Instant Composition

This item is not in the library — it is a part of: C. Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Intuitive Music: A Mini Handbook.

Decide on a theme and a simple description of material: for example, 1) A theme could be "fantastic dance" and the description could be "a pulse and melodies with accents between beats." 2) A theme could be "secret signaling" with the material being "points and sounds that stand alone."

The theme may be: an indication of a kind of music you would like to make; a description of something imaginative; an atmosphere; a fancied kind of music; etc. The description of material should put this idea into terms as concrete as is possible. A simple, comprehensible recipe will help provide an identifiable character to the music. As the examples here illustrate, just a few elements being fixed will suffice in making a rough and simple sketch. It will, of course, come alive through your improvised playing!

A variation: state three different emotional attitudes or atmospheres (first letters may be given to make a free associating easier). A succession of three movements are made. You may choose to continue with themes having a direct relation to participants.


The wording above is by Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen, as written in Intuitive Music: A Mini-Handbook, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 (Bergstrøm-Nielsen 2009, 9)

You can get a deck of emotional attitudes for the variation.



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