Form and Structure

Year 7

What is structure?

• If a piece of music repeated the same thing over and over again it would get boring!

• Music that is always changing, however, would be very hard to listen to.

• Music is therefore composed within a form or structure. This makes it easier for the composer to use both repetition and change.

• Complete Task 1 in your booklets.

Mannish Boy by Muddy WatersMcKinley Morganfield

b. 1913 – d.1983American Blues musicianInstruments:

VocalsGuitarHarmonica (mouth organ)

Form or StructureQuestion and Answer

Question and answer

• Sometimes a good way of structuring your music is to compose a musical conversation.

• This device is called Question and Answer.• Q: How are you today?

A: I am well, thank you.• We use information from the question to help

us to give our answer.

Compose a Question and Answer

• You will be put into pairs to compose a musical conversation made up of 3 question and answers.

• You can use spoken phrases to help you to do this but it must be performed on percussion instruments.

• Good answers contain elements of the question but are not exactly the same.

Evaluate your work

Answer the questions in as much detail aspossible. Use full sentences and pay carefulattention to spelling and punctuation.• How did you compose your piece?• Was it easier to compose the question or the

answer? • What have you learnt about composing and

performing question and answer phrases?

Binary Form

• Music in binary form is made up of 2 sections.• These 2 sections must be different.• The first section is called A and the second

section is called B.• This is one of the simplest musical structures.

A – B

Binary Form

• It is very important that music in section B is different to that in section A.

• We can describe this as contrast in music. • By changing the elements of music, we can

make the music in section B contrast to that in section A.

Composing Section B

• Draw a Treble Clef on a stave in your exercise book.• Divide the stave into 4 equal bars.• Using the notes from Section A (C – G) compose

Section B.• Keep it simple:

• it only has to be four bars long (4 beats in each bar);• you can use ideas from Section A;• try to think how you can make the two sections

contrast.

Ternary Form

• Ternary form is a musical structure consisting of three parts. The first and third parts are normally identical (or very similar), and the middle section is different.

A – B - A• For this reason, we can think of ternary form

as represented by the letters ABA (a musical sandwich).

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

We are going to sing a traditional Scottish folk song called My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.

We are going to be looking at the terms:– Phrase: a group of notes that sound like they fit

together (like a sentence)– Melody Contour: the shape of the tune (is it

smooth or angular)– Range: the distance (in pitch) between the lowest

and highest notes

Rondo Form

• A piece of music in rondo form begins with a lively tune which keeps on returning.

• In between this lively tune, there are different sections of music.

• We can describe rondo form as:A B A C A D A

The sections between the repeats of A are calledepisodes.

Steel Pans

• You are going to perform a piece of music in Rondo Form on the steel pans.

• You must remember to :· Remember your own part· Pay attention to the other parts· Keep a steady pulse· Remember what you are trying to achieve