Music Composition DUMmIES

Float......................................................................................................

Floatis light, indirect, sustained, and free-flowing.

Float is a lot like glide, except that it is less direct.

Think Claude Debussy and Stereolab.

Punch ...................................................................................................

Punchis heavy, direct, staccato, and bound.

This is the most direct and aggressive-sounding music of the bunch. When

you write music with punch, you’re telling your audience that you have a

message and you want them to hear it right now. You’re punching out the

notes on your instrument — if you’re playing the piano, you’re hitting the

keys directly and with force.

Music with punch includes Stravinsky, The Ramones, Sir Mix-a-Lot,

P. J. Harvey — and basically, for that matter, most rock and rap music.

Slash .....................................................................................................

Slash is heavy, indirect, staccato, and free-flowing.

Slash is a lot like punch, except that the message and the sound aren’t ham-

mered so much into the audience. You’re toying with the audience a bit,

putting them just a bit on edge and catching them by surprise with your

musical and rhythmic choices.

Think Stravinsky, The Swans, Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie, Jarboe, and

Akron/Family.

Wring ....................................................................................................

Wring is heavy, indirect, sustained, and bound.

Think of wringing out a washcloth, and you’ve got the basic idea behind what

you’re trying to do to your audience when you use this effort shape. You’re

132 Part III: Harmony and Structure

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