Grade 5 Music Theory - Composing a Melody in a Minor Key
TLDRThis video provides guidance on composing an 8-bar melody for a grade 5 music theory exam. It walks through an example, starting with an anacrusis before the first full bar. It explains key concepts like working in compound 6/8 time, using the melodic minor scale in a minor key, harmonizing the melody with appropriate chords, and structuring cadences. It gives tips on elaborating the melody with techniques like arpeggios, passing notes, dynamics, articulation, and phrasing. The example explores differences from a previous video, like clef, key signature, time signature, and starting the melody on a weak beat. It aims to build skills and confidence in writing an effective, musical melody.
Takeaways
- 😀 The video covers composing a melody for a grade 5 music theory exam
- 🎵 You may be given an opening melody that you need to extend to 8 bars
- 🎼 Pay attention to details like time signature, key signature, bar lines
- 🎹 Identify if the key is major or minor based on accidentals used
- 🎻 Use techniques like repeating material, outlining chords, cadences
- 👂 Include anacrusis if given an incomplete 1st bar
- ⌛️ Be careful of rhythm - beam notes correctly in compound time signatures
- 🎵 Use devices like passing notes, dotted rhythms, arpeggios to elaborate
- 🔊 Add expression with dynamics, phrases, tempo and articulation markings
- 📝 Choose an instrument from options given to suit the style of the melody
Q & A
What is an anacrusis and how does it affect writing a melody?
-An anacrusis is a pickup or lead-in note or notes before the first full bar. It affects the melody because the anacrusis plus the last bar must add up to be one complete bar. So with an anacrusis, the last bar will be short by the value of the anacrusis.
How can you determine if a melody is in a major or minor key?
-Look for accidentals that don't fit the key signature - they indicate a temporary change to melodic or harmonic minor. Also look at the chords outlined, especially the presence of a major or minor chord on the tonic note.
What are the differences between writing melodies in simple time versus compound time?
-In compound time like 6/8, the beats are divided into groups of 3 rather than 2. You need to beam notes according to dotted crotchet beats. The barred tend to be longer due to having more notes per bar.
What is the advantage of using melodic minor over harmonic minor when writing a melody?
-The melodic minor scale avoids the augmented 2nd interval between the 6th and 7th degrees of the harmonic minor scale going up, which can sound strange in a melody line.
Why copy bar one into bar five when writing a melody?
-This creates a sense of symmetry and familiarity between the two phrases. The first phrase then goes in one direction and the second phrase provides contrast while still having a connection back to the beginning.
How do you create an effective cadence at the end of a melody?
-Use a perfect cadence (V-I) or plagal cadence (IV-I). End on the tonic chord, or at least the tonic note, to give a sense of finality and resolution.
What are passing notes and how can they be used when writing a melody?
-Passing notes are non-chord tones that pass stepwise between two chord tones. They can help elaborate a melody and make it more interesting. You can add passing notes in thirds or other intervals.
How could you add musical expression to the melody?
-Add dynamics like crescendos and diminuendos. Also incorporate tempo changes using markings like rallentando. Add articulation with staccatos and legatos to phrase the melody.
Why must bar two be completed when given an incomplete musical opening?
-If bar two is incomplete, it may be copied over incompletely to bar six. This would throw off the balance of the melody. Filling in bar two ensures you have the right rhythm throughout.
What things must be repeated at the start of a new line of music?
-The clef and key signature must be repeated at the start of each line. But the time signature only needs to go at the very beginning of the piece, not at the start of subsequent lines.
Outlines
😊 Introducing the topic and goals of the video
The speaker introduces the topic of composing a melody for Grade 5 music theory exams. The goal is to cover some additional points not included in a previous video on the same topic and reinforce what was learned before. The focus will be on writing a melody in the treble clef in a minor key with compound 6/8 time signature, unlike the previous video which covered bass clef, major key, and simple time signature.
🎵 Explaining 6/8 compound time signature
The speaker explains the 6/8 time signature in detail - the upper 6 indicates 6 quarter note beats in each bar, while the lower 8 indicates each beat is a dotted quarter note consisting of 3 eighth notes. 6/8 time is compound duple meter organized into groups of 3 eighth notes which make up 2 dotted quarter note beats per bar.
💡 Determining the key and scale for the melody
Based on the key signature of 3 flats and the use of accidentals in bar 2, the speaker determines that the key is C minor, not Eb major. Melodic minor is chosen for writing the melody to avoid the augmented 2nd interval that occurs in harmonic minor. Understanding the difference between major and minor keys is critical.
🎹 Planning the chord progression
The speaker decides to outline chords to harmonize with the melody in bars 3-4 and 7-8. As C minor is the key, a cadence of chords V-I is chosen for the end and an imperfect cadence of IV-V for bars 3-4 to lead back to the tonic. Notes from chord V (G B D) and IV (F Ab C) are used in writing those bars.
📝 Constructing the melody
The speaker walks through constructing an 8-bar melody using common compositional techniques like sequencing (copying bars 1-2 to bars 5-6), outlining chords, and planning cadences. Helpful tips are provided, like allowing flexibility in the final tonic bar by using chord I arpeggios, watching stem direction, and correcting the incomplete bar 2 in sequencing.
✏️ Fine-tuning and elaborating
With the basic 8-bar form in place, suggestions are given for embellishing the melody by adding passing tones between chord tones, varying the rhythm, changing a few notes in the sequence, and making an interesting tonic arpeggio line to lead to the final cadence.
🖋 Adding articulations and phrasing
The speaker recommends adding expression markings like dynamics, articulations (staccato/legato), phrasing, and tempo indication to bring the melody to life. This includes crescendos, diminuendos, accents, slurs, etc. to showcase musicality.
🌟 Final reminders and next steps
In closing, key reminders are provided about dealing with an anacrusis, writing in minor keys, beam grouping in 6/8 time, and instrumentation choices when writing melodies for Grade 5 theory exams. The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to continue refining melodies on their own.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Melody
💡Harmonic minor scale
💡Cadence
💡Passing note
💡Arpeggio
💡Anacrusis
💡Phrase
💡Compound time
💡Expression
💡Minor key
Highlights
This video covers composing a melody for grade 5 music theory exams
The melody starts with an anacrusis, which is a pickup note before the first full bar
Be careful when copying bars to keep details like accidentals and stem direction
Identify if the key signature indicates major or minor to choose chords correctly
Use the harmonic minor when choosing chords and melodic minor when writing melodies
Cadences like imperfect cadences and perfect cadences give structure to the melody
Use passing notes and dotted rhythms to elaborate the melody and add interest
Add expression like dynamics, tempo markings, and articulation to bring the melody to life
For grade 5, you'll be asked to choose an instrument like oboe or violin for the melody
This melody is in 6/8 compound time, with two dotted crochet beats per bar
Watch that the second bar is complete, a common mistake people make
Bar 8 should have 5 quavers to balance the anacrusis instead of a full bar
Chord progressions like IV-V-I create cadences to end phrases
Elaborate the ending to make it more interesting with arpeggios and passing notes
Review and tweak the melody adding variations and interest until you are satisfied
Transcripts
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