Compositional devices

This is when you repeat an idea during your composition. Repeating the same motif again and again and again is hard to pull off for most people because you need a really strong motif to stand up against the redundancy of repetition. A great example of exact repetition is every single section of “Single Ladies” by Beyonce. Each section has one motif which repeats itself over and over until the next section. Another example is “Closing Time” by Semisonic.

Some ideas on how to use this repetition:

• Repeat a single idea/riff/motif exactly the same - a couple of times in a row
• Repeat the rhythm, but change the notes
• Use your section change to stop or start a repeated idea (eg motif is repeated in the chorus but not in the verse)
• Repeat an idea in a different timbre or instrument (eg piano plays it, then guitar repeats it. Or guitar plays it clean, then repeats it distorted.
• Change the accents or emphasis when you repeat (eg make different notes louder, or change the tone of your voice)
• Repeat the idea louder or quieter eg first time loud, then really quiet.
• Use repetition to add surprise to your music (eg repeat the idea a few times and then suddenly change the idea)

Sequence is similar to repetition - but you are moving the idea higher or lower by steps each repetition. Take the same motif and then transpose it up or down. An example of sequencing is the verse of “Toxic” by Britney Spears. The first motif gets repeated, “Baby can’t you see I’m calling... a guy like you should wear a warning” and then for the third time it’s sequenced down a whole step, “It’s dangerous, I’m falling.” A more classic example is Billy Joel’s, “She’s Always a Woman to Me” which is almost entirely built upon sequencing.

Here are some ideas on how to use sequences in your composition:

• Melodic sequence - take your melody and repeat it a step or 2 higher (and keep going up if you want)
• Melodic sequence- take your melody and repeat it a step or 2 lower (and keep going down if you want to)
• Melodic sequences are great for word painting - sequence up if you are building the emotions/tension/want to be uplifting. Sequence down if you are expressing feelings of lonely/lost/death/dying/feeling sad etc.
• Harmonic sequence - this is when you use the same distance between each chord. You start on your tonic or home chord and go from there. See the next 2 examples.
• Descending 5th harmonic sequence - Eg for the key of C Major: C F Bdim Em Am Dm G C
• Ascending 5th harmonic sequence - Eg for the key of C Major: C G Dm Am Em Bdim F C

This is when you extend your ideas to create longer musical phrases.

Some ideas you can use:

• When you repeat your idea, make the repetition slightly longer by adding a few notes. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police is an example to grasp just from the lyrical structure, which adds length upon each repetition of the motif, “don’t stand, don’t stand so, don’t stand so close to me.”
• Link 2 ideas together to make a longer phrase

Providing some contrast in your composition will keep it interesting.

Here are some ideas:

• The chorus melody could be pitched a bit higher than the verse. This helps generate musical energy in a very natural way.
• The chorus lyric could use more emotion-heightening words and phrases.
• The vocal rhythms of the verse could be shorter and quicker than the vocal rhythms of the chorus. Longer note values in the chorus help to accentuate the emotional content of the lyric.
• The chorus instrumentation could be as full or fuller than what is found in the verse. This helps create an increase in momentum and general song energy.
• The chorus melody could be simpler than the verse, and comprised of shorter, repetitive phrases. Repetition and melodic simplicity is a crucial part of what makes song choruses work.
• Chorus chord progressions could be simpler and stronger than the verse progression.
• Vocal harmonies could be used more in a chorus than in a verse.
• The tonic note and chord could play a more significant role in the chorus than in the verse.

This is when music ideas move in opposite directions.

An idea for your composition:

• As your melody rises up, try to make the bass note of the chord progression you’re accompanying it with fall
• When your melody line falls, bring the bass notes (and their chords) upwards.

This is when the bass note stays the same but the chords or harmony on the guitar or piano change.

Here is an idea:

• Hold the bass note when you change a chord. Sometimes holding the bass can be really effective, as it builds up suspense through a chord progression. This is how you would write that: C G/C F/C Em/C C this means Bass stays on C, while the piano or guitar plays C G F Em C