...suddenly, you lean the other way and regurgitate your lunch, laced with
an ample sprinkling of Sprite.
Congratulations. You are the newest victim of a bad transition. That,
along with lack of phrasing and lack of dynamic contrast, is a problem that
plagues many musicians, old and new alike.
Musical phrasing is a concept that most instrumental musicians have to
deal with. After learning the rhythm and the notes, musical passages have
to be "phrased" into different sections in order to give the music vitality.
Imagine, if you will, a seashore, with the waves surging in and crashing,
in a slow, timely, rhythm. The rise and fall of the tide is very much like
the rise and fall of a musical passage. It makes otherwise boring sound
attractive. Transitions involve movement between two different phrases of
music. A transition should be relatively smooth, seamless, and effective.
Abrubt transitions, for the most part, should be avoided unless your piece
requires them for some reason. They make songs rough and hard to follow.
A surprise around every corner becomes irritating. Dynamic contrast means
"different volumes in different places." Without dynamic contrast, songs
are stale and ineffective in evoking an emotional response.
In this article, I'm going to focus on identifying musical problem spots
involving phrasing, transitions, and dynamics, as well as propose several
possible solutions. Regardless of the style of music you compose, these
three elements are important factors. Being able to use all three
effectively can make a significant difference in your abilites to compose
entertaining music.
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PROBLEM SPOT #1 - The song you've been working on has been happy and
upbeat for a few minutes. Now, you aim to bring down the volume and write
a rather peaceful section with a stirring melody. Approach one: fade out
the main theme, and concurrently fade in the new theme. If the tempo is
different (try to make it different, because it lends the new section
individuality), try to track the former so it is still played at the
same relative tempo, while introducing your new theme. Approach two: End
your previous section with a dramatic blast of some thick layered chord,
fade out, then bring in the new section. Approach three: continue a
segment of your previous theme, like the bass line or a drum beat, and
build your new section over it. This kind of transition is really
inspiring when done correctly. The blend of both sections will be closer,
and will help you avoid the "sounds like two songs in one mod" syndrome.
Please avoid simply stoppping the song by creating one ending, and
continuing on, unless you're aiming for a symphonic 'movement I,'
'movement II,' 'movement III' style, etc...
PROBLEM SPOT #2 - You've been tracking a beautiful slow chorale section in
your epic orchestral piece. It is stunning. Now, you need to return to
your opening fanfare and theme. There are a few ways of doing this. The
first way is to demonstrate your complete lack of appreciation for the
development of the piece and just jump right in to your recapitulation.
This kind of abrubt awakening usually sends the wrong impression about
your music. "Woah, that came out of nowhere? What was this guy thinking?"
Try slowing down your theme, while fading out. Then, implement a quick
crescendo and thrust forward into your main theme. For an example of
this, listen to "Kingdom Skies" by Jason Chong. Chong, in writing his
orchestral piece, uses this technique very well. Another approach to
this problem is to gradually speed up the piece near the end of this area,
and lead right into the main theme without any pause in action.
PROBLEM SPOT #3 - Cut up your melody lines into phrases. Believe me, I
am very guilty of writing extremely long melody lines. These spin on and
on forever, never ending, never pausing for breath. Imagine a perfectly
still lake, the water perfectly still. There is no movement, no life, no
energy. Music cannot be like that! Back to the ocean wave example; there
must be rhythm, and there must be emotion. By creating melody lines which
possess feeling and "say" something, we draw in our audience. One simple
approach to this problem is simply to do a crescendo/descrescendo sequence
with each part of the phrase. Rise and fall, rise and fall.
Why are musical concepts such as dynamics, tempo, blend and balance, and
the like so important? Because they make music entertaining. If we take a
look at the songs which are popular, and regarded as, "good," we can see
that these songs possess a fine control of all those musical elements. If
dynamics cannot be fixed, there is excellent blend and balance to cover it.
If some instruments are too overpowering, dynamic contrast gives life to
other instruments (but nothing will save your song from an overdose of
bass).
DYNAMIC CONTRAST - As a general observation, those of us tracking music
don't always give enough attention to dynamics. Some of us track with the
instruments at volume 64 all of the time, and don't bother using the swells
in dynamics that give music excitement. Listening to a song which is loud
100% of the time is painful. Listening to a song that is soft 100% of the
time is boring. There needs to be a balance between the two. Also, melody
lines stick out and make a better impression when their dynamics are
varied. A short blast of loudness followed by quick, but soft, movement,
is exciting to listen to. Those odd samples which are so popular in
techno songs have a bigger impact if their dynamics are interesting.
Dynamic contrast is one of the most useful tools in creating good
phrasing. The repeated crescendo -> decrescendo pattern is quite prevalant
in classical as well as popular music, an indication of its power. Even
straight eighth notes can be interesting. Change their volumes!
Dynamics. Your most powerful weapon in putting life into dead leads and
backups. Practice in moderation!
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EXAMPLE #1 - Here we go through an example song, utilizing the elements
we've discussed so far. We begin with strings, very soft, shifting chords.
A steady drum beat with a snare and timpani fade in. In this intro, we set
the chord progression for the main theme. Then, a suspended cymbal roll
rises in volume and our opening brass fanfare at full volume explodes in a
tide of furious sound. The tempo slowly increases, and another cymbal roll
leads into a fast, soft, section. Pizzicato strings lead on the off beats.
Short burts of brass come in an out on top of a flowing woodwind melody.
The percussion, still soft at this point, provides a groove, as well as
implementing the "wave" effect whenever the brass emerges. The woodwinds
slowly increase volume and then lead into the next section, where the brass
takes the woodwind's theme and plays a fortituous variation. The brass is
joined by the woodwinds, and the percussion leads both into a rehash of the
first theme. We choose a quick and decisive ending this time, so all the
instruments hit the last note at full volume, then immediately drop to 10%
volume. The volume slowly rises, accompanied by a bass drum roll, and a
huge crash of a tamtam (gong) closes the piece. There we have it! One of
many orchestral arrangements! We skipped a slow section this time, but
that's perfectly fine. It isn't necessary.
EXAMPLE #2 - Let's try this approach with a R&B type song. The background
of such a song should provide a constant tempo and a fairly steady
recurring chord progression to back up the lead(s). Percussion should be
mainly filler, except at transitions and solos. Now, perhaps a synth paino
or pad should open. Again, quite slowly, as it helps us get in the "mood."
Percussion background should join in, and perhaps a few kicks of the bass
here and there to bring in the lead(s). Now take some major creative
liberties. Try to get your lead lines to recreate the flow of a human
voice (unless you really want to record lyrics and put them in). Between
each section, make sure you fade in/fade out with different leads, maybe
even have a few duets/trios. Don't make abrubt cuts unless you sandwich
a drum fill in between for good measure. Enjoy it! You can end the song
any number of ways. A drum solo would be nice, but if you don't want to
work that hard, the traditional "continued fade out" ending (with the song
endlessly repeating and getting softer) will work.
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I hope that this article has outlined a few basics in tracking musical
phrases for you. Most of these concepts are relatively simple, and a
number of you probably won't need the help, but take it in anyway. I still
hear songs now and then that lack dynamic elements that could really change
the tone of the piece entirely. Feel free to experiment. Innovation in
music is respected and highly regarded, if the results are impressive.
All comments and/or suggestions are welcome. If this editorial has helped
you any, please write!
"The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by suddent flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow