Skip to main content

How to Critique Music Structure

Creating a critique of a musical structure requires careful consideration of the proportions in the music and how they relate to independent sections. Musical form can be analyzed through a system of musical letters. The letters indicate each section and how it repeats within the piece. Composers will place their ideas into a musical form to create effective compositions that follow a logical progression of ideas. The structure is the basis for the creation of an entire piece. Without a solid structure, the composition will meander.

Step 1: Analyze the overall form. Identify the first section by the melody. When the melody changes in the piece, you will have a new section. Label all of the sections that match the first section with an "A." Then, label the next section "B" and any sections that match. Continue until all sections have been labeled and, when appropriate, matched. Not all sections will repeat. In those cases, you will only label the initial section.

Step 2: Time the length of each section. In music, generally, most sections will be approximately the same length. You will have to be subjective with this, but discuss any sections that you feel are too long or too short. Maybe one section is extremely slow, and the interest of the listener is lost, or one section moves too quickly, preventing the piece from developing naturally. Discuss issues of time and possible solutions.

Step 3: Identify the key of the piece. Use the circle of fifths to figure out if the piece is in a major or minor key. Some pieces do not use key signatures and rely instead on patterns of notes and intervals. In those cases, discuss the patterns used and talk about how the may relate to the larger structure.

Step 4: Find the highest and the lowest note in the piece. The highest note should only occur once in a piece while the lowest note can occur more often. Generally, the highest point in a piece comes about halfway to three-quarters of the way through the piece. If it happens too early or late, discuss how this affects the structure of the piece.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...
Post a Comment
Read more