Year 11 - Music
Creating harmonic variety
Composition exemplars: creating a varied composition
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils analyse exemplar compositions to understand how repetition, contrast, texture and harmony are used effectively. They develop compositional understanding by exploring how musical ideas are varied, structured and developed across sections.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to analyse how a composition uses harmony in specific ways to create harmonic variety and a satisfying harmonic journey.
Key Notes
- Creating harmonic variety is an effective way to create a satisfying, interesting and balanced composition.
- This applies across many genres and styles, but the way it is done varies.
- In the Classical style, one effective method is to modulate to a closely-related key.
- Using varied chords and cadences also creates harmonic variety.
- Changing the harmonic rhythm and using devices such as dominant pedals can also be very effective.
Vocabulary To Learn
- harmony: the way that notes combine to create chords and the way that these chords are used
- harmonic rhythm: how often the chords change in a chord progression
- dominant: chord V, which often resolves to chord I (the tonic)
- pedal: when the bass note stays the same, with the chords/harmony changing above
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Harmonic contrast only comes from changing key or tonality.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Creating harmonic variety is an effective way to create a satisfying, interesting and balanced composition. This applies across many genres and styles, but the way it is done varies.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'harmony'
the way that notes combine to create chords and the way that these chords are used.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Harmonic contrast only comes from changing key or tonality. Correction: Harmonic contrast can come from many techniques, including simple ones such as choosing different chords, cadences and harmonic rhythm. In many styles, keeping the harmonic language simple, without using complex chords, can be most effective.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 11 Music guide library.