Variation: 14 Ways to Compose with One Idea

One of the most common things I hear from composers is "well I've found this nice idea, I really like it, but I just don't know what to do next, I don't know how should I carry it on". Sometimes rather than continuing to hunt in the dark you should just work with what you already have. In this video I look at the musical technique of Variation as a way of turning your initial idea into a larger piece.

00:51 Simple Melodic Variation

01:47 Simple Rhythmic Variation
02:26 Simple Harmonic Variation
02:53 Modal Variation
04:14 Variation as a Form
05:30 Variations over a harmony
07:45. Note Speed Variation
08:53 Bach & Beethoven Variations
10:30 Advanced melodic variations
12:47 Timbre Variations
14:07 Indian Raga Variations
14:52 Heterophony
15:32 Ben Johnston Variations
16:57 YOUR Variation

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Examples featured in this video:
Pachelbel's Canon

La Bergamasca, Marco Uccellini

Jascha Heifetz plays Paganini Caprice No. 24

The Harmonius Blacksmith

Yuja Wang Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini Rachmaninoff

Beethoven Diabelli Variations

Cory Henry playing Amazing Grace

Ben Johnston String Quartet No.4

Bach Goldberg Variations

[N.I.R.A.T.I.A.S.]

"Variation form is predictable and boring."
*Rachmaninoff has entered the chat*

[fikradas]

I'm under the slight impression that David might be a tad self conscious of his piano playing hahaha

[IsaacMyers]

Don’t forget the “Nintendo variation”. This is a note for note replay of the melody but the last note is shifted by an octave, usually up.

[SLDDPiano]

The hardest thing about composition at least for me is actually building a piece around the idea. 90% of work is figuring out the form, arrangement, and orchestrating and I think a lot of people have the wrong idea about composition. I've heard people talk about "inspiration" but I think it's pretty much impossible to write an entire piece with just inspiration (unless it's something really small, or unless you're Mozart).

[LaPingvino]

Tip: if you add 0:00 Intro to your list of moments in the video, they will show as chapters at the bottom of the video

[seleniticdawn]

This video came at exactly the right time for me. I'm quite good at coming up with initial ideas but god awful at expanding upon them, it's really frustrating when I have pages of little melodic fragments and chord ideas without a good sense of what to do with them.

Suggestion for a future video along the same lines as this. Strategies to compose convincing and satisfying transitions from one section to another.

[Nouxatar]

"You can form a new song from even the smallest bits of music just by variation."

Me, looking at the first four notes of Megalovania: :)

[yuvalne]

The first "serious" piece I wrote was variations on a theme. The variations started with taking the harmony, then taking the melodic shape, but by the end of the 9th variation, the only thing that was left was "the spirit" of the theme.

[michaelpaulsmith]

Another excellent video, David. I think the 'prize' for Most Complicated String Quartet must go to Brian Ferneyhough - whose name we do not speak in my house. Any viewers who don't know the Theme and Variations from Tchaikovsky's 3rd Suite should really take the time to listen... they are such a joyful and immaculately drawn set that it's impossible not to be captivated by them. Again, another informative and user-friendly video, David. You are one of the names which we do speak in our house!

[rossbulcock]

9:18 Wonderful description, made me choke on my coffee.


How to "subject a theme to all kinds of abuse", That should have been the title of this video.

[musomaster]

I don’t skip through your videos.

This is the greatest compliment I can give.

[LukeFaulkner]

8:42 40% piano skills 60% editing skills 👌

[JaySuryavanshiMusic]

What a detailed lesson! Such a small idea can be played/arranged in so many ways.
Really loved this video.
Variation is not only a compositional tool but also a way to make people aware of the endless possibilities of developing variations on a small idea.
As I am a piano student, I have really learnt something today!

Thank you for this video! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[BobbyJCFHvLichtenstein]

I literally JUST experienced a writers block

[jorgemoran]

That's why they're called masterpieces... every time you revisit them you learn something new. It's a truly spiritually rewarding feeling to know that you can always seek for comfort and knowledge in some works of art. Thank you for reminding us of that and for all your work and music.

[caterscarrots]

I have tried to write a theme and variations on a theme by Mozart, partly because Mozart tends to prefer rote melodic repetition over developing from melodic motives(melodic motives being a prevalent form of development in Beethoven is what makes taking a Beethoven theme and turning it into a Theme and Variations so hard), but after 1 or 2 variations I've been like "How do I go further while still maintaining the Mozart identity of the original theme? I don't feel like doing a major to minor move yet." You have given me more confidence in writing variations. Now to find a Mozart theme I want to vary.

[greguz]

I love that you left the book on the piano that says "BACH" in capital white letters. I'm giggling by myself at the idea that it's Bach himself that is looking at you sternly from the music stand and saying "Is this the best you can do, David?" Seriously, thanks for a non-technical and useful smorgasbord of ideas. I remember taking a few lessons of jazz guitar instruction once, and one of the simplest and most useful ideas was the teacher's challenge to have me play a solo just on a set of two strings. That simple technique actually gave enough ideas for a lifetime of work.

[machinate]

I went from Neely's analysis of Star Spangled Banner to this Amazing Grace dissection. Now Youtube is going to feed me 100% 'murican content...

[deanc]

Mood of 2020: Goofy smoking the BIGGEST roach and listening to amazing grace done in a really bluesy way

[TinyMaths]

This is fascinating from the perspective of someone who hasn't had formal musical training. I never imagined things like the 'Mordent' and the 'turn' existed, I mean, I have played them for years, but didn't realize there was actually a name for them, it really makes me want to look further into music structure. I think you're doing such a service to music lovers and student musicians especially those of us who come from a self-teaching route. I always get excited about music when watching your videos and never come away without learning something new. Thank you for making the theory so accessible.