Composing Counterpoint
What you'll learn
- By the end of the course, you will be able to write flawless academic counterpoint in multiple parts and you will be able to use several neat counterpoint devices such as inversion and imitation.
Requirements
- Should be able to read music notation
Description
There is one thing all great classical composers and jazz/pop arrangers have in common: they have a good working knowledge of counterpoint. In this course, you will learn everything you need to write proper, academic counterpoint. In addition, you'll learn some cool contrapuntal tricks like inversion and imitation.
This course is suitable for both complete beginners to composition and advanced musicians/composers who find they are lacking in counterpoint knowledge. The only prerequisite is that you should be able to read music notation. This course is particularly useful for pop/jazz musicians. In these genres, people with proper contrapuntal skills can be hard to come by, so by learning these skills you can put yourself apart from the crowd.
For almost every lecture, there will be one or more exercises. These exercises can be sent to the instructor in order to have them checked personally. (!) This is a rare feature for online courses. If you are currently following composition in university, this course can be a great help since it provides a clear overview of the topic and you can get your homework checked by the instructor before you hand it in.
Who this course is for:
- The only prerequisite for this course is that you should be able to read music notation. This course is meant for composers and musicians in all genres who want to learn how to use counterpoint in their compositions.
Instructor
I am currently a full-time MSc student majoring in music, computer science and mathematics. My areas of expertise include contrapuntal composition, computer science and classical piano performance. In composition I'm mostly interested in baroque and late renaissance composers such as J.S. Bach and Palestrina. In computer science my areas of expertise include programming and algorithm design. In piano performance I play a wide variety of genres including blues and jazz, but my specialization lies in romanticism. Next to this I am an avid blues/rock guitar player and a (visual) arts enthusiast.