In my previous two Composing at Home blogs I have looked at Instrumental compositions and Vocal compositions. The blogs have focussed on how to get started with composition without relying on computers or even instruments.
In this blog I am going to consider how drummers might compose at home without any software and potentially without a drum-kit! But of course you don’t need to be a drummer to complete this task. I just wanted to highlight that it can be hard for drummers at home if they don’t have a drum-kit to play!
Drumming without Drums
It should be no surprise to you that you can Drum without Drums. That is because we can create a Rhythm using just our hands, bodies, feet or anything lying around that can be struck. Thinking outside the box is what this Composing at Home series is all about. But in fact, get a box, that would also be good to hit!
Our Drumming or Rhythmic composition is going to start with one basic thing, a Rhythm. Understanding Rhythm means understanding Note Values, Metre, Time and Groove. If we are going to create a piece of music based around Rhythm then we need to come up with a Rhythmic starting point.
Clapping
I guess the best example of a piece that is based around one rhythm that doesn’t use any instruments is Clapping Music by Steve Reich. Not only is there a great app to allow you to learn this piece but there are also some great videos that bring the piece to life:
Hopefully that video has got your mind working and shown how a Rhythm can be used to create a piece of music. But of course clapping music is much more than just a rhythm, but we will look at that later.
Body Beats
To get your Rhythms flowing even more you might like to check out Ollie Tunmer on Youtube as he has some great videos that explore Rhythm.
https://www.youtube.com/user/OllieTunmer
I am sure you will come away with lots of great ideas and you will certainly be ready to create your own piece.
Rhythm
The first thing to create is an interesting Rhythm and this can be noted down on a sheet of paper – no software needed. I know you will most likely have software, or even a Drum-Kit available to you, but don’t worry about using it.
Now lets think about all we can get out of this Rhythm that you have created. I have come up with a Rhythm to use:
Why not try clapping this Rhythm back to get you thinking about your Rhythm. Is this Rhythm a “good” Rhythm or do changes need to be made? Make sure that as you come up with ideas you review them and think about changes that you might make.
Altering Rhythms
Now lets think about all the things we can do with this Rhythmic starting point:
- Add Accents.
- Change the Time Signature.
- Augment or Diminish the Rhythm.
- Turn the Rhythm backwards – Retrograde the Rhythm
Lets see what my Rhythm looks like with some of these changes
Hopefully you can identify the changes I have made to the Rhythm, but have these changes really been effective? What can we learn from this process about creating a rhythmic piece of music?
The top two changes are possibly the most effective in terms of making something new. The first shows the addition of accents and the second is the Rhythm Retrograde (turned backwards). The Third is simply a Rhythmically Diminished version, so it just sounds faster, and the fourth sounds slower – Rhtyhmically Augmented. And the final version in 6/8 time actually sounds exactly the same in many ways, just with a slightly different time signature. Just changing time signature doesn’t always make that much impact. You need to actually change the beats & stresses of the beat to make a real impact.
Now let’e move on to Page 2 where we create our own Rhythmic Piece.
Composing a Rhythmic Piece
It is clear that we can start a piece with just a Rhythm, but we are going to need to do a little more than just alter some things. Our Rhythmic piece is going to need to explore a great deal more in order be satisfying and enjoyable. All of this can be done on paper, and it is arguably a really good way of learning or recapping knowledge of notation, rhythm and general musical skills.
So lets consider what we are going to explore in our Rhythmic piece:
- Syncopation
- Use of Triplets
- Cross-Rhythms
- Phasing – like in clapping music where rhythms gradually go “out of time” with each other.
- Retrograding
- Accents
- Hemiola
- Rubato
- Polyrhythms
- Time Signatures
- Homo-Rhythmic section
- Unison Rhythms
- Repetition
In our exploration of these features we may alter the note values and change our Rhythms, that is fine. The point behind this Composing at Home task is that you explore Rhythm and create a piece at home that doesn’t need any software or instruments. Of course, hearing your piece being played or performed would be great – but you could easily recruit some family members to help you.
Instruments
Apologies to drummers who may not appreciate this, but in order to perform your piece I want you to think about what you have at home. Pots, pans, boxes, containers – grab anything that you can use to create a piece. You might write something that you can perform alone, but you might need to recruit someone else to play along. It might be that you record one part and then play over the top of that. Whilst I think you can avoid using software, it might be could to at least record your ideas in your phone or tablet.
Composing Process
- Generate a Rhythm.
- Work out what you can do with this Rhythm.
- What other Rhythmic layers do you now need – a Constant Beat, a Counter-Rhythm or another Rhythmic Subject.
- Once you have gathered your ideas work out how you are going to notate your piece. Writing out the music on a piece of paper will be a really good exercise. It will help prepare you for GCSE & A-Level exams where you have to notate rhythms & melodies.
- How might you start to add some structure to you piece? Maybe think about a common form such as Ternary Form.
- What “Instruments” are you going to use for your piece and do you need to recruit any performers. It would be great to get a family members to play along as that will make it an even more enjoyable activity.
- Remember, in order to make your piece interesting and credible you neeed to try and explore as many of the features listed above.
- Perform, Record & Refine your piece.
Your piece does not need to be long! But I think it would be good for you to explore as many features as you can.
Results
The goal behind this Composing at Home task is to explore Rhythm, learn about key Rhythmic features & devices and create a piece of music. This piece of music will take you through the Discovery, Notation and Performance phases and you will come out with something that you can review. Hopefully you can find away to notate the piece and even record the finished performance.
A composition of this nature is not only going to give you something to focus on, but it will teach you a huge amount about the power of Rhythm. Pitch, Melody, Harmony & Tonality are not important here, this is all about beats & note values.
As you explore Rhythm always keep in mind that music relies on Rhythm, it is the heart-beat of all we listen to. There are countless examples, millions of examples in fact, of music that has such a rhythmic groove to it that we tap our feet or get up and dance. Hopefully your exploration of Rhythm in this Composing at Home task will open your eyes to the power of Note Values and the various devices we can use to shape and alter them.
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