Lessons with Raining_Hail

So then - where do you want to start? It'd be helpful for me to see a bit of your current work to get a feel for where you are right now.

Hi, thanks for agreeing to do this, I am very grateful.

So, recent work by me ... OK well I have 'Tok and Dawn on here.

I also have a page which has some other work on it. Winter Sun being the most recent work on there. I realize you might have to install Scorch to access it.

Something to bare in mind is that a lot of this stuff has been written for coursework and certain decisions were out of my hands. I think Dawn is the only work in this bunch which wasn't written for coursework.

Currently I approach harmony through tonal means and then I work around it. I'll remove the third or alter it and then add other intervals - the 9th and the 12th. It's so far been an OK approach but I would like to evolve beyond this and create chords which don't have some relationship to tonality - if this makes sense.

I'll leave it up to your judgment where to begin.

Alright. So, it seems very clear to me that you're working in a framework in which harmony and melody inform each other. I want to start by blurring that line even further.

So, first assignment:

a) Pick 5 pitch classes that you personally like the sound of (individually). Voice them into pentachords for solo piano in 5 different ways.

b) Using the same 5 pitch classes, construct 5 different melodies using only those chosen pitches. You may repeat pitches, but once you have moved on to a new pitch, do not return to a previously used one.

(As I'm not familiar with how much you know about pitch class theory, an overview follows

Pitch class is just a way of numbering pitches in which C = 0. The pitches then increase by whole numbers per half-step. So C# = 1, D = 2, Eb = 3, etc. Every note with the same pitch has the same pitch class.

So, if my 5 pitches were C#, E, F, Ab, and B, my pitch classes would be 1, 4, 5, 8, 11 (or E).

Here is my attempt at these exercises for you.

With the second exercise, I think I have made a mistake. Although I followed your instructions to use the 5 notes, I returned to previous notes after using all 5 notes and used the 5 again. I am not sure if this isn't what you meant. I can redo if needed.

It looks good. Sorry I'm so late getting back to you on this.

I'd like you to take those chords and do some more revoicings. Play with distance between pitches. Maybe group them really close together, maybe spread them way out. I've included an example.

Your melodic stuff looks pretty good; while the contours tend towards arch shapes a lot, the melodic contents are quite varied, and all really interesting. If you want to revise, look at melodic shapes that maybe are cyclical, or more angular.

New Assignment!

I'd like you to take your pentachord, and transpose it a few times. Then find combinations of transpositions that make up scales you like. Make three different scales.

For instance: I took your original pentachord Bb, C, D, Eb, F#, and combined it with a P2 (+2 semitones), which is C D E F Ab, to get the composite scale C D Eb E F F# G# Bb, which is really a whole-tone scale with added Eb and F.