Favourite Composition Devices

I had no idea what to entitle this thread, if anyone can suggest anything more appropriate please say so and I shall change it.

A thread for you to post any particular things you use a lot in your pieces, might be some way of orchestrating or doubling that you like a lot, or a particular chord progression or cadence, or anything you can think of.

This could be very interesting to read, and I'm sure we can discover some gems here!

It could be 'Your favourite composition techniques'...

I love the sound of doubling in sixths, although I never get round to using it a lot...

The thread could be called ''favorite composition devices'', I think.

Anyway - I'm a fan of:

Pounding low piano notes doubling low pizzicato.
Minor seconds.
Themes composed of as few notes, or as simple devices, as possible.
minor seconds
Countering simple themes with melodic themes.

More later.. Could go on forever.

• Phrygian ... Lydian
  
• Soprano sax and flugelhorn in unison (also, sometimes guitar)
  
• Vamps/ostinato
  
• Close voicings (BbMaj7#11 = A Bb D E ... C7susb9 = C Db F G Bb haha...lydian & phrygian)
  
• Simplicity
  
• Stealing cool stuff from Carla Bley
  
• Trombones

Originally Posted by Anders

The thread could be called ''favorite composition devices'', I think.

Anyway - I'm a fan of:

Pounding low piano notes doubling low pizzicato.
Minor seconds.
Themes composed of as few notes, or as simple devices, as possible.
minor seconds
Countering simple themes with melodic themes.

More later.. Could go on forever.

Changed. And some very cool things in there, although minor seconds fill me with terror and bewilderment


A few of my own:

• The Dorian mode
• Mixing major and minor modes freely
• French horn melodies
• Pizz DBs doubling arco celli at octaves
• 9th chords

I'll have a think, see if I can come up with any more.

At the moment, I love:

- alternating unison passages with thick choral textures
- allowing the performers much freedom/choices
- using dissonant, rich harmonies and interspersing 'simple' tonal chords that release all tension for a short while
- using archaic cliches in an unorthodox setting, and treating these very stylistically different to the original context
- parallel fifths (sometimes)
- counter-tenors
- boy sopranos
- close voicings alternating with wide open spacing

At the moment, I love:

boy sopranos

....

I like complex cross-rhythms ... or just invigorating rhythms in general. I also love different ensembles that are not normally seen together.

I like the Mozartian diminished-dominant alternations that you have can before a cadence, and I laugh every time I hear the circle of fifths in a Vivaldi Concerto.

TRITONES AND MINOR SECONDS.
Those are my favourite.
I also love the sound of flutes and french horns in octaves or unison!
Low bari sax is amazing!
Parallel fifths are fun too. =)