KVR Audio

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:36 am

While melodies can definately imply certain harmonies, there is usually a fair degree of flexibility with respects to chord choices. One one hand, a simple I-V progression might be perfect. Then again, perhaps you might want to branch out and experiment with some alternative progressions, throwing in a few surprising twists and turns along the way!

Quite often this is possible without altering the melody at all. But if you consider the melody as a series of motifs and motivic variations, allowing yourself to modify them here and their, then the possibilities really are endless.

Here is dead simple melody. It is presented first with no accompaniment, then with three variations. The first is entirely diatonic, the second with tastefully subtle chromaticism, and the third heavily chromatic with some shocking twists through.

http://download.yousendit.com/C55026F7299FB8F3

Please, use the the melody and see if you can come up with any cool progressions! I would love to see how many we can come up with, kind of like a sample mash up

Or if you feel REALLY brave, you could try some polyphonic variation with the melody maybe? Whatever you like!

TB

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:48 am

Ok, here's one with somewhat of a 'Ragtime' flavour

http://download.yousendit.com/5836091D47FDF8BF

TB

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:15 am

And one with a contrapunctal inversion, putting the melody in the bass:

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?a ... CCkY95TA==

TB

cheul · Post by **cheul** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:02 pm

Hmm that's a cool idea. Good also to take a simple melody so we can pick out what changed in the process.
I loved some of the effects you achieved on the heavily "chromaticized" version, would you mind posting the MIDI of this one ?

And you sure are prolific ! Do you happen to know know anything about orchestration ? that's an area I'd like to explore too, always wondering how they get this or that particular orchestral texture/effect. I know of the ressources available on the net (especially on Garritan's forum) but find it too formal and lacking of fun.

I'll have a try at your challenges once I find time.

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:05 pm

Will post the midi, ofcourse. I was going to post the score, but dont have any good scoring software unfortunately (I never got to grips with the score edit in Cubase... so fiddly!).

Hmmm, I must confess that Im NOT a great orchestrator. I can lay something out for strings, then maybe give the melody or harmony to the woodwinds or brass. Very basic stuff like that, but nothing fancy.

Orchestration is a whole other ball game. The orchestra is like the most complex instrument there is. It takes a lot of work to become comfortable with it.

TB

marvotron · Post by **marvotron** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:27 pm

wicked..that last one is hilarious.

i'll definitely have a go as im enjoying these threads and finally taking the time to learn whats going on. lots of respect to those of you who are putting up all the useful information.

VicDiesel · Post by **VicDiesel** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:57 am

tee boy wrote:Will post the midi, ofcourse.

When?

Victor.

PS there, now I'm subscribed to this thread

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:06 am

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?a ... 3E339DF1DE

Just dont shoot me if the voice leading is somewhat questionable - the harmonizations were quick sketches!

TB

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:08 am

http://download.yousendit.com/7ABC301065FAA5BC

This time Iv changed to the minor mode and modulated to Eb. The melody is set out in octaves, with the bass and accompaniment in broken triplets.

TB

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:09 am

marvotron wrote:wicked..that last one is hilarious.

i'll definitely have a go as im enjoying these threads and finally taking the time to learn whats going on. lots of respect to those of you who are putting up all the useful information.

Good bloke, I look forward to hearing what you come up with

Feel free to change the arrangement too. You dont have to stick to a shitty paino sound if you dont want to.

TB

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:27 am

Here's one where Iv altered the phrase structure, repeating the first bar in the third (the melody that is). Phrase structure isnt something that gets talked about much around here, but its fundamental stuff, and always worth considering a little (if not ALOT):

http://download.yousendit.com/FCBC929369EBBE80

I also used a quintuplet turn heading on for the cadence, which gives the melody a sort of rhythmic freedom from the accompaniment. And you dont have to stick with 3's, 4's and 5's - sometimes it can sound cool if you use something that clashes completely with the accompaniment. This is especially useful if you use heavy rubato and completely free the melody from the rhythm in time. I surpose that was the probably how the beginnings of polymetric music got started, but here the first and last notes always synchronise.

BB

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:58 am

http://download.yousendit.com/A1E0C2463AD2ABBA

This next variation was intended to imitate the classical era style of Mozart. It uses an Alberti accompaniment which is very minimal. Also the melody is well decorated with ornaments, passing notes, apoggiatura's etc.

Id be interested to see if anyone could write a fugue using this melody or motif's taken from it as the subject. Im seriously weak at immitive counterpoint, so that would be very cool to see.

TB

MookTek · Post by **MookTek** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:29 am

tee boy, I'm loving this thread. Great stuff. Can you do one in the style of Shostakovich or Bartok?

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:34 am

Eek, probably not if Im honest. I must confess that C20th music is something that intimidates me greatly. I have to study it some more before I could attempt to immitate anyones style.

Both amazing composers though. There was some phenomenal music composed last century. The Shostakovich symphonies being a fine example.

Tell you what I probably could do though - alter the intervals of the melody slightly to make it into a 12 tone row. God knows if it would be usable, but its an interesting thought!

TB

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:01 am

http://download.yousendit.com/728021F62156B265

This variation once again changes mode and modulates to C# minor. But this time I also changed the time signature and made it into a Waltz. For this reason I had to alter the note lengths in the melody.

I also did a little bit of motivic development. Notice that when the melody repeats for the second time that the notes play in reverse order. This is called the 'retrograde'. You can do so much with a melody just by inverting the intervals playing the prime (original) and inversion in retrograde. You can augment or diminish the duration of the notes too.

Classical sonatas are a great place to look for these kinds of tricks. The development section SHOULD be made from nothing but the material presented in the exposition. So each sonata is really like a little tutorial. Same with Bach, as he was pretty much the grand daddy of this stuff.

Anyway, I havent gone into great length in this variation, but you should be able to see the potential for this kind of melodic 'tampering'.

TB

Melody Harmonization Challenge