- Write an ending for the preceding two exercises. For example, I sent a
memo to my boss saying, ‘see you in Cancun’. Put this idea to music. - Write a short melodic phrase with no lyrics of about four measures.
Leave the ending hanging. In other words, don’t resolve it back to the
I chord. - Write your phrase from exercise 4 again, but this time resolve the
ending with a cadence.
If you want, you can change a few notes or the direction of melodic
movement a little, but be sure it is basically the same phrase as
Exercise 5. - Try to write a complementary or contrasting musical phrase as a
departure from Exercise 6.
For example, maybe move your underlying chord up a fourth. - Find a way to restate your original phrase as an ending, resolving the
piece back to the I chord at the end. - Analyze the form of three of your favorite pieces of music, writing the
part letters (A, B, C, and so on) on a blank piece of paper as you listen.
Chapter 12: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings 143