Developing Musical Structures

Calendar

Texts

Bamberger. Developing Musical Intuitions. (DMI)

Bamberger. The Mind Behind the Musical Ear. (MBME)

Introduction

Assignments:

Reading: 
Introduction to DMI and Introduction to Part I.

Listening: 
Pp. 35-51

To do: 
Projects 1.1 & 1.2 (Pp. 7-34)

Paper 1 – Projects 1.1 & 1.2 
Paper Due: Class #2 of Week 2

I.

Weeks 1-2
Melodic Structure

Week 1:

Class #1: 
Introduction to Impromptu

Class #2: 
Introduction to composing your own tunes 
Shared musical structures

Week 2: 
Assignment:

Reading: Basics1

Class #1:
Listening examples 
Discussion of Basics1

Class #2:
Discussion and performance of student tunes 
Due Today: Paper 1

II.

Weeks 3-5
Rhythmic Structure Simples: Beat, Metric Hierarchies

Assignments:

Reading: 
Introduction to Part II of DMI. 
MBME: Pp. 24-44 – In Class #2 of Week 5

To do: Projects 2.1 & 2.2 (Pp. 67-98) 
In Class #2 of Week 4

Listening: Pp. 64-66

Week 3:

Class #1: 
Holiday

Class #2: 
Continued discussion and performance of student tunes 
Introduction to rhythmic structure 
Introduction to Drummer

Week 4: 
Assignment:

Reading: 
Basics 2: In Class#1 of Week 5 
Hasty. Meter as Rhythm. (Pp. 1-13) (Handout) 
Discussion in Class #2 of Week 5

Class #1:
The metric hierarchy; figural and metric structures.

Listening: 
Bhimpalasi & Hindemith: Beat and non-beat 
Lanner & Sousa–triple and duple meter

Class #2:
Performance and discussion of percussion pieces 
Due Today: Project 2.1 and 2.2

Week 5:

Class #1: 
Performance and discussion of percussion pieces (cont.) 
Rhythm notations: similarities and differences

Class #2:
Discussion of Hasty 
Inventing rhythm notations (MBME – pp. 24-44) 
Multiple meanings of “fast” and “slow”

Weeks 6-7

Rhythm 2 Complexity

Assignment:

To do: 
Project 2.3 (Pp. 99-100; 118-122)

Paper Due: Class #2 of Week 7

Listening (Pp. 109-118; 123-129)

Week 6:

Class #1:
Holiday

Class #2:
Making and playing percussion accompaniments 
Introduction to rhythmic conflict 
Listening: 109-118

Week 7:

Class #1:
Rhythmic complexity; 
Listening: pp. 123-129

Class #2:
Discussion and performance of student pieces. 
Due Today: Paper 2

III.

Weeks 8-10
Pitch Relations

Assignment:

Reading: 
Introduction to Part III of DMI (Pp 136-143)

To do: 
Project 3.1 
Discussion in Class #2 of Week #8

Week 8:

Class #1:
Introduction to Intervals and structure of scales.

Class #2:
Tonic function and 1->5->1. 
Project 3.1 in Class Today

Week 9: 
Assignment:

Reading: 
Some Basics 3: pp. 200-211

Reading and doing: 
Project 3.2 
Due in Class #2 of Week #10

Class #1: 
Analysis of Examples 3.1-3.5 and the pervasiveness of 1->5->1: pp. 187-199.

Class #2:
Discussion of final projects

Week 10:

Class #1:
Holiday

Class #2:
Review of Basics 3 and Projects 3.1 and 3.2. 
Quiz: Scales, keys, key signatures, circle of fifths, etc.

IV.

Weeks 11-13
Making Music Out of Theory

Assignment:

Reading: 
Introduction to Part 4: p. 213

Reading and doing: 
Project 4.1 pp. 214-219

To do: 
Project 4.2

Paper 3: Due Class #1 of Week #12

Week 11:

Class #1:
Listening and analysis of large-scale compositions 
Beethoven Quartet Op. 59 #2 
Discussion of final projects

Class #2:
Discussion of Project 4.1 pieces 
Discussion of final projects

Week 12:

Class #1: 
Discussion and performance of Project 4.2 pieces 
Due Today: Paper 3

Class #2: 
Continuation

Weeks 13-14:

Class #1 - Class #2: 
Final projects