Composition 2

The Piano Project

Project List

The Project

The aim of this project is to expand and encourage your technique of writing for one of the most useful and popular instruments available to you. We also intend to increase the instrumental participation of piano/keyboard players who are often under-used in workshops.

Although the piano is so popular and is the usual choice of many people as their first compositional aid, it is also one of the most abused items of equipment. Probably due to the way many people are taught, they tend to see the piano as an instrument that can only manage melody/accompaniment textures and which only has a useful range of three or four octaves. We are going to try and remedy this.

As you will see, one of the central issues here will be to utilise only the piano's natural sounds - we are not allowing any preparations or percussive effects in order to concentrate entirely on the 'traditional' sounds themselves.

The Rules

As usual, this project has rules, which you must obey. They are designed not primarily to restrict you but to break you out of learned and tedious habits that themselves restrict your depth and variety of expression.

• You must use at least once each of the notes in the outer-most octaves of the piano in the Performing Arts Room. These may not all be used at once or in close proximity.
• You are not allowed to use the range between A in the lower space of the bass clef and A on the first ledger line of the treble clef in the opening or the final four beats of your piece.
• You are not allowed more than eight consecutive beats in which only notes of the above range are played.
• You are not allowed to 'prepare' the piano in any way.
• You are not allowed to use the inside of the piano.
• You are not allowed to hit the piano's body.
• You are not allowed to immediately and directly repeat any pattern of notes.
• You are not allowed to use a key signature
• You are not allowed to use barlines
• Only one performer is allowed (excluding any necessary page-turners)
• Duration should not fall outside the following formula:
  average tempo * approximate number of beats > 4800 and <20000.

NB remember to include pedal markings for the piano!

Form

If you're unsure of form or structure, use something simple like ABA' or ABCA', etc. Do use a form if you're unsure - if you don't there's a chance your piece will sound structureless and vague - a sort of 'list' of ideas.

Chords

Don't forget that you can use chords! Many people seem to come up with material that uses solely individual lines or possibly some contrapuntal material.

Previous General Comments

People should try and be less complex in their material.  The rules forbid some things, but
 there are many more things that they do not forbid.  In many ways, a good approach might be
 to think of some ideas and then try to see how they wor against the rules.

Please try to remember to provide a copy of the score for me to read while you're playing.
  Try not to apologise either for yourself, your performance or your piece.  Difficult though
 it may be, try to relax.

Many compositions lost themselves because they didn't take enough account of structure.
  Without a sufficiently simple structure there's a danger that the music will become too
 complex or 'list-like', that is, just a series of apparently unrelated events.  Try using a
 simple form such as ABA' to begin with.

Remember that you can use chords!  A surprising number of people came up with one or two part
 compositions which is very unusual for piano pieces.  You don't have to be a virtuoso
 pianist or veteran composer to write a few chords!

Good luck!