There are many ways to compose a piece of music.
ABA forms, sonata allegro form, and so on.
But the humble theme and variations has been around for centuries.
While not used nearly as much as it was during the classical period, it still can be used to create artistic and attractive contemporary piano pieces.
Let's get started! First, we need a theme! Eight bars are the perfect size to contain your theme.
I work within this framework all the time and it has proven to be a workhorse when it comes to capturing musical ideas.
Now, we can either begin with chords or melody.
For theme and variations, I like to start with the melody (as do most composers.
) This is because it's a lot easier to create variations for a simple melody than it is to create different textures for chord changes.
The melody does not (and should not) be sophisticated for theme and variations.
Why? Because we want to change the melody.
It's a lot easier to vary a simple theme than it is a complex one, although I'm sure it's been done successfully.
Look at Pachobel's canon as an example.
The theme is simple yet beautiful - exactly what we want.
Once the first 8-bars is complete, we harmonize it and we have the complete theme.
Now we create variation one.
Most theme and variations composed by the "masters" start their initial variations with just a little change and gradually vary the theme to where it may be unrecognizable towards the end.
We don't have to do this here.
In fact, I suggest beginners only create 3 variations at the most.
Look at it as an arc.
You start out with something, let's say something andante or slow.
Now we want to add some contrast to the whole thing so around variations 2 or 3 we speed it up a little.
Eventually we close the theme and variations by returning to the original theme.
Take a look at the author's lesson #54 for a good example of how to do this.