Approach to Harmonic Vocabulary

I know when I'm starting a piece up from the beginning stages the most important things I'm thinking about are A) Large-scale form, B) Style/mood/intent, and C) Pitch materal. Pitch material and the approach to harmony, I think is the most important part of the piece, especially since it so deeply defined the color. Some intentions call for a "tonal" or tone row or pitch class set, poly/pantonality modality, or perhaps a completely different technique altogether. So I just ask you all what you do to come up with the pitch content for your works and how they may very from piece to piece or what have you.

At the moment I am not writing for any purpose other than myself, so I just do as I please (as opposed to say writing a specific theme for a purpose). I usually just improvise sketches of melodies and chord patterns on my midi keyboard or guitar. Sometimes I record what I am doing. Usually I end up with a whole bunch of phrases or hooks that I try to "glue" together into a coherent piece. I don't even know what you mean by tone rows or modality. I just pick a key, usually either major or minor and then improvise around that. Sometimes I come up with deviations from the tonic scale, other times I just stick to it.

I'm usually working with a modal concept. I start somewhere, and go somewhere else...

'Pitch content' isn't really that big of a deal - it's all usually implied or derived from strong root movement and melodic contour.

:huh:

I don't entirely understand your question, but if you mean what I think you mean: I start off by planning the overall form, roughly where I'm going to modulate, which melodies will feature where, and so on. The I think about what kind of harmony I want: Modal, tonal... other..? Then move onto planning the harmonic structure of each phrase, based on the melody of course :closedeyes:

I hope that's what you were talking about... :D

To me, the most interesting goal is trying to incorporate different harmonic constructions and methods in the same piece, either sequentially or simultaneously, and trying to maintain the integrity and coherence.

As for your question, I find it funny that as a novice composer, I'm already stuck with a certain palette of chords and chord-building principles, which I find unpleasant to transcend. It might be that I'm just lacking in technique.