Orchestral Score Basic Approach 

General

– Before starting any Score, describe / imagine the Mood / Effect you want achieve in each of the planned Song Section (Program Music)

Song Building Blocks

Rhythm 

– Define what Notes are “Stress Notes”

Tuple = 1, 2, 1, 2

Quadruple (Double Duo) = 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4,

Triplets = 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, (Somewhere over the Rainbow)

Quintuple = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (Take 5) 

Melody

Harmony

Texture

Dynamics

Timbre

Form 

Workflow

1) Create different “Ornaments” with 2 Adjacent Notes (use maximal 4 Notes)

• e.g. “Trill” between Adjacent Notes 

• or as Peter often does by playing between 2 Notes to create “Non-Quantised” Patterns)

• Use Repetitions (Ostinatos should be come later in Arrange)

2) Add “Bartok” Pairs

• Build 2 Melody Lines with a “Q & A” Feeling as the Melodic Foundation of the Song 

• 4 Pairs each content Twice the same Melody but 2 different Chords along

• Repeat that Technique and Create further “Q & A” Pairs with slight different Melody Lines 

3) Limit Number of Notes to keep Tension & try “Re-Harmonisation” with Limited Notes for every Line to achieve either a Expected or Surprised Response

4) Pack the existing Phrases (Pairs) into Parts & Sections to build a Small Arrangement & Implement more Question & Answer in Parts you may Miss something (try similar Q&A but change Answer to “Go” somewhere else, try different Timbres / Instruments as Q or A) 

5) Fill with “Textures / Gestures” on Top, can be:

• Melody alone 

• Melody with Chords

• All Chords

• Separate Independent Melodies played Simultaneously, known as Contrapuntal or Polyphonic Texture (or in other Words Melody against Melody Either both at the same or at a different Rhythm)

6) Add Modal Changes to vary Emotional Response (simply Ex-Change / Re-Place certain Notes to represent different Scales)

7) Optional,Distribute now the Textures across Parts and make Final Paragraphs / Sections, such as 2 x A, 2 x A+, B, 2x C, C+, Back to A)

8) To Cadence try meaningful “Storytelling” and “Cross/Divide” Sections in a Transitional Way for a “Fluid” Journey 

9) Use Ostinatos in the Background to easy create accompaniments & “Bind” Places (give the Journey “One Vibe” with a Repetitive Motif that gets bored in your Head until you won’t Notice it anymore) 

• Let the Ostinato play maximal 3 Notes in a Pentatonic Scale (or 5 Notes in any Western Scale)

• Use only “Shy” Notes for the Ostinato (means not Notes that pay too much Attention on itself)

• Use Closer or Wider Related Notes in Register for a different Effect in Ostinato

10) Use Repetition or Sequence to Fill Gaps through Repetition = Repeat the same Pattern or

Sequence = Repeat the same Pattern descending or ascending at different Pitch Levels

11) Create “Pedal Points” – Organists used to Press (Sustained mostly in the Bass) a Pedal Tone & Discovered that certain Notes that commonly would Not Fit create a Special Kind of Tension before Releasing the Clashed Notes into “Harmonic” Notes (use Longer and Shorter Sustains)

12) Replace / Exchange the Done Steps only as a Search for Surprises but keep somehow the Hierarchy of all added Steps to Finish the Arrangement (do not destroy the Foundation)