MELODIC DEVICES

MOTIFS AND Melodic Devices

Now it's time to develop a motif. You may want to use an idea that is based on something you've listened to. Your motif should be based around your guide tone, and is a short melodic or rhythmic phrase.

To create your motif use a combination of the following:

1) Other Chord tones

2) Passing tones (notes that aren't in the chord, that connect your guide tone to another chord tone)

3) Auxilliary Notes (notes that aren't in the chord, that return to your original guide tone instead of moving to another chord tone)

Here's the simple motif I've come up with for this example: It moves to another chord tone (Bb) and then uses the auxilliary note (A) to create some interest before returning to the Bb.

This motif is going to be the basis of my entire composition. I'm going to use some MELODIC DEVICES to extend this idea to fill the whole a section. Some melodic devices that are commonly used are listed below.

Read the information below, and listen to the examples to make sure that you really understand the difference between each device, and then apply one or more device to your motif to fill the 8 bars of your 'A' section.

Note: This will be covered in the exams, so it's worth memorising each device, and practice learning to recognise them.

COMPOSITIONAL DEVICES

These are techniques and devices that composers use to build and enhance their musical ideas. They relate to pieces of music in a similar way that words, punctuation and grammar work within a sentence to give that sentence a certain character.

MELODIC DEVICES

Loop artists like Tash Sultana rely almost entirely on the power of repetition to create their compositions, and generate interest by gradually introducing new repeating layers and motifs

Repetition

Repetition is a very broad term and is a part of most music in some way. Repetition is where sounds, sequences or phrases are literally repeated immediately.

In this example, the motif at the start of piece is imitated by the left hand, but is modulated to start on the dominant rather than the tonic.

Imitation

Imitation is the repetition of a melody in a polyphonic texture shortly after its first appearance in a different voice, often at a different pitch. The melody may vary through transposition, inversion or otherwise, but retain its original character. In the written example below, the motif played in the pianist's right hand is imitated by the left hand.

The start of Beethoven's 5th Symphony (1st Movement) is probably the most famous use of sequence.

Sequence/ Modulation

You can think of this as several repetitions of a melodic phrase in different pitches - usually moving up or down by step. it is quite similar to repetition and imitation, but moving up or down through various MODES of the scale. In the written example below, the motif that is established in the first bar modulates up a whole tone in the second bar, before returning to the original mode in bar 3

The first four bars of John Coltrane's (in)famous 'Giant Steps' is repeated in the second four bar section, but the chords and melody have all been transposed down a Major 3rd.

Transposition

The motif is repeated exactly in another key. This differs from modulation, where the intervals are changed slightly in order to fit the new mode. A transposition will normally be preceded by the V chord of the new key.

Here is melodic inversion being used in a modern context - a lot of music notation software programmes will automatically invert motifs for you!

Inversion

In music we can invert chord voicings, melodies and intervals.

IN OTHER WORDS the composer keeps the same intervals between notes but makes the new phrase go down in pitch where other one went up and up where the old one went down

An example of melodic inversion from the fugue in D minor from J.S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1.[1] Though they start on different pitches (A and E), the second highlighted melody is the upside-down version of the first highlighted melody. That is, when the first goes up, the second goes down the same number of diatonic steps (with some chromatic alteration); and when the first goes down, the second goes up the same number of steps.

A fairly comprehensive explanation of retrograde motion, with examples.

Retrograde

Retrograde is where the motif is repeated again, but the order of the notes or intervals is reversed. This can be combined with Inversion, Imitation or Sequence to create a huge variety of possibilities

This video explains some of the common ways fragmentation is used in jazz to develop solos. (spontaneous composition)

Fragmentation

Fragmentation is when fragments of the motif (rather than the whole thing) are repeated and manipulated to make new melodic material.

Variation

Variation is when parts of motif are altered in some way when repeated

Rhythmic Displacement

This is where the motif is repeated, but in an ‘unexpected’ place in the bar. For example, if on the first playing the motif starts on beat one, in the next iteration it might begin on beat three, or the ‘and’ of two.

A very simple example of diminution and augmentation in practice.

DIMINUTION

Shortening of the note values (perhaps with addition of extra notes) but basic melody remains the same in 2nd example. (Hint: if something is diminishing, it is becoming less)

AUGMENTATION

Lengthening of the note values (perhaps with addition of extra notes) but basic melody remains the same in 2nd example. (Hint: if something is augmenting, it is becoming more)

OSTINATO EXAMPLE 1: The Planets, "Mars" by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934)

OSTINATO

A musical pattern that repeats itself over and over again - often whilst other things are going on over the top...

A riff is a kind of ostinato

DRONE EXAMPLE 2: Bagpipes from Baghdad by Eminem

DRONE

A drone is basically a long held note (sometimes chord), usually occuring in a bass instrument, for a long section of a piece - sometimes the whole piece...

Most bagpipe music uses a low drone tone over which melodies and ostinatos are played

PEDAL EXAMPLE 1: Symphony No 104 D major "London" Finale by Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Listen to the cellos and basses here

PEDAL (PEDAL TONE)

Very similar to drone but generally does not last for as long. It can be drone-like but it can also just be a note that is returned to regularly...

A pedal is a single note that is held on or repeated in the bass. The chords above the bass may change, but the bass note stays the same.

CONTRARY MOTION EXAMPLE: Bourree in Em by J.S. Bach

CONTRARY MOTION

Often used in Counterpoint, Contrary motion is motion of at least two melodic lines in opposite directions. That is, when one of the lines moves up, the other line moves down.

NEXT LESSON: CHANGING KEYS

Page updated

Report abuse