I always perceived the idea of musical composition as one that was meant for professionals and skilled musicians - not for a high school student who has little knowledge regarding the vast world that is music. In numerous classes, I was always told that experienced composers would often spend several years perfecting a piece, pulling different pieces and inspiration from previous musicians, while creating something new for future generations to enjoy. The process of composition appeared foreign to me, and I questioned my ability to even compose simple phrases. However, I approached the process of composition with contemplation and ambition, and soon a measure of music transformed into a phrase, which evolved into a melody, which spiraled into …show more content…
I learned through research and discussion with my lesson teacher about the extensive world of music and composition that I never knew existed. Music in my eyes prior was always a concrete idea; similar to Physics or Biology, rules and laws existed that were not meant to be broken. Through my exposure to new ideas, I discovered composition was interpretive. There was a general outline and basis, but I wasn’t forced to express any ideas that did not appeal to me. Through my discussions with Mr. Chapman, I acquired many new techniques, such as the use of voice leading. Voice leading is the notion that notes and voices will naturally move towards their closet note, instead of jumping randomly to different notes (Gray, Composition Revision and New Ideas). This was a major problem I encountered in my composition, as the transitions I wrote were abrupt and appeared to fragment the piece into several sections instead of one coherent composition. Through the use of voice leading, I learned to connect my phrases to make the whole piece as fluent as possible. Within my piece, I also discovered to employ harmonic tension and accents on different partials. This would help to create moods of tension and uneasiness, which would be resolved later in the