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About Clare Redfarn
Expertise
All aspects of the academic/theoretical side of music, including harmony, counterpoint, elementary composition, history, harmonic analysis, aural training, sightreading - the lot! Please note: I'm neither a professional composer (so I can't help with composition beyond what's required for Grade 8 theory or A'level) nor a singing teacher (so I can't answer questions about vocal technique or extending your vocal range). And don't ask me about psychoacoustics or music psychology as I have no knowledge of, or interest in, either subject.
Experience
50 years as pianist (professional soloist and accompanist); 35 years as harpsichordist (professional soloist and continuist); 10 years as violinist and 6 years as bassoonist (youth orchestras/chamber groups); 37 years as piano teacher, coach in performance/interpretation (all ages, instruments and levels) and private tutor (mainly the old O'level, Grade VI+ ABRSM theory/practical musicianship, A'level and undergraduates).
Organizations
I've been a member of the Musicians' Union in Britain since 1978.
Publications
I've written many programme notes and a few articles for an online magazine. During the '90s I was also a Music Assessor for London Arts and as such regularly wrote critiques of concerts given by recipients of Arts Council funding.
Education/Credentials
MA in European Cultural Policy & Administration (Warwick University, 1994)
B Mus with Honours (London University, 1977)
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Administration (City University, 1982)
Licentiate of Royal Academy of Music in Piano Teaching (1976)
Licentiate of Royal Academy of Music in Harpsichord Teaching (1978)
Studied RAM Junior School (1966-74), then as full-time student (1974-78).
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You are here: Experts > Music/Performing Arts > Musicians' Exchange > Musical Composition, Theory, Songwriting, and Singing > theory
Expert: Clare Redfarn - 10/27/2009
Question
QUESTION: hi can you check this one also please? may 2008 grade 7 exercise 2 trinity
bass clef: 2 nd bar: G dotted crotchet (given) E crotchet /// 4 crotchets F D F F /// dotted crotchet G crotchet B natural /// treble clef: 6 th bar: D dotted crotchet (given) B natural crotchet /// crotchet C 2 quavers D C 2 crotchets D E /// semibreve F
ANSWER: Oh, you've got the hang of these now, Isabel! This is fine - I've only got one quibble.
Here's my solution. (Incidentally, I always produce my version before I see what you've written.)
Bass line (from bar 2): dotted minim(!) G (given), crotchet E / crotchet F, 2 quavers D E, 2 crotchets F A / dotted crotchet G, quaver F, 2 crotchets E D /
Treble line (from bar 6): dotted minim D (given), crotchet Bnat / 4 quavers C Bb A up to F, crotchet D, 2 quavers E C / semibreve F //
You see my bass is a little more florid than yours, with more rhythmic variety, but there's nothing wrong with your version. My quibble is with the final cadence. The problem with bar 7 is the bass part in the last beat - that silly little semiquaver run sticks out and weakens the bass line, which is probably why they put it in, to see how you cope with it. The problem with your crotchet E is that it coincides with the final quaver E in the bass and they both have to resolve onto Fs, so in effect you've got a pair of octaves, which isn't good. The clear solution would be to change the bass, but as we're stuck with it the way round the problem is to put in the extra quaver C.
Well done, though. Any more?
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: hi so thanks again - now this is may 2006 grade 7 ex 2 trinity
2nd bar bass clef: A tied crotchet, 4 quavers G sharp A B E //A crotchet, D and E quavers, F crotchet // C and E quavers, G crotchet, B and C quavers /// 6th bar treble clef: C tied crotchet, 4 quavers B C D G // C D G sharp as crotchets // A dotted crotchet - thanks again
ANSWER: You've made rather a mess of bar 4, otherwise it's okay. It's a bit dull and safe, though, wouldn't you say? This is a polonaise, after all - how about dotting a few notes and adding a few semiquavers?
Okay, bar 4. We're modulating to the relative major, and you've found your pivot chord from the second beat of bar 3 (IV in old key = II in new key). So what chord must come after the pivot chord? You *must* have V (put in a dominant 7th if you can) - you're leading up to the modulation, which takes place once the cadence resolves. You've treated that treble C as a harmony note, so the run-up to your cadence goes II I V I. Can you hear how much that weakens the effect of the modulation? That C is a 4-3 suspension on chord V.
And the third beat of bar 4 - nothing's happening in the treble, you can lead nicely into the resolution of the cadence on a strong beat, the first beat of bar 5, so why on earth do you anticipate the cadence by putting in that middle C? You've anticipated the cadence and weakened the effect of the modulation again. Make the whole bar V.
The first thing I noticed when I worked out my solution was the opportunity for imitation in bars 3-4; then I realised I could continue my inverted counterpoint almost to the end of the phrase. It doesn't often happen, but keep an eye out for when it does. Here's my solution:
Bass (from bar 2): tied crotchet A (given), dotted quaver G#, semiquaver F#, 2 quavers G# E / dotted crotchet A, quaver G, 2 semiquavers F G, quaver E / quaver D, 2 semiquavers E F, 2 quavers G F, 2 quavers E D /
Bass (from bar 6): tied crotchet C (given), dotted quaver B, semiquaver A, 2 quavers B G / dotted crotchet C, quaver B, 2 semiquavers A B, quaver G# / dotted minim A //
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: hi pls can you check this one for me - trinity grade 7 ex.2 paper november 2005
2nd bar bass clef: D,A,C,F sharp as crotchets // G,C,G,E as crotchets //D E as 2 quavers, F C, as crotchets, E A as quavers
5th bar treble clef: (2 beats given) then D B as 2 crotchets // F,C, E, A as crotchets // B,F,E,F sharp as crotchets // G as semibreve
Answer
Hello again, Isabel, I wondered what had happened to you.
You've still got a problem with minor keys. We're in G minor, so we look at the underlying harmony first. Bar 1 is I, obviously, and Bar 2 is V7. Now, bar 3 resolves the V7 onto I again on the first beat, but what about the rest of the bar? We've got a triad of C *major* - remember we're in G minor, so if this were a straightforward IV it would be C minor. So why the sharpened 3rd? Are we modulating? If the Enat is a new leading note, what must it resolve onto? Does this fit with the harmony in the next bar? And where's that leading to?
Another way of working is to look at the beginning of the 2nd phrase. What key are we in, what's its relation to the tonic, and how do we get there? In this case the 2nd phrase starts in the relative major, so we'd expect the preceding harmony to be the dominant of the new key. Then we need a pivot chord. If the Enat in bar 3 were Eb, then it would be straightforward - IV in the old key/II in the key we're approaching V I. The Enat complicates things slightly because it introduces a secondary modulation to the dominant of the key we're approaching.
So you missed that modulation completely. Here's my solution:
Bass (from bar 2): dotted crotchet A, quaver G, 2 quavers F# Enat, crotchet D / 4 quavers G F(nat) Enat D, 2 crotchets C E / minim F tied over to 4 quavers F Eb D C /
Treble (from bar 5 3rd beat): 2 crotchets D Bb / dotted crotchet C, quaver Bb, 2 quavers A G, crotchet F / 4 quavers Bb A F# G, crotchet A, up to 2 quavers G' F#' / semibreve G' //
You're still thinking too vertically - by that I mean you're not paying enough attention to producing a good melodic line. When you've written a phrase do you sing through it in your head? And you need to watch out with the 6th and 7th in minor keys, that you don't put them too closely together - there's a lovely example in your bar 7 <g>. That Fnat Eb F# really doesn't work and you can't write an augmented 2nd in a melodic line. If you sharpen the E to Enat it sorts out the augmented 2nd but the melodic line still isn't good and it's easily avoided.
You've improved a lot since you first started sending me these, though!
Hope this helps
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