Cole, Bruce - The Pop Composers Handbook

Anyone who can pick up a pencil can draw. Anyone who can sing or play an instrument can compose. Following the successful formula of The Composer’s Handbook, The Pop Composer’s Handbook is a step-by-step guide to the composition of melody, harmony, rhythm and structure and covers styles and song-writing techniques from rock, reggae and salsa to bhangra, club and steel band. The book is aimed at composers aged 11 to 18 and beyond. It includes games and warm-ups, whole-class projects, worksheets and schemes, projects for the more advanced and advice on recording and producing. Bruce Cole studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music with Sir Harrison Birtwistle and has pursued a joint career as a composer and teacher. He has taught at most levels from pre-school to postgraduate, including teacher training, working with young people with special needs and prison education. His work as a composer has included orchestral commissions, scores for film, television, theatre, dance and new circus as well as collaborations with The Rolling Stones, Squeeze, Joan Armatrading and Asian Dub Foundation. Bruce Cole is currently Fellow in Community Music at the University of York and Chief Examiner of a national examination board.

CONTENTS

Rhythm:
Key features of rhythm in popular music
Style, metre and tempo
Building on a one-bar pattern
Using technology
.
Melody:
Pop melody
Extending melody
Advanced melody writing
.
Harmony:
Melody and harmony
Why does pop harmony sound different from classical harmony?
Chord progressions
Dissonance
.
Structure:
Harmony and structure
Standard structures
32-bar song form
Verse and chorus
Highlighting the chorus
.
Instruments:
The instrument of popular music
.
Production:
Microphones
Making the recording
Post production
Scoring parts
.
Riffs:
Adding a new section
Study project: Tubular Bells
.
Songs:
George Gershwin
Burt Bacharach
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Stevie Wonder
Bob Marley
Michael Jackson
Elton John
.
Islands and Continents:
Reggae
Salsa
Bhangra
Celtic popular music
.
Club and Urban:
The techniques of club music
Sampling
Recording your own samples
Planning the composition
Projects
.
Performing Projects for the Class:
Samba
Steel band
Tala
Riff ensemble
.
Frameworks for Listening:
Keeping a listening log
Focused listening
Listening worksheets
Comparisons
Differentiating worksheets
.
Designing Worksheets
.
Schemes of Work:
32-bar song
The instruments of popular music
Songs with a message
Cut and paste
Rhythm
The voice
.
The Computer in the Classroom:
Listening
Performing
Composing