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Do you have a favorite Mazurka? Two of my favorites are Mazurka Appasionta by Agustin Barrios and Adelita by Francisco Tarrega. I recently performed 16 new Mazurkas that were composed over the past few months by members of my online school. They were all inspired by Adelita, but all turned out very different. A clip of one Mazurka from the program is below. Next livestream: Wednesday September 29th, 7pm AEST  How to compose a Mazurka in 4 steps You might be wondering, how were so many people able to compose a Mazurka? Here are the steps they used! Step 1: Plan Probably the most important step was to have a plan. A plan gives your composition structure and cohesion and helps focus your creativity. If you've tried composing before, you might have experienced stumbling blocks like: - Not knowing where/how to start - Not knowing how to extend beyond your initial ideas - Not understanding about the underpinnings of music Having a plan addresses all of those points! What did the Mazurka plan that composers featured in tonight's livestream look like? Check it out below:  Step 2: Melody Think about what the most defining feature of a piece is. Most of the time, it's melody. A melody is something you can connect with, because it's something you can sing (or hum, or whistle if you prefer). I like to say that melody is the heart of a song. Melody also contains crucial structural elements and helps to organize your composition. For example,. the term 'Parallel Period' in the plan above is referring to a key melodic structure that's used in many melodies. Below is a melody that was based on another Mazurka, Maria Luisa. This was written by Trisha, whose Mazurka 'Between the Tides' is recorded above.  Step 3: Harmony Now that you've got a solid structure and beautiful melody, time to add chords in! You might be thinking, "but there are so many chords to choose from!!" Good news: you can just choose from three chords, called the primary chords (I, IV and V). Below is Trisha's melody from above, now with the addition of primary chords.  Step 4: Edit and Refine Now you've got some really solid material to start refining and editing. Some of the considerations you want to think about: - Playability - Fingerings - Texture/voicing Here's an example below, where Joe drastically altered the texture to make his piece much more playable. Notice the other details that were added too, such as dynamics, articulations, harmonics and a fermata.   I hope this has inspired you and given you encouragement to compose. Many of the composers featured in the concert recording are very new to composition, but that hasn't stopped them from writing some incredibly beautiful music. If you can play something on guitar, then you can compose something, no matter your ability or experience. Follow the 4 step process and see what emerges! If you want further guidance, check out my online composition course here - you can take it at your own pace. 
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Clinton composed his first piece just last year while taking my online composition course. Since then, he has composed many more works, all inspired by Bible verses and dedicated to the glory of God.
This Prelude symbolizes the journey of a Pilgrim, whose quest was to find out the meaning of Paul's words from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - 'Pray constantly'. During his travels, the Pilgrim learns the Jesus Prayer: 'Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!'. 'Anyone who becomes accustomed to this prayer will experience great comfort as well as the need to say it continuously. He will become accustomed to it to such a degree that he will not be able to do without it and eventually the Prayer will of itself flow in him...' (pg. 9 from 'The Way of a Pilgrim', trans. H. Bacovcin). The Pilgrim is represented by a repeated descending musical figuration and his pilgrimage is painted through the use of frequent key changes. Compositional devices such as divisions, tonicizations and the Rule of the Octave have been used to wonderful effect by Clinton. Clinton has continued his studies with me and he never fails to amaze and inspire my own musical and spiritual development. You can take the same course that sparked Clinton's creative journey at: https://daniel-s-school-9a66.thinkific.com/courses/compose-your-dream-piece-in-just-4-steps Or, join a vibrant community of creative classical guitarists and gain access to the composition course, plus many other resources, live events and and much more: https://daniel-nistico.mn.co Take away all those hours of wasted labor, moving bar by bar and note by note. Seeing chords is the secret to reading music fluently. Watch the video to learn the secret to how you can learn chords very quickly on guitar. It's practical and relevant to guitar music - in the full course, each chord type comes with examples directly from guitar pieces! See below for some examples. The full course gives you simple logic and practical exercises to understand chords and unlock the secret to reading music fluently, also giving you tools for composing, arranging and improvising. Learn more by clicking the banner below, or clicking here.   |
AuthorDr. Daniel Nistico is a passionate performer, author and educator who specializes in the performance practice of 18th and 19th century guitar music. Daniel's teaching and research aims to revitalize the concept of being a well-rounded musician, with emphasis on topics like harmony that can lead to deeper musical understanding and provide tools for composing and improvising. Archives
August 2021
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