One of the most daunting tasks for beginners is composing music. Just thinking about it creates terrifying scenarios that demand perfection. But what if you really knew what you’re doing? Instead of fear, joy and a spirit of adventure will guide you towards a finished piece of music. Let’s see how we could compose a little ABA form for piano.
The first thing I do is draw 8 bars on a piece of paper. Any paper will do. It is not necessary to have a score to compose… at least not as I teach it. The reason I tell students to start with 8 bars is that it’s a really good space to work with. In fact, 8 bars is enough to give you your first section (A). As an example, look at the lesson piece “A Peaceful Path.”
Here we have 3-4 minutes of music. We use the art of repetition and contrast and a little ABA shape is generated. If you listen to the piece, you will hear where section (A) ends and section (B) begins. In fact, listening is very important. Most people listen to music as a complete listening experience and that’s fine. But if you are interested in musical composition, you should also pay attention to the form of the piece. Most piano music is composed using the sectional form.
For example, here is the arrangement of the piece “A Peaceful Path” – 2A2BA. This is a shorthand way of noting the amount of repetition that occurs in the piece. The first section (A), 8 bars long, repeats twice, then section (B) repeats twice, and finally we end where we started. The reason the ABA form works so well is that it gives the listener a complete musical experience. And it gives them a sense of purpose.
Unfortunately, the music has to end somewhere and composers have been working on different ways to do it through the form of the piece. Many innovative composers have tried to abolish the form, but the question to ask is “Does this music give the listener an emotional experience?” There’s a good reason the ABA form has been around for hundreds of years. Because it works!