Decorating the music you play by Alyn Iorwerth

Alyn often organises meetings for the Southern members of the club at his house at Winchester. He's also on the Nonsuch Committee. This article appeared first in the Nonsuch Newsletter.

From time to time, many of us feel the urge to fill those empty spaces between the notes with even more notes. It's not always a good idea, but, if you must do it, here are some possible ways of doing so:

Repeated notes
1a, 1b, Insert notes immediately above or below the melody notes

1c, 1d, Insert other notes from a harmonising chord.

Instead of repeating the same variation, it is often better to start simply, and only put in the variation the second time. Let the variation lead into what follows - so if the tune rises, we could use 1e.

Passage of rising or falling notes
2a, 2b, The passage is rising, start by moving downwards (and vice versa), This creates the illusion of moving the tune on.

2c, 2d To hold the tune back - do the reverse.

2e, 2f If the melody rises or falls every two beats instead of every beat, a slight variation of the above can be used. The last one is very useful at the end of a tune or phrase.

Using the dominant
3a, 3b: The dominant is the 5th note of the major scale and you can use it almost anywhere. 3c: Reverse the notes for a syncopated effect.

The tonic (1st note of the scale) can also be used. Try other notes.

Using thirds
Many phrases can be harmonised by playing a third above or below the melody. Exploit this to develop variations.

Using triplets
Quavers which are an interval of a third apart can easily be turned into triplets.

Simplify!
Many tunes already contain phrases which look just like the figures we have developed. You can reverse the process I've described, in order to strip a tune to its bare essentials. You can then play the simplified version, or elaborate it in a different way.

Use the chords
Where the melody consists of a broken chord, you can use almost anything that harmonises. In particular, play the notes of the chord at a different tempo, or in a different order.

At the end of a tune
There are many things you can do to end a tune with a flourish. For instance, play up or down in an arpeggio, or an arpeggio with a few notes added fig.8 shows a few examples.

Finally
Don't attempt to intellectualise, there is no underlying theory. The examples I've just given happen to work for me in the sort of music I play. There are many more things that can be done, so spend time experimenting, in the privacy of your own home it doesn't matter what it sounds like. If an idea doesn't come off, try something else. If you like what you hear, remember it - you may be able to use it in other contexts.

Remember - don't overdo it! If you overload your tune with too much fancy stuff it could be to the detriment of everything else and a good tune will be lost underneath a load of twiddles! Mind you, this could be a case of "do as I say not as I do!"