Challenge #1 - June 17-24 2007

[Chris Alpiar]

I will start it off with an easy project that many may already have done and just want to share. This weeks exploration of fun and good times is to write 4 8-bar motifs in any genre, any tempo, any meter. Each motif needs to have melody and some accompanying harmony. Do this in the format you feel most comfortable (mp3, finale score, .gif of guitar tablature, etc) and submit it here by the 24th. Then we will discuss next week and critique

[AndyStootz]

Nice idea Chris - I may not get 4 pieces together as I'm in the middle of a course and landed some amateur films to score, but I'll give it a go!

Cheers
Stootz

[Chris Alpiar]

great! its stucture is only to keep momentum, not to be stressful or anything. So do your best and I look forward to see what you come up with!

[Steve O Sample]

A question or two, please. Since I spent my entire teaching career as a theory teacher and have been a "meat & potatoes" arranger, my compositional skills are quite limited, so is it permissible to submit sketches of things we have already done?
Where exactly do we send them?
This could be interesting. Thanks for asking me to join you.

[Chris Alpiar]

Absolutely! this was intended as sketches, not complete works. 8-bar motifs is the suggestion but I dont want to be strict at all as long as they fall in the spirit of the assignment. So if you have a few sketches that are not exactly 8 bar motifs its all good Sir Sample! Any format you can digitally post is great, just add a reply in this thread and before you submit click the link at the bottom "Would you like to upload files?" and load up whatever format you have: mp3, aif, wmv, mov, etc if you have them recorded or just a piece of a score is awesome too: a pdf of your finale file, or a .gif or .jpg of your scanned manuscript, or both written and aural if you have it!

One thing would be nice though: keep your assignment post with attachments at "top level" of this thread (ie dont reply tho *this* but reply to the start topic, hmm does that make sence?) and so we can reply to each persons assignment instead of one huge mish-mash of postings

[phil Kelly]

Chris:

The word "assignment" gives me that somewhat creepy academic vibe and makes me want tot rebel against it.

Anyhow, here's a thing I've been diddling with for several months called "Zoes Loft" (?) Heres a PDF of it and if I'm lucky, maybe an mp3 as well ..

comments??

[Chris Alpiar]

============== IMPORTANT READ PLEASE :) ===============
Ok I have been getting a lot of questions about this weeks topic. Please let me re-iterate. What I would like to see is each person submitting 4 motifs. Each motif should be roughly 8 bars (tho 1bar, 16bars, whatever is just fine!) Since it seems unclear to some people a motif is a musical idea that stands alone, it is a theme or an idea that is complete in itself, and it is easy to build off of this idea to expand and create a whole work. Beethoven was a master of motivic development.

mo·tif (mō-tēf') Pronunciation Key
n. 1. A recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work.
2. A dominant theme or central idea.
3. Music A short rhythmic or melodic passage that is repeated or evoked in various parts of a composition.
4. A repeated figure or design in architecture or decoration. See Synonyms at figure.

so what i would like to see for this subject is a single-staff or 2 staff score with 4 different ideas, connected in a work or not doesnt matter as long as the 4 motifs are easily distinguished. If a score is not possible then just an mp3 or scanning of a music page or however you write.

The idea is that to write 4 simple short motifs is a good excercize for everyone young and old, and its an important part of writing. Also its easy to analyze/listen to everyones ideas. If you dont have time to write 4 simple melodic motifs this week, its OK! you can add yours some other date and put in the archives, or you can just not worry about it and jump in next time you have free time to be involved :)

This topic of write 4 motifs is my idea, but others are warmly suggested to come up with topics for other weeks and post them in the suggestion box. Through this method we can have fun and cover serious composition topics for the younger and more experienced alike. Future topics I hope to see all kinds of subjects on orchestration, theory, harmony, songwriting, but all small tangible things that can help everyone

[Steve O Sample]

Since I am tech-no challenged, it took me a while to find this page and what is going on. I understand,now, where you're going and will be dropping a motive or two soon.
SS