Home » Music Theory » Music Composition
No. of
Lectures
Duration
(hrs:min)
20
9:31

Music Theory: Music Composition Prof. Laura Ryan, M.A.

  • Level Intermediate
  • 20 Lessons (9hr : 31min)
  • 1,683 already enrolled!
  • Audio: English

Professor Laura Ryan uses her experience in both teaching and writing music to bring you a comprehensive lesson in music composition. With an in-depth analysis of classical, pop, and rock music, she teaches you how to use chord progressions to create tension and completion in your own compositions. Professor Ryan not only reviews basic theories, but also performs live keyboard demonstrations to emphasize musical concepts. By the end of the course, students will know how to create everything from a classical Bach-era composition to a modern pop song. Professor Ryan has 6+ years of music teaching experience, a Master’s in Music from Boston University, and also teaches Educator's Music Theory course.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Music Composition

  Introduction to Composition 27:49
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:07 
   Melody Horizontal Presentation of Pitch 0:15 
    Melody of Yankee Doodle 0:24 
    Direction of Pitch 0:48 
    A Fifth 1:24 
    Major, Perfect, or Minor 2:00 
   Major/Minor Scale Derived Melody 2:54 
    Melody of Müller's 3:15 
    Why is it Minor? 3:29 
   Blues Scale Derived Melody 4:16 
    Blues Scale 4:29 
    Possibility of Blues 5:04 
   Harmony Verticalization of Pitch 5:54 
    What a Major Chord Verticalization Looks Like 6:34 
    What a Minor Chord Verticalization Looks Like 6:35 
   Consonance/Dissonance 7:33 
    Consonant I Chord 7:41 
    Consonant IV Chord 7:58 
    Dissonant V Chord 8:07 
    Dissonant VII Chord 8:34 
   Chord Types Tonic Class 9:23 
    Tonic Chords: I and vi 9:32 
   Sub Dominant Class Chords 9:54 
    IV Chord in C 10:01 
    ii Chord in C 10:04 
   Dominant Class Chords 10:50 
    V Chord in C 10:54 
    vii Chord in C 10:58 
    iii Chord in C 11:04 
   Example I: Create a Major Scale Derived Melody 12:54 
   Example II: Harmonize the Melody 13:27 
   Example III: Create a Minor Scale Derived Melody 16:58 
   Example IV: Harmonize the Melody 19:11 
   Example V: Create a Blues Scale Derived Melody 21:27 
   Example VI: Harmonize the Melody 25:07 
  Circle of Fifths 20:26
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:06 
   C/a: Key of C in A Minor 0:14 
    No Sharps or Flats 0:44 
    Circle of Fifths 0:30 
    Key of C in A Minor 0:40 
   G/e: Key of G in an E Minor 1:05 
    1 Sharp in G 1:12 
    Little Letters 1:14 
   D/b: Key of D in B Minor 1:23 
    2 Sharps in D 1:28 
    Order of Sharps 1:31 
    Relative Minor is B 1:58 
   A/f#: Key of A in F# Minor 2:01 
    3 Sharps in A 2:06 
    Relative Minor is F# 2:07 
   E/c# Key of E in C# Minor 2:12 
    Relative Minor is C# 2:16 
    4 Sharps in E 2:20 
   B/g#: Key of B in G# Minor 2:23 
    Relative Minor is G# 2:30 
    5 Sharps in B 2:34 
   F#/d#: Key of F# in D# Minor 2:37 
    Relative Minor is D# 2:50 
    6 Sharps in F# 2:55 
   Db/Bb: Key of Db in Bb Minor 3:02 
    Circle of Fifths Approaching Flats 3:11 
    C# is the Same as Db 3:15 
    Relative Minor is Bb 3:20 
    5 flats in Db 3:25 
   Ab/f: Key of Ab in F Minor 3:27 
    4 flats in Ab 3:38 
    Relative Minor is F 3:40 
   Eb/c: Key of Eb in C Minor 3:43 
    3 flats in Eb 3:58 
    Relative Minor is C 4:00 
   Bb/G: Key of Bb in G Minor 4:03 
    Relative Minor is G 4:15 
    2 flats in Bb 4:17 
   F/d: Key of F in D Minor 4:19 
    1 flat in F 4:27 
    Relative Minor is D 4:28 
    Pattern of Fifths 4:45 
    End Harmonic Notes 5:22 
   Example I: Write and Play C/a Arpeggio 6:15 
   Example II: Write and Play G/e Arpeggio 7:44 
   Example III: Write and Play D/b Arpeggio 8:51 
   Example IV: Write and Play A/f# Arpeggio 10:13 
   Example V: Write and Play E/c# Arpeggio 11:15 
   Example VI: Write and Play B/g# Arpeggio 12:16 
   Example VII: Write and Play F#/d# Arpeggio 13:49 
   Example VIII: Write and Play Db/Bb Arpeggio 15:31 
   Example IX: Write and Play Ab/f Arpeggio 16:47 
   Example X: Write and Play Eb/c Arpeggio 17:57 
   Example XI: Write and Play Bb/g Arpeggio 18:45 
   Example XII: Write and Play F/d Arpeggio 19:23 
  Exploring Intervals 19:17
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:07 
   The Major 2nd 0:28 
    A Major 2nd is 2 Half Steps 0:31 
    The Tricky One 0:50 
   Major 3rd/Minor Third 1:18 
    A Major Third is 5 Half Steps 1:28 
    A Minor Third is 4 Half Steps 1:37 
   Perfect 4th/Perfect 5th 2:28 
    Writing Perfect 5ths 3:38 
    Writing Perfect 4ths 3:53 
   Major 6th 4:04 
    Writing Major 6ths 4:07 
    Inversion of a 3rd 4:26 
   Major 7th/Perfect Octave 4:50 
    A 7th Pulls You to a Perfect Octave 5:00 
    Listen to a 7th 5:05 
   Melody in Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 5:30 
    Writing Eine Kleine Nachtmusik 5:42 
    Looking at the Intervals 6:13 
   Melody in Eine Kleine Nachtmusik-cont- 7:02 
    Looking at the Intervals 7:35 
     Minor Thirds 7:38 
    Perfect Fifth 7:58 
    Example I: Write Melody Using M2nd and M3rd 8:54  
   Example II: Write a Melody Using P4th/M3rd 10:08 
   Example III: Write a Melody Using P5th/M6th 11:49 
   Example IV: Write a Melody Using P8th/M7th/M6th 13:08 
   Example V: Transposing Eine Kleine Nachtmusik to C 14:44 
   Example VI: Analyzing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 16:29 
   Example VII: Transposing Twinkle Twinkle to F 17:57 
  Further Intervallic Exploration 28:44
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:28 
   Minor 2nd 0:35 
    Enharmonically Written 0:42 
    Leads Your Ear in a Melody 1:04 
   Minor 3rd 1:46 
    4 Half Steps 2:00 
    Never G# 2:12 
    Consistency with Key 2:36 
    Is Your Minor 3rd Correct? 2:44 
    Another Way to Verify Your Minor 3rd 2:59 
    Practice Your Ear Training 3:09 
   Minor 6th 4:14 
    What is a Minor 6th 4:23 
    Exploring Minor 6ths 5:10 
   Minor 7th 5:54 
    What is a Minor 7th 5:56 
    7th Chords 6:28 
    Dominant 7th 6:55 
   Minor Triad 7:12 
    What is a Minor Triad 7:16 
    Minor Triads on the Keyboard 7:45 
    Ear Training for Major and Minor Intervals 8:28 
    Arpeggiate These Thirds 9:10 
    Write Arpeggiated Minor Thirds 9:30 
   Example I: Analyzing Intervals in Bar 1, Fur Elise 11:09 
   Example II: Bar 2, Fur Elise 12:50 
   Example III: Transposition of Fur Elise 16:50 
   Example IV: Left Hand Arpeggiation in Fur Elise 18:08 
   Example V: Arpeggiation in 'Alberti Bass' Style 19:40 
   Example VI: Alberti Bass in Mozart Piano Sonata K545 21:11 
   Example VII: Create a 2 Bar Alberti Bass Arpeggiation 25:10 
  Consonance & Dissonance 33:23
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:07 
   Consonant Interval P1, P8 0:28 
    P1 - Perfect 1st 0:38 
    P8 - Perfect Octave 0:42 
    Example: Write Octaves 1:10 
   Consonant Interval m3, M3 1:42 
    m3 - Minor Third 1:51 
    M3 - Major Third 2:09 
   Consonant Interval P5, M6 3:14 
    P5 - Perfect 5th 3:18 
    Listen to Perfect 5ths 3:48 
    M6 - Major 6th 4:05 
    3rd and 6ths are Inversions of Another 4:08 
    Writing Major 6ths 4:45 
   Resolving, or Dissonant Intervals M2, P4, m6 5:12 
    M2 - Major 2nd 5:24 
    P4 - Perfect 4th 5:29 
    m6 - Minor 6th 5:43 
    Writing These Intervals 5:57 
    Dissonant Intervals 7:39 
   m7, M7 8:39 
    M7 - Major 7th 8:54 
    m7 - Minor 7th 9:00 
    Resolving These Intervals 9:51 
   Brief Review of 7th Chords 10:57 
    Dominant 7th 11:30 
    Major 7th 12:05 
    Minor 7th 12:26 
    Half Diminished 7th 12:44 
    Fully Diminished 7th 13:18 
    Listen to These 7th Chords 14:00 
   Roman Numeral Analysis 15:07 
    I7 15:21 
    ii7 15:37 
    iii7 16:03 
    IV7 16:15 
    V7 16:26 
    vi7 16:36 
    vii7 16:44 
    Listen to These Chords 16:50 
   Example I: Play and Write P1, P8 18:31 
   Example II: Play and Write m3, M3 19:08 
   Example III: Play and Write P5, M6 19:59 
   Example V: Resolve m6, m7 21:11 
   Example VI: Resolve M7 23:50 
   Example VII: Bach Prelude I BWV 846 25:05 
   Example VIII: Bach -cont.- 28:24 
   Example IX: Bach -cont.- 31:38 
  Roman Numeral Analysis 28:27
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:07 
   I Chord Tonic 0:50 
    The I Chord in a Major Key is Called a Tonic 0:51 
    Written in Different Chords 1:07 
    Minor Tonic Chord 1:15 
    Tonic Chord In the Key of G 1:20 
    Tonic Chord in the Key of Bb 1:44 
    Roman Numerals Analysis Procedure 1:55 
   ii Chord Supertonic 2:17 
    The Supertonic 2:25 
    ii Chord in C is D 2:51 
    ii Will Move to the V Chord 3:00 
    Let's Listen to That 3:26 
    Root of a Chord 3:50 
   iii Chord Mediant 4:05 
    iii Resolves to the VI 4:07 
    Let's Listen to That 4:36 
    Written Out 5:06 
    The Mediant 5:38 
   IV Chord Subdominant 5:55 
    Subdominant 6:09 
    IV Resolves to V 6:21 
    Let's Listen to That 6:30 
   V Chord Dominant 7:16 
    How Do We Find It? 7:21 
    V Resolves to I 7:48 
    Different Voicings 7:54 
    Powerful Progressions 9:42 
   vi Chord Submediant 10:07 
    vi Resolves to Many Chords 10:18 
    The vi and The iii 10:55 
    Substitute vi for I 11:16 
    Playing These Chord Progressions 11:24 
   vii Chord 12:55 
    Leading Tone Chord 12:59 
    7th Diminished 13:20 
    Three Minor Thirds Make a Diminished 7th 13:38 
   Example I: Create I/IV/V/I in C Major 13:48 
   Example II: Create I/IV/V/I in D Major 15:00 
   Example III: Create i/v/VII/i 16:20 
   Example IV: Create I/iii/V/vii/IV/V/I 17:46 
   Example V: Bach Prelude I BWV 846 20:55 
   Example VI: Further Analysis of Bach 23:41 
   Example VII: Bach -cont.- 25:52 
   Example VIII: Bach -cont.- 27:27 
  Exploring Famous Melodies 35:50
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:11 
   Thus Spake Zarathustra (Strauss) 0:38 
    Characteristics of This Melody 1:04 
    Listen Briefly 1:49 
   Thus Spake Zarathustra (Strauss), cont. 1:58 
    Listen Briefly 2:15 
    Let's Write This Out 2:33 
    Let's Play It 3:42 
   Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner) 4:14 
    Characteristics of This Melody 4:38 
    Repetitive Rhythm vs. Tonal Pitch Change 5:01 
   Ride of the Valkyries -cont.- 5:38 
    Listen Briefly 5:45 
    Let's Write This Out 6:12 
    Examining The Intervals 6:57 
    Analyzing Music 7:25 
   Hallelujah (Handel) 7:58 
    Listen Briefly 8:13 
    Characteristics of This Melody 8:32 
    Watch This Melody Played on the Keyboard 9:53 
   Little Prelude in C (Bach) 10:21 
    Listen Briefly 11:00 
    Characteristics of This Melody 11:25 
   Little Prelude -cont.- 12:38 
    Listen Briefly to the Ending 12:53 
    Characteristics of This Melody 14:11 
    Watch This Melody Played on the Keyboard 14:36 
   Example I: Analyzing Thus Spake Zarathustra 15:04 
   Example II: Analyzing Ride of the Valkyries 18:52 
   Example III: Analyzing Hallelujah 22:46 
   Example IV: Analyzing Little Prelude 26:22 
   Example V: Transpose A Melody One Fifth Lower 30:18 
   Example VI: Transpose A Melody A Fifth Higher 33:09 
  Creating Melody 24:32
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:06 
   2 Bar Melody Using A Perfect Fifth As The Largest Interval: Melody 1 0:25 
    Example Melody 0:55 
    Counting Intervals 1:23 
    Played on the Keyboard 1:50 
    The Third is a Qualifier 1:57 
   2 Bar Melody Using A Major Sixth As The Largest Interval: Melody 2 2:27 
    Example Melody 2:41 
    Counting Intervals 3:09 
    Played on the Keyboard 4:02 
   Change Rhythm to Melody 1, Use Only Quarter Notes And Half Notes 4:24 
    Original Melody 1 4:34 
    Change the Rhythm 4:45 
    Played on the Keyboard 5:33 
   Change Rhythm To Melody 2, Speed Up The Rhythm 6:23 
    Using Quarter Notes or Shorter 6:26 
    Original Melody 2 6:57 
    Change the Rhythm 7:08 
    Played on the Keyboard 8:44 
    Characteristics of the Changes 9:20 
   Example I: Create 2 Bar Melody Using Progression I/ii/V/I 9:55 
   Example II: Create 2 Bar Melody Using Progression i/III/V/i 12:53 
   Example III: Add Bass Line To Melody 1 16:06 
   Example IV: Add Bass Line To Melody 2 18:49 
  Building Phrases & Form 28:31
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:08 
   Strophic Form AA 0:35 
    AA 0:46 
    Example of AA: Michael Row Your Boat Ashore 0:53 
    Let's Listen 1:05 
   Binary Form AB 1:50 
    AB 1:52 
    AB: Blowing In The Wind 2:00 
    Let's Listen 2:55 
    Analyzing This Melody 3:15 
    Binary Form 3:42 
   Ternary Form ABA or AABA 4:18 
    AABA: The Rock Star Form 4:25 
    Example of ABA: Yesterday 4:42 
    Let's Listen 5:28 
    Analyzing This Melody 5:35 
    Start Listening 6:33 
   Theme and Variations A A1 A2 A3 6:53 
    A A1 A2 A3 6:56 
    Example: Hot Cross Buns 7:17 
    Example: Ah! Vous Dirai-Je Maman 7:55 
   Example I: Create a Melody In Strophic Form 9:16 
   Example II: Create A Melody In Binary Form 12:33 
   Example III: Create A Melody In Ternary Form 18:25 
   Example IV: Create A Theme and Variation 21:02 
  AABA in 50s/60s Song Form 18:49
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:12 
   Binary Form AABA I/vi/IV/V 0:32 
    AABA using I/vi/IV/V 0:40 
    Write Out 2 Measures 1:34 
    Let's Listen to A 3:17 
   AABA IV/I/IV/I/IV/I/V7 of V/V 4:19 
    B is Made up of IV/I/IV/I/IV/I/V7 of V/V 4:20 
    Write Out 2 Measures 4:30 
    Let's Listen to B 6:00 
   A = I/vi/IV/V 6:45 
    AABA 6:55 
    Communicating Your Chords 7:04 
   Example I: Transpose AABA Melody to C 8:00 
   Example II: AABA Melody -cont.- 10:22 
   Example III: AABA Melody -cont.- 11:09 
   Example IV: Adding Vocal Line To AABA Melody 12:24 
  Further Roman Numeral Analysis 46:28
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:09 
   Bach Prelude BWV 998 Measure 1 0:18 
    Write It Out 0:24 
    Key of D 1:03 
    Time Key of 12/8 1:08 
    The Notes 1:33 
    Tonal Center of D 1:51 
    Shared Tonal Center of G 2:03 
   Bach Prelude BWV 998 Measure 2 2:28 
    Write It Out 2:30 
    Staggered Entrances 2:38 
    Studying Contour Melodies 3:04 
    The Notes 3:24 
    Tonal Center of D 3:42 
    Chord Analysis 3:46 
   Bach Prelude BWV 998 Measure 3 4:28 
    Rewriting the Key Signature 4:35 
    Write It Out 4:30 
    The Notes 5:45 
    Chord Analysis 6:12 
    Have a Listen 6:56 
    Bach Restates Same Rhythm In Different Keys 8:05 
   Bach Prelude BWV 998 Measure 4 8:19 
    Rewriting the Key Signature 8:22 
    Write It Out 8:33 
    The Notes 9:29 
    Shifting to Key of A 10:25 
    Chord Analysis 10:30 
   Bach Prelude BWV 998 Measure 5 11:44 
    Write It Out 11:46 
    New Key: A 11:55 
    Continue Writing 12:40 
    The Notes 13:18 
    Chord Analysis 13:24 
    V7 of V 13:53 
   Bach Prelude BWV 998 Measure 6 14:15 
    Write It Out 14:16 
    The Notes 15:14 
    Chord Analysis 15:22 
   Bach Prelude BWV 998 Measure 7 16:16 
    Write It Out 16:22 
    The Notes 17:06 
    Chord Analysis 17:26 
    Have a Listen 19:01 
   Bach Prelude BWV 998 Measure 8 20:08 
    Write It Out 20:13 
    Play it Out 20:40 
   Example I: Chopin--Prelude 20 in C Minor Measure 1 22:56 
   Example II: Chopin--Prelude 20 in C Minor Measure 2 29:45 
   Example III: Chopin--Prelude 20 in C Minor Measure 3 35:30 
   Example IV: Chopin Prelude--Prelude 20 in C Minor Measure 4 40:39 
  Voiceleading Principles 22:32
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:06 
   Principles of Part Writing 0:20 
    Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass 0:28 
    The Rules of SATB Part Writing 0:47 
    Rule Number One: Good Melody 1:17 
    Rule Number Two: Stay Within Range 1:54 
    Rule Number Three: Part of the Harmony 2:23 
    Rule Number Four: Keep Common Tones 2:42 
    An Example on the Keyboard 3:00 
    Rule Number Five: 7/7 3:50 
    7/7 Explained 4:55 
    Rule Number Six: Undesired Parellel Motion 5:48 
    Rule Six Explained 6:08 
   Ranges: Soprano 6:52 
    Range of the Soprano Voice 7:00 
    Rule Can Still Apply to Instruments Written for Soprano Part 7:18 
   Ranges: Alto 7:33 
    Range of the Alto Voice 7:34 
    Soprano and Alto Use Treble Clef 7:39 
   Ranges: Tenor 7:56 
    Range of the Tenor Voice 7:57 
    Overlapping Into Treble Clef 8:05 
   Ranges: Bass 8:14 
    Range of the Bass Voice 8:15 
   Types of Motion: Parallel 8:22 
    What is Parallel Motion 8:28 
    Same Direction, Same Intervals 8:44 
   Types of Motion: Similar 9:00 
    What is Similar Motion 9:03 
    Different Intervals! 9:11 
   Types of Motion: Contrary 9:22 
    What is Contrary Motion 9:26 
    Opposite Directions 9:36 
   Types of Motion: Oblique 9:39 
    What is Oblique Motion 9:40 
    One Voice Must Be Static 9:49 
   Procedures: Avoid Parallel Motion of P8, P5 and Unisons 9:52 
    Addressing Rule Number Six 10:00 
    Not Acceptable 10:07 
   Example I: Begin With a Good Melody 10:43 
   Example II: Write the Inner Voices One Chord at a Time 12:22 
   Example III: Stay Within Range of the Voices 15:09 
   Example IV: 4 Measure of SATB 17:46 
  Orchestration: String 20:05
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:07 
   Bowed Strings: Violin 0:25 
    Range of the Violin 0:45 
    Techniques 1:00 
   Bowed String: Viola 1:44 
    Different Clef 1:46 
    Range of the Viola 2:18 
    Open Strings 2:38 
    What Are Open Strings? 3:27 
   Bowed Strings: Cello 3:40 
    Range of the Cello 3:45 
    Open Strings 3:52 
    Knowing Your Open Strings 4:08 
    Crossing Strings 4:40 
   Bowed Strings: Double Bass 5:09 
    Range 5:10 
    Open Strings 5:49 
    How Bowed Strings Instruments Work 6:19 
    Plucked Strings: Guitar 7:28 
    Bowed String Techniques Played 7:32 
    Range of the Guitar 8:25 
    Let's Have A Listen 8:47 
    Classical Guitar Is A Lot Of Melodic Plucking 8:59 
    Spanish Guitar Is A Lot of Chord Strumming 9:14 
    6-12 Strings 9:47 
   Plucked Strings: Orchestral Harp 9:58 
    Versatility of the Harp 10:01 
    Percussion Instrument 10:18 
    Range of the Orchestral Harp 10:31 
   Example I: String Quartet Violin 1 10:58 
   Example II: String Quartet Violin 2 12:30 
   Example III: String Quartet Viola 14:15 
   Example IV: String Quartet Cello 15:37 
   Example V: Writing for Guitar Tablature 16:58 
   Example VI: Chord Symbols for Guitar 18:27 
  Orchestration: Woodwind Family 44:29
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:06 
   Woodwinds: Piccolo, Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute 0:18 
    Range of the Piccolo 0:22 
    Qualities of the Piccolo 0:33 
    The Flute 1:31 
    Range of the Flute 1:37 
    Have a Listen at the Flute 2:14 
    Qualities of the Flute 2:24 
    The Alto and Bass Flute 3:29 
    Range of the Alto Flute 3:33 
    Sounds P4 Below Written Pitch 3:45 
    The Bass Flute 4:08 
    Qualities of the Bass Flute 4:11 
    Range of the Bass Flute 4:25 
   Woodwinds: Soprano Clarinet, Clarinet, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet 4:59 
    The Soprano Clarinet 5:02 
    Sounds m3 Higher Than Written Pitch 5:12 
    Writing For Instruments That Sound Different From Written Pitch 5:26 
    Range of the Soprano Clarinet 5:52 
    Qualities of the Soprano Clarinet 5:56 
    The Bb and A Clarinet 6:25 
    Difference between Bb and A Clarinet 6:43 
    Qualities of the Clarinet 6:53 
    Range of the Bb Clarinet 7:19 
    Sounds m2 Below Written Pitch 7:25 
    The Alto and Bass Clarinet 8:00 
    Alto Clarinet is Rare 8:06 
    Range of the Bass Clarinet 8:25 
    Qualities of the Bass Clarinet 8:37 
    Sounds m2 Below Written Pitch 9:10 
   Woodwinds: Oboe, Cor Anglais, Bassoon, Contrabassoon 9:27 
    Double Reed Instruments 9:33 
    Cor Anglais = English Horn 9:35 
    Range of the Oboe 9:50 
    Qualities of the Oboe 10:07 
    The English Horn 10:34 
    Sounds P5 Below Written Pitch 10:35 
    Qualities of the English Horn 10:55 
    Range of the English Horn 11:27 
    The Bassoon and Contrabassoon 11:35 
    The Contrabassoon is Rare 11:41 
    Range of a Bassoon 11:58 
    Qualities of the Bassoon 12:21 
   Woodwinds: French Horn 12:50 
    About the French Horn 12:55 
    Qualities of the French Horn 13:15 
    Range of the French Horn 13:33 
    Sounds P5 Below Written Pitch 13:49 
   Example I: Mozart Quintet in Eb Copy and Play Flute Part on Keyboard 14:37 
   Example II: Mozart Quintet in Eb Copy and Play Oboe Part on Keyboard 19:03 
   Example III: Mozart Quintet in Eb Copy and Play Clarinet Part on Keyboard 22:26 
   Example IV: Mozart Quintet in Eb Copy and Play Horn Part on Keyboard 23:13 
   Example V: Mozart Quintet in Eb Copy and Play Bassoon Part on Keyboard 24:07 
   Example VI: Create 4 Bar Woodwind Quintet Excerpt 32:45 
  Orchestra Percussion 27:29
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:06 
   Tuned Orchestra Percussion: Timpani 0:22 
    Percussion 0:24 
    The Timpani 1:01 
    Range of the 20 Timpani 1:42 
    Range of the 23 Timpani 1:50 
    Range of the 26-25 Timpani 2:41 
    Range of the 29-28 Timpani 2:45 
    Range of the 32-30 Timpani 2:47 
    Big Instruments Produce Bigger Sound 2:48 
    Writing for Timpani 2:57 
    A Fill 3:11 
    Tremelo 3:21 
    A Sonata 3:42 
    Sonata For Solo Timpani Excerpt 3:52 
    Finding a Timpani 4:36 
    Let's Listen to This Sonata (On Keyboard) 5:20 
   Glockenspiel and Xylophone 5:51 
    What Are They? 5:58 
    About the Glockenspiel 6:15 
    Range of the Glockenspiel 6:23 
    Qualities of the Glockenspiel 6:53 
    The Xylophone 7:17 
    Range of the Xylophone 7:25 
    Qualities of the Xylophone 8:01 
   Marimba and Vibraphone 8:37 
    Instruments That Use Resonator Tubes 8:39 
    Differences and Similarities 9:03 
    The Marimba 9:23 
    The Vibraphone 9:52 
    Writing for Both 10:09  
   Bass Drum, Snare, Tom-Tom, Cymbal 10:35 
    Percussion Instruments 10:38 
    The Bass Drum 11:00 
    The Snare Drum 11:23 
    Writing for Bass Drum 11:45 
    The Tom-Tom 12:03 
    Writing for Numerous Percussion Instruments 12:15 
    Floor Toms and Mounted Toms 12:40 
    The Cymbal 13:02 
    Writing for Cymbal 13:19 
   Piano, Harpsichord, Organ 14:12 
    About The Harpsichord 14:33 
    Qualities of the Harpsichord 14:50 
    The Organ 15:06 
    Qualities of the Organ 15:14 
    The Piano with Orchestra 15:48 
    Example of a Piano Part in an Orchestra Piece 16:13 
    Writing for Piano with Orchestra 17:40 
   Example I: Composing for Percussion Ensemble 18:27 
   Example II: Percussion Ensemble -cont.- 21:09 
   Example III: Percussion Ensemble -cont.- 23:36 
  Score Reading 40:37
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:06 
   Mozart - Symphony 40 in G Minor 0:15 
    Written in 1788 0:21 
    Instruments In This Piece 0:30 
    Setting Up The String Parts 0:51 
    Time Signature 2:08 
    Writing The Score 2:37 
    Have a Listen 5:48 
    Examining the Chords 7:10 
   Mozart -cont.- 7:53 
    Writing The Wind Parts 8:00 
    The Clarinet Part 8:53 
    Writing the Flute Part 9:24 
    Usually the Flute Part is Above the Clarinet 9:30 
    The Clarinet Part 9:57 
   Bach Overture in D Major 10:31 
    The Winds of This Piece 10:40 
    Key and Time Signature 11:36 
    Writing The Score 12:11 
    Doubling a Part 14:00 
    Score Reading and Analyzing 15:04 
    Have a Listen 15:19 
   Bach -cont.- 16:51 
    Continuo 16:52 
    Cello and Bass Part 17:10 
   Beethoven - Symphony 7, Mvt. II 17:40 
    Writing The Wind Parts 17:54 
    Setting Up The Score 18:33 
    Writing the Score 19:10 
    Adding Dyanmics 19:42 
    Score Writing 19:50 
    Chord Construction Through Parts 21:17 
    Have a Listen 22:00 
   Beethoven -cont.- 22:58 
    Setting Up The Score 23:05 
    Writing The Score 22:33 
    Have a Listen 24:10 
   Example I: Creating an Orchestral Score 24:37 
   Example II: Creating an Orchestral Score 27:29 
   Example III: Creating an Orchestral Score 31:25 
   Example IV: Creating an Orchestral Score 34:58 
   Example V: Condensing a Score 37:40 
  Orchestral Brass 24:28
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:05 
   Trumpet 0:14 
    Bb Key 0:51 
    Range of the Trumpet 1:00 
    Sounds M2 Below Written Pitch 1:11 
    Transposing to the Key of C 1:22 
   Trombone 2:06 
    About the Trombone 2:10 
    Range of the Trombone 2:32 
    Trombone Can Use Alto Clef 2:38 
    Examples of Brass Solos 2:52 
    Trumpet Solo 3:09 
    Let's Listen to the Trumpet Solo 4:12 
    Trombone Solo 4:50 
    Have Your Melodies Played 5:32 
    Let's Listen to the Trombone Solo 6:27 
   French Horn 7:25 
    Sounds P5 Below Written Pitch 7:34 
    Qualities of the French Horn 7:49 
    About the French Horn 8:05 
    French Horn Solo 8:32 
    Resting for Numerous Bars 8:46 
    Common Time 8:56 
    Let's Listen to this French Horn Solo 10:00 
   Tuba 10:44 
    About the Tuba 10:48 
    Range of the Tuba 11:23 
    Tuba Melody 11:56 
    Let's Listen to this Tuba Melody 13:18 
   Example I: Composing for Brass Quintet Trumpet I 14:02 
   Example II: Composing for Brass Quintet Trumpet II 15:51 
   Example III: Composing for Brass Quintet Horn 17:11 
   Example IV: Composing for Brass Quintet Trombone 17:52 
   Example V: Composing for Brass Quintet Tuba 18:37 
  Rock Song Form 24:44
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:05 
    Rock is Derived from Blues 0:18 
   12 Bar Blues Form 0:32 
    3 Phrases in the 12 Bar Form 0:39 
    The 3 Phrases 0:51 
    Common Blues Chord Progression 1:23 
    Let's Listen to an Example 1:40 
   16 Bar Blues Form 2:43 
    4 Phrases in the 16 Bar Form 2:53 
    The 4 Phrases 2:57 
    Common Blues Chord Progression 3:09 
    The Difference Between 12 and 16 Bar Form 3:22 
    Another Common Chord Progression 3:40 
    Let's Listen to an Example 4:16 
   12 Bar Blues: Elvis Presley Hound Dog 5:27 
    Write Out the Lyrics 5:45 
    The First Measure 6:14 
    The Second Measure 6:40 
    Played on the Keyboard 7:33 
    The Last Measure 7:44 
    All 12 Bars 8:17 
   16 Bar Blues: Surfin USA 9:00 
    By the Beach Boys 9:06 
    The First Measure 9:19 
    The Second Measure 9:55 
    The Third Measure 10:40 
    The Last Measure 11:12 
    All 16 Bars 11:40 
    Played on the Keyboard 12:21 
   Example I: Create a 12 Bar Blues Form 13:28 
   Example II: 12 Bar Blues -cont.- 15:36 
   Example III: Create a 16 Bar Blues Form 18:45 
   Example IV: 16 Bar Blues -cont.- 21:23 
  Form in Modern Pop 27:43
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:06 
   Verse/Chorus/Mid 8 or Bridge/Outro 0:17 
    Parts of a Pop Song 0:24 
    Some Similarities with Blues Forms 0:40 
    The 12 Bar Blues 0:49 
    Another Possible Pop Song Structure 1:18 
    Very General Pop Song Structure 1:40 
   Pre-Chorus 2:07 
    What is a Pre-Chorus 2:10 
    What a Pre-Chorus Does 2:23 
    Finding A Pre-Chorus 2:31 
    Write a Pre-Chorus 3:34 
    Use the Circle of Fifths 6:34 
    Use Common Tones 6:47 
    Ways to Find Chords for Pre-Chorus 7:35 
   Pop Instrumentation 8:19 
    Typical Pop Instruments 8:24 
    Ballad 9:06 
   Tempo: BPM = 116 9:19 
    Beats Per Minute 9:22 
    Different BPMs 9:33 
    How to Find 116BPM 9:49 
   Example I: Analyze Someone Like You, Adele 10:02 
   Example II: Someone Like You -cont.- 14:25 
   Example III: Someone Like You -cont.- 16:01 
   Example IV: Someone Like You -cont.- 20:52 
  Further Form in Modern Pop 27:16
   Intro 0:00 
   Lesson Objectives 0:06 
   Exploring I ii vi IV Progression 0:17 
    Exploring This Progression in Bb 0:27 
    Played on the Keyboard 0:33 
    Write it Out 1:24 
    Try it in a Different Key 2:19 
   Lyric Pacing 3:09 
    Katy Perry's Firework 3:14 
    Analyzing the Pacing 3:43 
    The Pre-Chorus 4:06 
    Analyzing the Pacing 4:27 
    Baby You're a Firework 4:59 
    Make 'Em Go Oh Oh Oh 5:14 
    Firework's Lyric Pacing 5:24 
   Melodic Line 5:41 
    The Melodic Line 5:58 
    Write it Out 6:40 
    The Intervals 7:03 
    This is the Melodic Line 7:42 
    The Pre-Chorus 8:50 
    On the Keyboard 9:00 
    Pre-Chorus Melody 9:48 
   Example I: Analyze Verse 1, Firework 10:43 
   Example II: Analyze Verse II, Firework 14:46 
   Example III: Analyze Pre-Chorus, Firework 17:56 
   Example IV: Analyze Chorus, Firework 22:33 

Duration: 9 hours, 31 minutes

Number of Lessons: 20

Educator®

Please sign in to participate in this lecture discussion.

Resetting Your Password?
OR

Start Learning Now

Our free lessons will get you started (Adobe Flash® required).
Get immediate access to our entire library.

Membership Overview

  • Available 24/7. Unlimited Access to Our Entire Library.
  • Search and jump to exactly what you want to learn.
  • *Ask questions and get answers from the community and our teachers!
  • Practice questions with step-by-step solutions.
  • Download lecture slides for taking notes.
  • Track your course viewing progress.
  • Accessible anytime, anywhere with our Android and iOS apps.