Music Composition Course

Lesson 1 • Scales and Key Signatures

Teaches major and minor scale construction and their corresponding key signatures. Scales form the tonal vocabulary composers draw from.

Lesson 2 • Basic Notation and Score Reading

Covers standard notation symbols, dynamics, articulations, and tempo markings. Accurate notation ensures compositions are communicated clearly to performers.

Lesson 3 • Rhythm, Meter, and Time Signatures

Covers note durations, rests, and how meter organises beats into measures. Rhythmic accuracy underpins every melodic and harmonic idea.

Lesson 4 • Pitch and the Musical Alphabet

Introduces note names, octave registers, and stave placement. Establishes pitch literacy as the entry point for all written musical work.

Lesson 1 • Seventh Chords and Extensions

Introduces dominant, major, minor, and half-diminished seventh chords. Extensions add colour and complexity beyond basic triadic harmony.

Lesson 2 • Diatonic Harmony and Roman Numerals

Maps chords to scale degrees using Roman numeral analysis. This framework reveals harmonic function and enables cross-key comparison.

Lesson 3 • Voice Leading Principles

Teaches smooth part movement between chords to avoid parallel fifths, octaves, and awkward leaps. Good voice leading produces professional-sounding harmonic writing.

Lesson 4 • Triads and Their Inversions

Constructs major, minor, diminished, and augmented triads and their inversions. Triads are the primary harmonic building blocks in tonal music.

Lesson 1 • Melodic Contour and Direction

Examines how melodic shape—arch, ascending, descending—affects emotional impact. Contour awareness guides composers toward intentional melodic design.

Lesson 2 • Motifs and Melodic Development

Introduces the motif as the smallest melodic unit and techniques for developing it. Motif manipulation creates unity and variety across a composition.

Lesson 3 • Melodic Rhythm and Prosody

Explores how rhythmic patterns within a melody create momentum or repose. Rhythmic variety prevents monotony and reinforces phrase shape.

Lesson 4 • Harmonising an Original Melody

Applies chord selection and voice leading to support a composed melody. Integrates melody and harmony skills into a complete compositional exercise.

Lesson 1 • Rondo and Theme-and-Variations

Examines episodic rondo structure and systematic variation technique. Both forms develop a central theme through contrast and transformation.

Lesson 2 • Binary and Ternary Forms

Covers two-part and three-part forms including rounded binary and ABA. These foundational forms appear across centuries of Western music.

Lesson 3 • Sectional Contrast and Transitions

Teaches how to create contrast between sections and write effective transitions. Smooth formal navigation keeps listeners engaged across longer works.

Lesson 4 • Sonata Form Principles

Breaks down exposition, development, and recapitulation sections. Sonata form is the most influential large-scale structure in Western composition.

Lesson 1 • Canon and Imitative Techniques

Explores strict canon, free imitation, and invertible counterpoint. Imitative techniques create structural unity through melodic mirroring.

Lesson 2 • Species Counterpoint Fundamentals

Introduces the five species as a systematic method for learning melodic independence. Species rules build disciplined control over interval relationships.

Lesson 3 • Two-Voice Invention Writing

Applies species principles to free two-voice invention in the Baroque style. Invention writing integrates motif development with contrapuntal independence.

Lesson 4 • Dissonance Treatment and Resolution

Covers passing tones, neighbour tones, suspensions, and their required resolutions. Proper dissonance handling is the core skill of contrapuntal writing.

Lesson 1 • Woodwind Family Writing

Examines flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon capabilities and transposition. Woodwinds provide melodic colour and textural contrast within the ensemble.

Lesson 2 • Combining Instruments and Blend

Teaches principles of balance, doubling, and register placement when combining instruments. Effective blending ensures clarity and expressive impact in full scores.

Lesson 3 • String Family Writing

Covers violin, viola, cello, and bass ranges, bowing techniques, and idiomatic figurations. Strings form the harmonic and melodic backbone of the orchestra.

Lesson 4 • Brass Family Writing

Addresses horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba ranges and idiomatic techniques. Brass instruments provide power, weight, and ceremonial colour.

Lesson 1 • Stylistic Periods and Their Techniques

Surveys Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th-century compositional approaches. Historical awareness enables composers to draw from and respond to tradition.

Lesson 2 • Modulation Strategies

Covers pivot chord, chromatic, and enharmonic modulation methods. Modulation expands harmonic range and creates large-scale tonal drama.

Lesson 3 • Texture and Density Control

Examines monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic, and heterophonic textures and their expressive uses. Texture manipulation is a primary tool for shaping musical drama.

Lesson 4 • Developing a Personal Compositional Voice

Guides students in identifying recurring personal choices and refining a distinctive style. A personal voice distinguishes professional composers in competitive markets.

Lesson 1 • Project Planning and Concept Development

Establishes workflow for defining instrumentation, form, and expressive intent before writing. Clear planning reduces revision time and strengthens compositional coherence.

Lesson 2 • Revision and Self-Editing

Teaches critical listening, score analysis, and targeted revision strategies. Rigorous self-editing elevates a draft into a professional-quality composition.

Lesson 3 • Drafting and Developing the Score

Covers sketch-to-score workflow, layer-by-layer development, and maintaining structural logic. Systematic drafting transforms initial ideas into complete, coherent scores.

Lesson 4 • Preparing Performance-Ready Materials

Covers score formatting, part extraction, and rehearsal marking conventions. Properly prepared materials enable performers to read and rehearse efficiently.