How to easily extend a 8 or 16 Bar into a full piece
Structure and form are essential when writing a standalone piece of music. Without structure, a piece becomes a series of random ideas with no clear direction.
Using repetition is perhaps the most important aspect of structure - a careful balance between repetition and development/contrast is essential for a memorable piece that travels on a 'musical journey'.
The most simple structure, which incorporates repetition could be what's called Ternary form:
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So your initial 8 or 16 bars becomes the 'A Section', while the 'B Section' is a contrasting idea that you introduce into the middle of the piece.
You could then add to the simple structure by adding an optional Intro and Outro:
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Let's go through each section in a little more detail:
Intro
Typically for the Intro, you want to establish the mood or overall tone of the piece, without giving the main material of the A Section melody away too quickly.
A Section
Once you've presented the Intro, it's time to move to the first section, or A Section. This will be a main theme or melodic idea which you'll go on to repeat as the piece progresses. Your A Section could be 8 or 16 bars in length, but of course you could experiment with a non standard length for variety as well.
B Section (contrasting)
An engaging piece of music typically is a careful balance between repetition and development/contrast. Too much repetition and the piece will quickly stagnate and become boring to listen to. Too much development or contrasting new ideas and the music could feel like its meandering without any clear sense of direction.
So a good way of introducing contrast is to write a B Section (the topic of my last newsletter). Contrasting B sections are a great way to generate more emotional intensity or drama, while offering something new to keep the listener's ears fresh.
Musical contrast can be achieved by exploring opposite musical aspects of that to your A Section. If your A Section was loud and fast, have a go at composing something that is slower and sombre feeling for the B Section.
If you are in a major key for your A Section, have a go at moving to the relative minor key for your B Section. If the Violins and Flutes are playing the melody during the A Section, you could contrast this by giving the Horns or Celli the B Section melody instead.
Returning A Section
Once the contrasting B Section has come to an end, you can then return to your original A Section. By representing familiar musical material, it can help to give your piece a sense of symmetry, balance and completeness for your listener.
How you decide to end your piece will also have a huge effect on your listener's overall experience. You may choose to end the track by growing to a climax during the last half of your final A Section, or alternatively, end with a more low key feel and vibe through the use of an Outro.....
Outro
Outros can be great at helping to bring your piece to a gentle close....I like to often base my Outros on the same material as the Introduction, again further helping to reinforce the feeling of symmetry.
An example of a simple structure
The Main Titles for the series 'Yellowstone', composed by Brian Tyler, offers a perfect example of a simple Intro, A, B, A form:
Intro: 00:00-00:06
Despite the extremely short length, here the tone is immediately established with the instrumentation (including what sounds like a Mandolin to help establish the Americana feel).
A Section: 00:06 - 00:53
The main theme (with the melody played in the Violins) accompanied by the rest of the Strings, Brass and some Percussion.
B Section: 00:53:01:24
Contrast is achieved by using a new chord progression (still in the same key though) with a slower harmonic rhythm. There also isn't a clear melody until the 2nd half of the B Section.
Returning A Section: 01:24 - 02:23
The A Section returns, with some development. As well as 4 bars added onto the end, the melody is now heard in the Celli (for the first half) as well. The piece finishes with a long held note gradually fading out.
I hope this helps you extend your piece of music!
