Experimenting with Music Project

Frequently Asked Questions:

Could reharmonizing, using much more complicated chords count as Experimenting in Composition?

Yes, but remember that it is not pure experimentation without an implicit goal. The student should have a reason to experiment. For instance, “I am discovering jazz” and I want to see how Vivaldi’s music could sound if I adapted the harmonic jazz conventions and style to his music”.

Experiments in Performing

• There are only three experiments at your disposal for this project. You can include two or three of the suggestions below in one experiment. 

• Start by identifying the aspects you are addressing in the experiment. 

• When we look at page 33 in your guide, one  can see a variety of suggestions, which aspects of music-making can be used in the experiments. 

Creation Experiment Ideas:

• Minimalism (3 compositions using minimalist techniques)

• Baroque Fugue (compose a fugue theme and then a two part and three part fugue)

• Serialism (write a tone row and then write two pieces with that tone row and its various forms)

• Take a piece (like a folk song) and transform it into different styles

• Take a piece and arrange it for different ensembles or in different styles

• Leitmotifs (compose some leitmotifs and use them in a composition)

Performing Experiment Ideas:

• Improvisation experiments

• Perform a piece using different performance techniques (ala Over the Rainbow IB example)

• Perform using expanded techniques

Performance techniques - these are specific to the instrument! 

• Guitar Example: strumming vs finger picking, flamenco techniques, bending notes etc. 

• Voice / Vocal Example: the use of chest voice vs head voice, the amount of vibrato, the way to start a note -  sliding into it or straight in?

Musical Elements

• duration -  are you holding each note exactly as long as it is written, or do you stretch and shorten them a bit? Try using rubato, adding pauses, holding the note longer, and melting it straight into the next one.

• dynamics -  be adventurous! What happens if you use the exact opposite of the originally indicated dynamics?

• ornamentation -  what happens if you add, remove, or use ones from a different time era or a geographical space?

• instrument or vocal range -  what happens if you transpose the song significantly (not just a semitone) How does this change the atmosphere of the song?

• rhythm -  while staying true to the main rhythm, slight variations can make a big difference. 

• texture -  changing a bit makes it interesting -  e.g. playing a short section using a monophonic section.

• tempo -  there are so many different ways, and each tempo variation changes the overall impression. It can a "relaxed, chilled song" sound quite hectic and stressed. 

• timbre -  you can make the timbre sound more nasal or wide, velvety or shrill. If you have access to a real piano, try experimenting with elements of the "prepared piano", or use mutes, dampers etc. As a percussionist, adding small chains or cloth makes a big difference. Just always keep in mind to not damage the instrument. If you have a keyboard at hand, change the settings to harpsichord and experiment with baroque playing and ornamentation techniques, as a violinist, use scordatura . The options are almost endless. 

Interpretation

• articulation -  oh boy! So much fun to have exchanging legato with staccato . Then e.g.think about tenuto, marcato, dynamic accents, sforzandi, subito piano etc. 

• effects -  too many to be listed here. Searching for specific effects according to your instrument can be a lot of fun. 

• phrasing -  sometimes trying to phrase the part in an "unlogical" way is a great way to discover other alternatives. 

• productive techniques -  this means any way to produce a sound. Basically, it covers anything that has not been listed above. Maybe you can use your instrument differently than foreseen? Using your piano as a drum, using a violin bow on a cymbal  - again, there is no limit to your creativity as long as the instrument remains unharmed.