"flow" Of A Piece

Hi

I'd like to know how to make a certain piece unfold logically. Nowadays I am overloaded with ideas as some music will begin playing in my head and I will want to get them down. Unfortunately, after I manage to compose some music, I then hit the "Play" button in my software and I realise that the piece does not sound as what I have been hearing, i.e. it doesn't unfold logically. Somehow the parts feel very disjointed from each other. How can I avoid this problem? Also in a piece of music eg sonata, how many themes/motives are typically used?

Thanks. 

First, you need to develop a key structure that will guide you through the development. Then, have episodes that link togeher the themes so that the change is not so sharp. Then, repeat.

Hi what do you mean by "episodes"? I'm still new to compositions in general. 

It sounds like you need to work on form. You need to plan out your compositions prior to writing the piece. You should also study form in music; sonata, rondo, binary, ternary, etc. You dont have to ascribe to these formal forms in your composition, but its a good way to understand how pieces can be organized. 

Hi

 

I'd like to know how to make a certain piece unfold logically. Nowadays I am overloaded with ideas as some music will begin playing in my head and I will want to get them down. Unfortunately, after I manage to compose some music, I then hit the "Play" button in my software and I realise that the piece does not sound as what I have been hearing, i.e. it doesn't unfold logically. Somehow the parts feel very disjointed from each other. How can I avoid this problem? Also in a piece of music eg sonata, how many themes/motives are typically used?

 

Thanks. 

I don't know what your level of experience is but this happens to all composers of any caliber. Really. Music is to most of us, claylike and difficult. Not the free-flowing sure-footed Mozart whimsies of lore. Nowadays we are all overloaded with ideas of all sorts and there is no way to avoid disjointed music between parts in our creation. I might suggest a more forgiving attitude within your own mind until a solid musical idea takes root.

I had once composed a trio in the past in Cubase, and I played it back and realised that my ideas are very disjointed. Then I had not composed for a few years until recently, when I decided to compose some solo piano pieces. However, I still could not manage to link my ideas coherently. 

What I mean is, for example, in a Sonata, I could not compose music that could lead the listener smoothly from the first theme to the transition, and to the second theme. 

I don't know what your level of experience is but this happens to all composers of any caliber. Really. Music is to most of us, claylike and difficult. Not the free-flowing sure-footed Mozart whimsies of lore. Nowadays we are all overloaded with ideas of all sorts and there is no way to avoid disjointed music between parts in our creation. I might suggest a more forgiving attitude within your own mind until a solid musical idea takes root.

What would you do when you encounter "disjointed music", if you don't mind me asking? 

I had once composed a trio in the past in Cubase, and I played it back and realised that my ideas are very disjointed. Then I had not composed for a few years until recently, when I decided to compose some solo piano pieces. However, I still could not manage to link my ideas coherently. 

 

What I mean is, for example, in a Sonata, I could not compose music that could lead the listener smoothly from the first theme to the transition, and to the second theme. 

 

 

What would you do when you encounter "disjointed music", if you don't mind me asking? 

 

I encounter it all the time, and I work through it. It's hard to say in the abstract. If you would post your attempts in MP3 file I can try to offer specific suggestions.

Try hitting the playback button a little sooner in your composition process or playing things out on piano as you go, or singing out a line.  Unless you are doing an exercise in chord progressions and voice leading for an assignment where the point is to see how far you can get just thinking it all out in your head, there is nothing wrong with checking in with your piece to hear how it sounds as you go.  

Periodically putting it away for a day or two and then coming back to it can help you hear structural issues and keep an eye on the big picture too.  

More specifically, you can make sure there is a definite link between your different ideas.  No more than two or three main themes in a piece of a given length.  (The rules for certain forms are easy to find, check them out and use them as starting points.)  For each main melody, you don't want to just repeat it exactly the same way 5 times, but make sure that the little tweaks that you make are just tweaks, and follow definite rules and patterns.  You can decide what the rules are, and they can be whatever you like, but having a rule to follow may help hold it all together.  For example, you have the main theme once, then repeat it, but two measures that had straight quarter notes become dotted rhythms instead, with no other changes, then you repeat again, but this time go back to straight quarter notes, give the melody to a different instrument, and then repeat it again and fill in the missing steps in the scale in a measure that had some skips in the melody.  So if it went A, C, E, G on quarter notes, it now goes ABCDEFG on eighth notes.  No other changes.  It all feels organized, and the listener can always hear the original melody as it was first introduced in their head.  That allows them to appreciate the changes that occur as the piece progresses.  

Does that help?  Hard to know since I don't know exactly where you're coming from, so sorry if some of that was too basic, or not exactly on topic.  (:

I struggle with this too.  Too many ideas trying to get out of your head all at the same time.  I think the flow will let up a bit once I've written more.  

Hi what do you mean by "episodes"? I'm still new to compositions in general. 

By episodes I mean transitional phases between parts.

As requested, a short sample of my piece. I don't really know if this constitutes a "sentence", as always the main theme is easy to write for (due to repeats), it's probably the "transition into F#" that doesn't flow well. What do you think?

A minor theme.wav

It works fine for me.  Just keep going.  The next section can reinforce that idea so that it will be even more clear what you were doing in the first section.  

All right, you're in Amin, then Cmin, then suddenly F# (major?) . It's a little awkward and then ends abruptly. I think it ends abruptly BECAUSE it's awkward. Try changing the F# bit to Gmin, then you've got Am-Cm-Gm, or even Am-Cm-Am. Or Am-Cm-A7 which allows you to modulate to Dm-Fm-Dm. Add a bass line, rinse and repeat as they say. Just some ideas.

Good luck!

Thanks for your replies, I'll try out the suggestions then post again if I have problems :)