Kaii Lee had combined several piano/keyboard method books and her life long music learning books to create this sequential music theory study for this website. This page is about the understanding of the Contrapuntal Techniques. Composers have many tools to create beautiful and memorable music by using certain techniques, such as Motif, Theme, Repetition, Sequence, Imitation, Canon, Pedal Point, Augmentation, and Diminution. By clicking on the other colored links at the bottom of this page, the other music theory topics can be found easily.
For more information, please contact Kaii directly: info@kafm.net
Motif | Theme | Repetition | Sequence | Imitation | Canon | Pedal Point | Augmentation | Diminution
The Contrapuntal Techniques in music composition can be very different and useful in a variety of ways.
Motif can be a fragment of a music phrase or a complete idea of music structure. The most famous motif in any kind of music is probably the Beethoven's Symphony no. 5, in c minor, first movement. The first four notes in that composition are the most important part of that whole symphony. Yet it is so simple.
Beethoven's Symphony No.5, in C minor, First Movement |
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A Theme is a bigger idea than a Motif, usually a stand-alone idea that would be making a statement for the music. There could be more than one Theme in any given music composition. In the style of "Theme & Variations", that Theme is the main idea of the music and composers would then modify that Theme to create different variations of that Theme. In the style of "Sonata Form", there are always a First Theme and a Second Theme in any Sonata.
Mozart's Piano Sonata, K.545, in C Major, First Movement |
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Repetition means to repeat the music idea identically and consecutively. That idea can be seen in that music sample above. Mozart used the same Second Theme twice in a roll; therefore, a Repetition was used. Sometimes the music idea is repeated many times, so different parts of the music component could all be presented.
| Clementi Piano Sonatina, Op.36, No.2 Second Movement |
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Sequence is another way to repeat a musical idea consecutively, except it is not done identically. Usually, a Sequence has two or more of the same Motif, but each following one is one step higher or lower than the original. Therefore, the music is either ascending or descending in its melodic direction. The best example of this composition technique is the whole entire book of "Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist" finger exercise book. In the first exercise of the book, each measure has the same pattern in the ascending fashion. Each following measure is one step higher. The descending portion starts at measure 15 and each following measure has the same pattern and each measure is one step lower.
Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist No.1 |
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Imitation is an extension of "Motif" in a musical sense. Usually, an Imitation appears immediately after the main idea, Motif, has been presented. But it is NOT a Repetition, due to the nature that an Imitation has different pitches.
Johann Sebastien Bach's Fugue from "Well-Tempered Klavier" Book 1 |
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A Canon requires a minimum two parts in any music to function. One of the two or more parts will be the leading part while the other part(s) will enter the music a little later and complete the whole musical idea just like the leading part. By the time the last part had finished the musical idea, the leading part would need to add extra music to create a more layered feeling at the end of the song. In another word, after the leading part started, all the other parts would always be catching, but never caught up to the leading part. The following example is the setting of a three-part choral music by late Middle Age composer, Jacob de Senleches, from the 14th century. The Canon appeared in the two upper voices over the bass line.
| "La harpe de melodie" by Jacob de Senleches |
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Pedal Point is as easy as it states. While a chord progression continues to move with the direction of the song, a long bass note will hold the music in a specific chord, mostly, the Dominant chord, prior to any cadence would complete the section of the music, or the whole song. Johann Sebastien Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, and many other composers used this technique in their music. The following sample is taken from the first movement of "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven.
| Ludwig Van Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata No.14, Op. 27, No.2, in C Sharp Minor, First Movement |
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Augmentation is another way to extend a musical idea by adding more note value to the motif. In the following example, "Vom Himmel Hoch Variations", Bach doubled the note value of the right-hand music and created the left-hand portion mathematically. An eighth note in the treble part became a quarter note in the bass part. Wow!
| JS Bach's Vom Himmel Hoch canonic variations, Var.5 |
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Diminution is the opposite of Augmentation. When a musical idea is shortened in rhythm, but still keep its melodic and harmonic integrity, is considered a Diminution. The Motif started with a half note. The second voice, "Alto", in measure three started with a quarter note, as a statement of Diminution. Moreover, the top voice, "Soprano", started in measure 2 with an up-side-down pattern of the "Alto" voice in measure three. Very cool!
| JS Bach's "Art of Fugue", Fugue No.6 |
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The next topic in this Music Theory site is all about "Binary Form." Thank you for reading!
Music Theory that every musician could use and should know The Basics
Math in Music
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