Question for Thomas J...

[Damon]

Hey Thomas,
You wrote me back in a reply to a post about your demos and mentioned something about in your composition process \"circles, squares, and triangles.\" Can you elaborate more on what that means? It sounds interesting.
Damon

[Thomas_J]

Damon, I\'d be happy to elaborate on that. I could give you some scans from the lection he was giving. Would anyone else be interested? I can scan them tomorrow and have them up on my site.

Thomas

[esteven1]

Count me in too. I\'m always ready to learn new things from anyone.

[Damon]

That would be fantastic Thomas! Thanks http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif
Damon

[KingIdiot]

of course we\'re interested :P

------------------
Really...I am an Idiot

[RICARDO BOTTICELLI]

me too!!!!

[MikeGraybill]

I think I might be familiar with this technique, though I have yet to apply it myself. Beethoven used to sketch similiarly for many of his works, and I thought it was pretty fascinating stuff. I\'m really interested in seeing how you use it, Thomas, cuz for some reason I haven\'t completley wrapped my brain around it just yet, and would like to.

Thanks
-Mike-

[Thomas_J]

I scanned these 8 pages, selected from a larger compilation of Jack Smalley\'s guidelines. The first page explains his process of getting started.
http://home.online.no/~finjaco/smalley/ (\"http://home.online.no/~finjaco/smalley/\")

Thomas

[Damon]

Thanks for doing that Thomas. Page 6 is very interesting. I wish I were in music school!

[Aaron Symonds]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=\"1\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Thomas_J:
I scanned these 8 pages, selected from a larger compilation of Jack Smalley\'s guidelines. The first page explains his process of getting started.
http://home.online.no/~finjaco/smalley/ (\"http://home.online.no/~finjaco/smalley/\")

Thomas<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Where are the guidelines from, Thomas? They look quite interesting.

Aaron



[This message has been edited by Aaron Symonds (edited 10-04-2001).]

[Thomas_J]

Neal,

I think both harmonic structure, instrumentation and thematic elements apply in the \"figure\" idea. However it is the musical \"mood\" that is defined using these guidelines of figures. fx:

Line (Linear): Suspense. Static textures, repetition (of notes and rhythm). Sustained background material. \"Awaiting mood\".. very often used to accompany visuals like \"the clock is ticking\", \"walking through the suburban streets on a rainy night\" or create a certain feel that time is standing still. The keyword really is suspense. Instrumentation would vary from what you are trying to achieve. There is usually a ground bass in 4th or 5th step of the root key (Lydian and Mixolydian scales) consisting of whatever low instruments of your choice.

Square/triangle: Atonality, chromatism (12 tone music), sharp edges!, larger intervals or \"jumps\" (minor 6th, tritones, M7ths etc.), musical spaces in instrumentation (fx large contrasting doubling (i.e trumpets (6-7th position + bassoons in their upper register along with clarinets in their weak middle range. Basses + tuba unison in low range, would create a feel of a large hole, thus incomplete in texture. Effective in creating tension in the music.) Tension is a keyword, so is contrasting levels of dynamics. Conscious use of articulations to evoke certain moods. Exchange of rhythmical patterns in instrumentation. Fx. Strings may begin with a simple rhytmical background comp. with trumpets playing the prominent melody and tuba+bassoon playing a counter melody one octave below. At a certain point in the music these roles will change and the trumpets and low brass+woodwind will play the rhytmical pattern, while the strings play the melody. Melismatic Organum (is this the proper english term?) is useful for rhytmical ornamentation.

Circle: Tonality, complete harmonic structure. Modality. Expressive (romantic) melodies, countermelodies and sustained background material. Traditional heterogenous grouping in 3-part (and 4-part) harmonies, like flute+flute+oboe, trumpet+trumpet+trombone etc. Circular movements in orchestration (fx. flutes may introduce a theme and slowly be substituted by clarinet, then a change of key and the oboe will carry on (this is circular movement within the woodwinds group). From here you could reverse the process and let clarinet slowly blend in with the oboe (one octave below) and then flute. You\'d have circular arrangement and a circular instrumentation. Thematic material can also be circular. Emotional music is usually circular in the way that it begins on a low note in a soft dynamic level, proceeds to rise to a high note in a slow expressive crescendo, and then diminuendo back into its initial state. This would be circular movement in dynamics and melody. A good guideline for writing themes is to keep it within one octave, using smaller interval steps than you usually do. Try this consciously and you will find it easier to write themes.

Hope this helps somewhat,

Thomas

[This message has been edited by Thomas_J (edited 10-05-2001).]

[Damon]

Thomas, you\'re a great guy for posting that http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif Very informative and helpful.
Cheers!
Damon

[Neal Keane]

Damon wrote:
\"You wrote me back in a reply to a post about your demos and mentioned something about in your composition process \"circles, squares, and triangles.\" Can you elaborate more on what that means?\"

Thanks very much for the notes Thomas....how do the graphics mentioned above tie in to the compositional process?

(harmonic structure?...
circle = modal,
square = diatonic,
triangle=tertiary progressions? or maybe

melodic construction...
circle = Serial,
square = thematic,
triangle = ? or

orchestration structures....
circle = single section melody line,
square = equal wieght to all four sections, triangle = all groups supporting the melody section ?)

-Neal