Introduction
Recently I released a Tetra Veda video for the song ‘Far Away’ with the score in sync; you can check it out here. I thought this was an effective way to show the viewer how the music was presented in conventional notation while listening, thus creating a connection between the auditory and visual senses. This article should serve as a guide to interpreting the score, to discuss some of the music theory working behind the scenes and explain some of compositional techniques used.
Instrumentation
Looking at the score we can see that there are two classical guitars, grand piano, bass, and two violins, each with their corresponding staff. ‘The particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and the properties of those instruments individually’, is what is called instrumentation.
There are endless possibilities of instrument combinations one could use when composing, so how does one choose what instruments to use? Well, there isn’t a clear answer on that; it’s really a matter of preference, but having a good knowledge of how certain instruments sound and how they mix together will have great value when determining the instrumentation of a piece. I choose the instruments in ‘Far Away’ merely because they are instruments I have and can play, and personally I think the way they combine is beautiful.
Properties of a Score
Let’s look at figure 1.
So there is a lot of information being conveyed just from this small section of the score. Starting at the top we see that there is a tempo marking of 112.76 BPM (beats per minute). At the very left of the staff we see a treble clef sign, this corresponds to how we read the music on the staff, the lines are E G B D F, and the spaces are F A C E. The two hashtag looking marks indicate what key signature we are in. Those of you who are familiar with key signatures will know we’re in the key of D major or B minor, the two are relatives of each other. Moving to the right, there is a 4/4 time signature marking, which means there are four quarter notes per measure. A quarter note (or crotchet, for the British) has a duration of 1/4th a whole note, and we have four quarter notes per measure in this case. Below the staff there is a letter ‘p’ which is a dynamic marking indicating that the music should be played ‘piano’ or softly.
The two classical guitars are essentially playing the same music as each other, one is playing the same phrase but in a higher octave. Also, each guitar part is written containing two voices, meaning that there are two melodies being played in one guitar part simultaneously. The first voice is sustaining whole notes, while voice two rests for the first beat and then plays three descending quarter notes (in measure 1). Writing music for an instrument with more than one voice adds depth and increases the possibilities regarding phrasing, technique, dynamics, and articulation. In this case with each guitar part containing two voices, we have a total of four voices just between two guitar parts. When a piece of music has multiply melodies playing simultaneously we call it polyphonic.
Keys and Modes
A key is a specific group of pitches in which music can be written, each of the 12 notes can act as the tonic of a key. There are 12 possible major keys and 12 possible minor keys which are identified by the key signature. The key signature is the collection of sharps and flats that determine what notes are in the key. Any note that doesn’t belong to the key will have an accidental (# or b) marked before it. Within a key there are 7 modes; Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. These all have a unique sound to them. To hear them for yourself I suggest playing a C major scale (the white keys on a piano) and then play the same white keys but starting from D, E, F, G, A, and then B. Understanding modes is a great first step in understanding how the one note can sound very different in different musical contexts.
Earlier, I mentioned that we were in the key D major and B minor. This can cause confusion in how the two keys are related. The best way I can explain this is to understand the major and minor scale both use the same notes, but have different tonics or starting points. Figure 2 shows the D major scale and B minor scale side by side.
The natural minor scale is the 6th mode of the major key, also known as the Aeolian mode. Modes, similar to the relationship between major and minor keys, are most simply thought of as scales that use the same notes but have different tonics. So what mode is this song in? And how do we figure that out? To figure out what mode a piece of music is in the first step is to identify what key we are in, as previously stated we are in the D major/B Minor key. The next step is to see what the first lowest note is in relation to the key. In this case it is E, and E is the second note of D major (D E F# G A B C# D). The second mode of any major key is the Dorian mode. Figure 3.
Harmony and Melody
Simply put, harmony is the vertical aspect of the music and melody is the horizontal aspect. Harmony is all about how the notes played at the same time combine together. Melody is all about how the notes work in a progression. Lets look at figure 4 to understand harmony.
Harmonically speaking, the first circled section is essentially playing a perfect 5th. The bass is playing an F#, which is heard as the root of the chord. Both the guitars are playing the note B, which is a perfect 5th above F# (B C# D E F# G A B). The first violin is playing B as well, but with its higher octave added. The second violin is playing F#, again just with its octave. So when you combine the notes played, we get a perfect 5th (F# and B). This chord has an element of stability; it is in perfect consonance. Just think of a power chord on a guitar, which is a root and perfect 5th.
The second highlighted section in figure 4 forms an A minor add 6/9 chord. The A in the bass is perceived as the root of the chord. Then on top of that we have the notes B, C, E and F being played amongst the other instruments. These notes A, C, E, F and B, combine as an A minor chord with the 6th (F#) and the ninth (B) added. Minor chords, like the perfect 5th, are also classified as consonant as is the minor 6th and 9th interval.
Let’s look at the melody in the first guitar (figure 5). Rhythmically, the guitar is playing eight successive sixteenth notes followed by one half note. A sixteenth note is 1/16 of a whole note, there are four sixteenth notes in one quarter note, and a half note is half the value of a whole note. So counting this could be done like “1 e & a 2 e & a 3 4”, the sixteenth notes are counted as ‘1 e & a’ and the half note assumes the duration of beats 3 and 4.
In figure 5, the guitar begins on the note B and ascends like a major scale but omitting the seventh note (A), and then plays a B sus2 chord (B C F#). A sus2 chord is composed of the root, second and fifth, but omitting the 3rd. Omitting the third creates a light and open sounding chord, this is why the chords are called ‘suspended’.
The violin and bass are functioning as the accompaniment to the guitar, which is playing the melody in this case. The accompaniment parts are both playing half notes which are descending in a similar motion. Compared to the accompaniment parts, the guitar is playing in contrary motion, and its rhythm is dissimilar to the accompaniment (sixteenth notes against half notes).
Lastly, I wanted to make the point that rhythm defines melody as much as the notes played do. After all two notes can’t be played in succession without rhythm. And, the same succession of notes can sound completely different from each other when played in different rhythms. This is something keep in mind when you are composing or listening to melodies. Try imagining how the same melody could sound different if it were in a different rhythm or in a different time signature.
Conclusion
While composing, I suggest playing around with how music can be manipulated by using different rhythms and time signatures, by changing to a different key/mode, changing the dynamics/articulations, and how the same musical passage can sound completely different when played on different instrument. Make the music your own by getting creative with these options (MuseScore is a free composing software that I recommend for getting started).
And it might seem that there are worlds of possibilities when composing and there are so many decisions to be made. And yes, this is true, but art in my opinion is about the beauty of creation. Learn from what has been done, but take in a new direction; a direction that only you can take it.
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About the Author
Isaiah Grip is a 21 year old multi-instrumentalist composer (guitar, piano, violin, and voice) out of Longmont, Colorado who records and studies music independently under the name Tetra Veda, as well as collaborating with Ghostwrite Inc, and playing guitar in the progressive metal band Cloud Temple. His personal repertoire can be found on Bandcamp and YouTube under the name Tetra Veda.