SkillShare Grow a Musical Idea into a Complete Piece

Is it possible to build a composition around a single musical idea? In this class, I will talk you through the techniques I’ve used to do just that, developing a short musical fragment into two full pieces of music. These techniques will cover:

Instrumentation/orchestration
Rhythmic/Melodic Development
Tonality/Re-harmonisation
Deriving new ideas from fragments of your initial melody

By the end of this class, you will have the tools to create a short composition (2-4 minutes) from one basic idea. These are tools that you can later apply in your future works to develop your thematic material, vary your music while keeping it coherent, work around a lack of inspiration or simply think about your composition method in a different way.

This class is for anyone who enjoys making music, from beginners who are looking for new ways to expand their craft to experienced composers who like a challenge. Since I will be using both notated and auditory examples of how each technique works, this class can benefit both those who read music and those who rely on their musical ear. I'd also recommend some understanding of music theory.