M U S I C I N F I C T I O N

WEAVING THREADS OF SONG

PERIODS OF WESTERN MUSIC

• Medieval (Before 1400): Simple, Gregorian chant, organum, religious forms

• Renaissance (1420-1600): religious and secular, the madrigal, polyphony

• Baroque (1600-1750): “large pearl”, opera, oratorios, dance music, Johann Sebastian Bach

• Classical (1750-1820): “classical music”, rules of music, symphonies, opera, concertos, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn

• Romantic (1820-1900): music focusing on emotion, epic, storytelling, Wagner Opera, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky

• 21-Century (1900-Present): Breaking all the rules, jazz, modern music, new takes on classical music. Rachmaninoff, Bartok, Mahler, Debussy, Schoenberg, Stravinsky

• For More Information: http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

WHAT DOES MUSIC DO?

• Music for Celebration (weddings, birthdays, etc.) • Music for Mourning (funerals, etc.) • Music for Storytelling (oral tradition) • Music as Art (concerts, recitals)• Music for Worship (church, holidays) • Music for Battle (war cries, sports, competitions) • Music as a Messenger (influencing culture) • Music as Entertainment (concerts, radio)• Music as Inspiration (writers, artists, etc)

MUSICAL FEELINGS

• Major vs. Minor (some music sounds sad, some happy)

• Dynamics, (the changes in volume)

• Tempo (the speed)• Instruments and Timbre

(the quality of the sound: brass vs. strings)

• For more: http://www.musictheory.net/

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

“Music is a higher

revelation than all

wisdom and philosophy.”

SECTIONS OF THE ORCHESTRA

• Brass: Tuba, French horn, trumpet, trombone• Used for: fanfare, royalty, pomp

• Woodwind: Oboe, bassoon, flute, clarinet• Used for: gentle, peaceful, jazzy

• Percussion: drums, etc• Driving, excitement, accent, emphasis

• Strings: violin, viola, cello, string bass• Intense emotion, mellow, supporting

THE ORCHESTRA

METER IN LYRICS

• When writing lyrics, you need to think about the meter of the lines. • The meter is equal to the number of syllables on

each line. • A meter is often represented by a series of

numbers: • 868686 or 8888• Think about stressed and unstressed syllables,

usually in groups of two or three, called “feet”.

• For example: x _ _/ x _ _/ x _ _/ x_ _

TYPES OF METER

Foot Type Style Stress Pattern Syllable Count

Iamb Iambic U + S Two

Trochee Trochaic S + U Two

Spondee Spondaic S + S Two

Anapest Anapestic U + U + S Three

Dactyl Dactylic S + U + U Three

Amphibrach Amphibrachic U + S + U Three

Pyrrhic Pyrrhic U + U Two

One foot = monometerTwo feet = dimeterThree feet trimeterFour feet = tetrameterFive feet = pentameter

BERTHOLD AUERBACH

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday

life.”

RHYME SCHEME

• The “rhyme scheme” refers to the pattern to the rhymes at the end of each line. • You can choose a traditional scheme, or none at

all depending on the type of song. • These are usually shown through pairs of

matching letters. • Examples: ABAB, AABB, ABABCDCD• Put an “x” to show where things do not rhyme

COMMON TYPES OF SCHEMES

• ABAB• XAXA• AABB• AAAA• AXAA• ABBA• AXXA

OTHER NAMES

• Couplet = AA• Triplet = AAA• Ballade = ABABBCBC• Limerick = AABBA• Sonnet = ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

VICTOR HUGO

“Music expressed that which cannot

be said and on which it is

impossible to keep silent.”

WHY INCLUDE MUSIC?

• It can help you tell the story, especially backstory. • It can be a great world building tool.• It can provide variety and spice. • It can help invoke strong feelings such as wonder,

horror, excitement.

WHY NOT INCLUDE MUSIC?

• It can break the narrative flow. • It can be hard to get “just right”. • It can be done “just because” or for the wrong

reasons. • Some people will skip over it no matter what.

LEAVE IT TO THEIR IMAGINATION?

• You can describe music without writing everything down. • You avoid problems with copyright. • Unless you are a gifted songwriter, your reader’s

imagination might be better than what you can come up with on your own. • You can describe the emotions associated with

the music and other effects without talking about the music in detail.

PLATO

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe,

wings to the mind, flight to

the imagination, and charm and

gaiety to life and to everything.”

COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS

• You cannot use copyrighted lyrics without getting permission from the copyright holder. • You can use anything that is in public domain,

usually older texts.• “Fair Use” may protect you, but it is still risky. • Learn more at copyright.gov.• Titles are not copyrighted, but play it safe.

MUSIC = MAGIC

• Music can be white magic or black magic. • Evil magic• The Pied Piper Mind Control• The Lorelei, Seduction• The Magic Flute, Black Magic

• Good Magic • Tangled, Restoring Youth • The Little Mermaid, Love• The Ocarina of Time, All sorts of magic• The Chronicles of Narnia/Lord of the Rings, Sleeping

spells, others

MARTIN LUTHER

“Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”

MUSIC HAS REAL POWER

• Can help motivate, calm, inspire. • King Davis and King Saul

• It can send messages between those who do not speak the same language.• It can enhance the memory of an event. • It can help people learn.• It reduces stress and improves health.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Music History: http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/• Music Theory: http://www.musictheory.net/• Copyright Law: www.copyright.gov• Quotes about Music:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_music.html

WHERE TO FIND ME:

My site: http://www.writermike.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormichaelyoungTwitter: @mdybyu

Other: thesongoftherighteous.wordpress.comadventanthology.wordpress.comwww.bigworldnetwork.com

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

“If music be the food of love, play

on.”