Composition & Counterpoint
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[edit] Composition and Counterpoint: Introduction
I have created this simply to truly certify what counterpoint is. To often, I'm browsing the internet when I see something that says 'Tips on Counterpoint'. I, foolishly being interested, look at this, to discover all it says is 'Bach was a master of counterpoint. Look at his works for tips'. I have two things to say about this. 1. Bach may have been good at counterpoint, but to call him 'a master' is overexaggerating. 2. Bach had such complex forms of counterpoint in his music, it is virtually impossible to take any tips from it.
So, I am now going to instruct you in the art of Counterpoint. There are three basic things you need before starting to compose counterpoint, which I am going to give you. 1. A good to excellent knowledge of Cadence and Neo-Harmony. 2. A good grounding of melody and rhythm 3. A good ear for musical texture (well, I'll try to give you this)
[edit] Cadence and Neo-Harmony
You probably worked out, the image up there is an example of counterpoint. Well, counterpoint is ruled by one major thing - cadence. A cadence is a series of intervals that end a section of music. However, cadences can be made to clash, and create what is known as a 'dissonated cadential trill'. There are several types of cadence.
1. Perfect Authentic Cadence. This is chords V to I (eg: in C it would be G chord to C chord)
2. Root Position Imperfect Authentic Cadence. This is almost identical to a PAC, except it uses triads.
3. Inverted Imperfect Authentic Cadence.similar to a PAC, but one or both chords must be inverted.
4. Leading tone IAC: the V chord is replaced with the viio chord (but the cadence still ends on I).
5. Half (or open, or imperfect) cadence: any cadence ending on V, whether preceded by ii, IV, or I, or any other chord. Because it sounds incomplete or "suspended", half cadence is considered a weak cadence - the weakest cadence, in fact.
6. Plagal cadence: IV to I, also known as the "Amen Cadence" because of its frequent appearance in hymns.
7. Deceptive (or interrupted) cadence: V to any chord except I (typically vi or VI). This is considered a weak cadence because of the "hanging" (suspended) feel it invokes.
Cadences can also be classified by their rhythmic position. A masculine cadence occurs on a strong position, typically the downbeat of a measure. A feminine cadence occurs in a metrically weak position, for instance, after a long appoggiatura (see also feminine ending). Masculine cadences are considered stronger and are generally of greater structural significance. (To avoid offending those sensitive to sex stereotypes, the Society for Music Theory endorses the terms "metrically accented" and "metrically unaccented cadence" in their Guidelines for Nonsexist Language.) Likewise, cadences can be classified as either transient (a pause, like a comma in a sentence, which implies that the piece will go on after a brief lift in the voice) and terminal (more conclusive, like the period or other terminal punctuation, which implies that, at least for the time being, we are done). Most transient cadences are half cadences (which stop momentarily on a dominant chord), though IAC or deceptive cadences are also usually transient, as well as Phrygian cadences. Terminal cadences are usually PAC or sometimes plagal ("Amen") cadences.
Neo-Harmony. You may think it means 'new harmony', which technically it should. However, it infact represents a certain sequence of notes. It is a sequence in which a certain mode, melody or key is hinted at, but then turned into something else. A good example is below: TBA
