Lessons with MusicFiend

Okay, this is a good start. Let's first have you identify your material here. I want to break the piece down - with YOU doing the dissection. What we will look at is the following:

1. Material: Motive, thematic, harmonic

2. Usage of Material: Developmental, progressions, etc.

3. Expansion

We will start with the first, obviously.

This is what I got.... Still not pro at identifying stuff... :/

Lessoncrap.pdf All done. (Pardon the title of the attachment... I kinda named it a "spur of the moment" title... ) :P

This is what I got.... Still not pro at identifying stuff... :/

Lessoncrap.pdf All done. (Pardon the title of the attachment... I kinda named it a "spur of the moment" title... ) :P

No problem on the title. I have to say, you have done a LOT better identifying your material here. Now, let's look at some interesting things that you have on this attachment.

1. This may have been 'subconscious' but I want you to look at the 3 notes of your main motive (C D E). Despite the fact you drop the E down an octave, which really is just for effect, you do quite a lot with it. Notice the overall 'main theme' you have illustrated at measure 5 - measure 13. Take a look for the following: CDE (stated measure 5), AGF (your motive played backwards - inversion: measure 9), BAG (Measure 10: this would be considered sequencing the inverted motif), measure 15, the start of the second theme.. you open with the same motif however... you dimished the note values.

What is important to realize here is that ALL of the techniques that I mentioned in the above paragraph (inversion, sequencing, and diminution) are means at which you 'develop' material. I'm not sure if you did the above intentionally - I would suspect, however, that it was subconsciously. The key thing here is that you are now able to recognize your material - and I must say, you've done a wonderful job doing this.

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Now that we have that out of the way. Let's look at some ways that we can 'develop' material. For this part of the lesson, we will discuss various ways that you can develop your material and then you will practice the developmental techniques after each individual ones to culminate in you, hopefully, being able to use all of them (at your discretion) in development.

The first method, and probably the easiest, is diminution.

Diminution is, to put it easier, when you 'diminish' your note values. As I mentioned above, you used this in measure 15 at the start of your second theme (the BAG#). This is your chief motif inverted ALONG WITH the last note being reduced from a 1/2 note to a 1/4 note.

Diminution can be used in several ways:

1. It can provide increased tension.

2. It can create a sense of increased tempo.

3. It can be used to layer the same idea upon itself - each part have a shorter note value series, etc.

What I would like you to do:

Take your chief motif, the C D E, and write a 20 measure miniature that uses diminution. Start the CDE in whole notes and, creatively, move to a 16th passage. I'm here to answer any questions - though, I'm sure you already have the hang of this particular method.

Okay, I'm gonna get this done soon... Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind... Last week finals, new semester, (yeah my school's messed up...) and taking Driver's Ed. :P So I'll try and have this done soon. It's quite an interesting task...

That's fine, take your time. Make sure it's polished up to how you want it and remember: Life comes first!

So how is the assignment going?

Waiting to hear back from MF - he's been extremely busy.