Undergraduate - UnitATS2807 - Composition techniques: Structure, pitch and space

This unit provides an introduction to ideas and concepts that are fundamental to an understanding of the process of composition and the analysis of musical works. As composers, performers and thinkers, students sitting this subject will be exposed to a wide variety of musical examples, compositional approaches and philosophies that will inform their ongoing creativity as musicians. The first topic, 'structure', will explore basic concepts of musical structure from both the listener's and composer's perspective. As well as investigating traditional approaches to musical form, we will also address post-modern and post-structuralist approaches to musical analysis. The second topic, 'pitch', covers the formation and organisation of pitch in terms of tuning and scales. Students will develop the ability to analyse modal music and creatively apply a variety of modal composition techniques. The final topic, 'space', focuses on the techniques of post-production, creation and meta-creation in the recording studio. Included will be an investigation of a number of techniques for organising sounds in virtual spaces (such as the stereo space) and related aesthetic issues.