh foods every night. For people on the go, frozen foods can be healthy alternatives to fresh products. While there is no substitute for ...

Coffee Pods and Espresso Machines
Making the perfect espresso requires skill and knowledge that not many outside Italy possess. But with the advent of coffee pods and espresso machines, the guesswork is taken out of making the perfect shot of espresso. There's nothing like the ...

See the amazing eco friendly surfacing product
MOSAIC HAS COME A LONG WAY From ancient times staining glass has challenged the abilities and imaginations of the great alchemists. From East to West the sheer beauty of stained glass won the hearts of Kings, emperors, sultans and nobles. For a ...





A Quick And Easy Composition Method
 
Here's the method I use every time I want to capture an idea. I draw out 8-bars (or measures) first. Why 8 bars? Because it is an ideal framework to work in. Eight bars of music are enough to generate a complete musical sentence and can usually be repeated once or twice. Next, I improvise and see what comes up. THEN I will write down the chords I am playing and the first 2-bars of melody.

Writing down the first 2-bars of melody helps me remember the entire theme for the 8-bar phrase. I usually stay within one key to make it easy. This means I'll have 6 chords to work with. In C Major, the chords would be, C Maj. - D min. - E min. - F Maj. - G Maj. and A min. This is more than enough material to work with. In fact, I rarely use more than 3 or 4 chords for the first 8-bars.

Once you get your first 8-bars down, your more than halfway home. Why? Because you already have the beginning. The rest of the piece, if there is a rest of the piece, can be finished by drawing more bar lines AND LISTENING FOR THE NEXT SECTION OF MUSIC. This is always accomplished through


improvisation.

Your best material will ALWAYS come from improvisation because you are not thinking about creating something. Instead, you are allowing the music that is inside of you to come to the surface without forcing it or willing it into being. You use the 8-bar framework to hold your ideas so to speak.

There is no rule that says you must work within 8-bars. You can use 4 or even 16 bar phrases, however, its good to be able to feel the form and structure of an 8-bar phrase first. It is the structure used by most composers and it is wise to understand it.




Bars News