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Learning Resources/Using Ostinatos to Construct a Piece

Using Ostinatos to Construct a Piece

When writing music for media, an ostinato can be a valuable tool for creating a focal point that builds on itself over time. We will examine ostinatos in the orchestral genre, where we can use them to create a sense of power and momentum.

TM

Tim Maurice

Instructor

5 modules · 5 video lessons

Beginner

What you will learn

Over the course of examples Ex.1-1-A through Ex.1-1-D, we will transform an ostinato pattern step-by-step into a full orchestral arrangement. Since an ostinato is based on repetition, we will explore ways to add melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic variety to our piece to maintain interest throughout. In the second part of the course, we study another composition with an ostinato at its core. This time, we use modulation to add harmonic depth to our piece. Modulating a piece with an ostinato pattern can be a compelling way to advance the harmony and heighten the tension.

  • Single Ostinato Pattern
  • Expand with Contrabass & Violin
  • Percussion Added
  • Ostinato Pattern Moving in 3rds

Course Content

5 Modules5 Video Lessons12-Page Reading7 Audio Tracks

  • Course Overview
  • Course Materials [Score PDFs, Audio]
  • General Course Information

Requirements

While musicians without any educational background may benefit from our courses, we recommend having at least a basic knowledge of music theory concepts such as intervals, chords, and scales to ensure a smooth learning experience.

General course information

  • This course includes video lectures, audio examples, graphical analysis, and video playback of the scores. All course materials (music score pdfs, HD orchestral mock-up mp3's) can be downloaded upon purchase of the course.
  • When possible, we include chord symbols in the scores to help summarize the harmony.
  • For the sake of brevity and clarity, we use "condensed scores" for any large ensemble/orchestral writing.
  • Some specific musical notations (such as breath markings for winds and brass, harp tuning, piano pedaling, etc.) are not strictly conveyed in the scores.
  • In our course, we write all roman numerals uppercase and simply add the word "min" to indicate a minor harmony.

Instructor

Tim Maurice

Tim Maurice

Composer, Arranger, and Pianist

Tim produced music for a variety of independent film & media projects across New England, including “Searchdog,” a feature-length documentary about shelter dogs that are rehabilitated into certified search & rescue dogs. (Audience-voted “Best of Fest Selection” in the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival).

In addition to composing, Tim also served as music director, arranger, and pianist for the cabaret show “Never Far From Home” at Central Square Theater, which earned critical acclaim from The Boston Globe. He has worked with the North Cambridge Family Opera for the past several years, as an arranger and midi mockup artist.

He orchestrated for their production of “Flying High,” an opera with music by multi-instrumentalist/composer Graham Preskett and lyrics by writer John Kane. Tim also had the great fortune of working with Grammy-nominated jazz pianist/composer Taylor Eigsti, assisting with orchestration and score preparation for symphonic pieces for the concert performed by the Oakland Symphony Orchestra.

Tim Maurice's website

Reviews

  • “Fantastic intro to Ostinatos. Ostinatos are a core element of most film music today and have been used for hundreds of years in classical music. However very few course going into Ostinatos in any dept often keeping it very basic.This one really shows the power of Ostinatos and how you don’t have to use them to underline the harmony or as a simple rhythmic device. Instead this course shows how you can use accents to change the feel of the ostinato without changing the underlining meter. It also shows how you can play with modal and chromaticism when using them to change the underlining harmony and the feel of the piece.Excellent work and fantastic for a free course.”

    Mark Spooner

  • “This course has helped me immensely. The course begins by showing a single pattern ostinato and demonstrating how we can develop the pattern into an orchestral piece. I liked how the authors suggest musical scenarios and then explain the theories behind each example. The content is well organized and focused on practical situations as well. Overall, it was shorter than expected.”

    Mike Demas

  • “Clear and well explained. Particularly interesting the analysis of the harmonic structure and the implementation of concepts such as modal mixture and common tone modulation. I would like to see further orchestral arrangements of the ostinato patterns.”

    Luca Forteleoni

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