The Student Room Group

AS music composition

hey :smile:

basically, i really messed up my AS music exam last year and got 209 (one mark off a B) when i was predicted an A by my teacher

this was generally down to doing fairly mediocre in all the modules... 72/90 for playing (everyone else in my class got around 90 :P) then about 60% in the coursework and exam modules

sooo... i'm retaking the whole lot




i would really appreciate any advice people have as far as composition goes.. are some genres looked upon more favourably on others? what did you do to get a high mark? etccc..

last year i did a kinda minimalist piece for clarinet quartet, and it got 42/60 (or something like that)



thanks in advance :smile:
randomjak
hey :smile:

basically, i really messed up my AS music exam last year and got 209 (one mark off a B) when i was predicted an A by my teacher

this was generally down to doing fairly mediocre in all the modules... 72/90 for playing (everyone else in my class got around 90 :P) then about 60% in the coursework and exam modules

sooo... i'm retaking the whole lot




i would really appreciate any advice people have as far as composition goes.. are some genres looked upon more favourably on others? what did you do to get a high mark? etccc..

last year i did a kinda minimalist piece for clarinet quartet, and it got 42/60 (or something like that)



thanks in advance :smile:


The most important thing is to have a good structure with a balance between repetition and variation. Not enough repetition and it sounds random, too much and it's boring. For overall structure, something like ABA is good, with entirely new material in B. I find it helpful to compose in 8 bar phrases. Start with an 8 bar melody, then repeat it with slight variation, perhaps invert it or change the rhythm. Vary it more obviously or use a different instrument for the third phrase, then finish the section with a repeat of the first phrase. Then add harmony - it doesn't have to be complicated, sometimes long notes can be the most effective so that the texture doesn't become too busy. Choose harmony instruments that aren't going to drown out the melody line or obscure it by sounding too similar. (Stay away from piano unless you are confident you can write something really interesting - there are marks for writing idiomatically for the instruments.) Choose interesting chords for your harmony (not just I, IV and V) and use cadences at the expected places (e.g. in a 32 bar section, use perfect at bars 15-16 and 31-32, imperfect at 7-8 and 23-24). Consider using a simple ostinato or some kind of rhythmic bassline to add interest. Alternatively, you could use a chord sequence to structure the music instead of having the melody provide structure, e.g. a repeating sequence of 4 or 8 chords.

Use an entirely fresh melody for the B section, but perhaps with the same instruments so it doesn't sound too much like a random jump. Modulate to a different key as this will get you marks. Very frequent modulation is easy to do and sounds impressive. For example, try a series of V-I progressions in different keys and you can get away with using exactly the same melody, which saves work.

Repeat the A section using more instruments. The extra instruments could imitate fragments of the melody. Using imitation will gain you marks for structure.

There are marks for using the full range of your instruments, but spend the majority of the time in the 'comfortable' range of the instrument (ask players about this).

If you know what you are doing, unusual use of tonality will grab the examiner's attention and gain marks. For example, use of the whole tone scale, pentatonic scale etc. I wrote a piece for A2 last year using the idea of juxtaposing two unrelated chords, inspired by 'Goldfinger'. If you can find a piece that makes interesting use of tonality, copy the idea and it will give you something to write about in your commentary. Don't be afraid to borrow ideas from other music to give you a starting point - all the best composers have been influenced by others!

Get as much detail into your score as possible. Dynamics, articulation, tempo markings, phrasing, performance directions, bowing/breathing marks, even if you're just doing it for the sake of it. Make sure the score matches your recording as closely as possible.

As concerns genres, stay away from very distinctive styles unless you can pull them off convincingly, e.g. jazz. Be careful of minimalism as it may not allow you to show enough variation and development and the structure can become rambly. If you write for a traditional ensemble, e.g. a string quartet, you will be expected to write idiomatically.

You don't have to be a creative genius to compose. I compose in a very 'cold and calculating' way and got full marks for composing in both years of the course. Get hold of a mark scheme and tick the boxes. :smile: Hope this is vaguely helpful!
i got 90/90 for performance and 112/120 for composition. I did a modernized version of the Bossa nova strand of jazz - a song i called broken. I found it quite easy because it was really quick to get ideas together with my mac!
Reply 3
Snork_Maiden

You don't have to be a creative genius to compose. I compose in a very 'cold and calculating' way and got full marks for composing in both years of the course. Get hold of a mark scheme and tick the boxes. :smile: Hope this is vaguely helpful!



thanks! that was really helpful :smile:

and haha
can you compose something for me to save me the hassle!?


the only person to ever get full marks for composition (bearing in mind some people go on to do it at uni too) was last year

and he copied it off the internet :P not gooood when they found out haha
randomjak
thanks! that was really helpful :smile:

and haha
can you compose something for me to save me the hassle!?


the only person to ever get full marks for composition (bearing in mind some people go on to do it at uni too) was last year

and he copied it off the internet :P not gooood when they found out haha


Several people in my class got full marks last year. My music teacher wrote a sort of 'composing for dummies' type guide, similar to what I wrote above, but a bit more prescriptive. My dad's response to hearing my composition playing on the computer was 'What on earth is that **** you're listening to?!' :p: Which just goes to show it doesn't have to sound that great as long as it does all the things the mark scheme requires!

One person in my class made a piece by combing elements of several of the demo pieces on Sibelius and then adding a preset drum pattern. He got a C for it. :eek: Although he got an E overall as he failed everything else.
Reply 5
Snork_Maiden
Several people in my class got full marks last year. My music teacher wrote a sort of 'composing for dummies' type guide, similar to what I wrote above, but a bit more prescriptive. My dad's response to hearing my composition playing on the computer was 'What on earth is that **** you're listening to?!' :p: Which just goes to show it doesn't have to sound that great as long as it does all the things the mark scheme requires!

One person in my class made a piece by combing elements of several of the demo pieces on Sibelius and then adding a preset drum pattern. He got a C for it. :eek: Although he got an E overall as he failed everything else.


haha nice
i heard someone in the local area was doing something with ableton... dunno what he got. i thought that fitted more into the music tech area :s-smilie: meh

and thats pretty good
you don't happen to have a copy of it on you do you? :P
randomjak
haha nice
i heard someone in the local area was doing something with ableton... dunno what he got. i thought that fitted more into the music tech area :s-smilie: meh

and thats pretty good
you don't happen to have a copy of it on you do you? :P


I don't think Ableton will make you a score - you probably need one? If you want to use something of that type then FL Studio is probably a little more affordable, unless you can somehow blag a free copy of Ableton from this person you know!

A copy of Sibelius or the composition? I bought Sibelius myself as my dad said I wasn't allowed any illegal software on my computer, so I'm not exactly inclined to give away free copies. :P It's ridiculously overpriced. I have the student version as the full version is hundreds of pounds too expensive for me to afford... Noteworthy Composer is similar and about £20. I would have used that if using Sibelius hadn't been compulsory.

As for the composition, sadly I don't have a copy. We tried to perform it live in class, which was hilarious. I was playing the piano part, which was full of chords with about ten notes in them, coming in three hemidemisemiquavers after the beginning of the bar and ridiculous things like that. The drummer almost died of exhaustion trying to play his part. Oh good times. :biggrin:
Reply 7
Snork_Maiden
I don't think Ableton will make you a score - you probably need one? If you want to use something of that type then FL Studio is probably a little more affordable, unless you can somehow blag a free copy of Ableton from this person you know!

A copy of Sibelius or the composition? I bought Sibelius myself as my dad said I wasn't allowed any illegal software on my computer, so I'm not exactly inclined to give away free copies. :P It's ridiculously overpriced. I have the student version as the full version is hundreds of pounds too expensive for me to afford... Noteworthy Composer is similar and about £20. I would have used that if using Sibelius hadn't been compulsory.

As for the composition, sadly I don't have a copy. We tried to perform it live in class, which was hilarious. I was playing the piano part, which was full of chords with about ten notes in them, coming in three hemidemisemiquavers after the beginning of the bar and ridiculous things like that. The drummer almost died of exhaustion trying to play his part. Oh good times. :biggrin:


haha
sounds good
we didn't even record my AS composition because it we don't have enough clarinetists in the school decent enough to play it

and there's not really anywhere to breathe either :P



yeahhh i have sibelius :smile: student ofc. and it is such a rip off for what it is... but i figured i kinda need it :/

and my friend has ableton! he's made some pretty good stuff on it
soooo confusing to use though
i downloaded a trial and i couldnt get it to make a noise let alone a decent piece of music :P
Reply 8
randomjak
hey :smile:

basically, i really messed up my AS music exam last year and got 209 (one mark off a B) when i was predicted an A by my teacher

this was generally down to doing fairly mediocre in all the modules... 72/90 for playing (everyone else in my class got around 90 :P) then about 60% in the coursework and exam modules

sooo... i'm retaking the whole lot




i would really appreciate any advice people have as far as composition goes.. are some genres looked upon more favourably on others? what did you do to get a high mark? etccc..

last year i did a kinda minimalist piece for clarinet quartet, and it got 42/60 (or something like that)



thanks in advance :smile:



I did exactly the same thing, tbh.
Boffed up the composition a bit, and got 73/90 for performing. But for my composition this year, I just got a chord sequence together, put a choir of Soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass, arranged them to be singing the chords with a few suspensions here and there, add a piano part, violin, flute, bass and then a sung melody line using a poem by Anne Bronte as my lyrics. Jobs a good 'un. It didn't take so long, it is rhythmically complex and all the harmonies work. it fits nicely into the popular music category, and i could do a ive recording which saved alot of time. and after looking at the syllabus and mark scheme, altering it to fit into what they want, etc.. i'm looking at an A for the whole hing, i think, as my teacher marks compositions, and she seemed to like it. but yeah. stick to what you are used to. write for instruments that you can find people to play. don't have too many parts, but then not too few. keep it simple, and write to whatever the mark scheme wants, and you should be looking at a decent mark. hope that helps.
Reply 9
JJF
I did exactly the same thing, tbh.
Boffed up the composition a bit, and got 73/90 for performing. But for my composition this year, I just got a chord sequence together, put a choir of Soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass, arranged them to be singing the chords with a few suspensions here and there, add a piano part, violin, flute, bass and then a sung melody line using a poem by Anne Bronte as my lyrics. Jobs a good 'un. It didn't take so long, it is rhythmically complex and all the harmonies work. it fits nicely into the popular music category, and i could do a ive recording which saved alot of time. and after looking at the syllabus and mark scheme, altering it to fit into what they want, etc.. i'm looking at an A for the whole hing, i think, as my teacher marks compositions, and she seemed to like it. but yeah. stick to what you are used to. write for instruments that you can find people to play. don't have too many parts, but then not too few. keep it simple, and write to whatever the mark scheme wants, and you should be looking at a decent mark. hope that helps.


cool thanks :smile:
yeahhhh... my teacher says unfortunately the examiners tend to be quite impressed by really large scale performances as it shows that you've put alot of time and effort into it etc. it looks generally more impressive

my one was only four partsss :/
so i'm gonna stick to what i know (clarinets. ahah) and do a really big clarinet choir piece

maybe something like..

fujiko for clarinet choir


google it, it's awesome :wink:

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