Blurring the lines: exploring broader musical disciplines as a compositional technique

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Breault, Dermott
Area of Honors:
Music
Degree:
Bachelor of Music
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Luiz Claudio Marques Barcellos, Thesis Supervisor
Charles Dowell Youmans, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Popular music
Music composition
Contemporary music
Classical music
Avril Lavigne
Opeth
Don Broco
Music education
Music analysis
Abstract:
In the Western world, the genres of classical, or concert, music and popular, or commercial, music are often considered two distinct, clearly defined musical disciplines. While many musicians accept this distinction and work within the boundaries of their discipline, opportunities to cross over this boundary are often explored and can lead to innovation in music. Through utilizing these ideas in my own composition, I aim to encourage and provide resources for composers across disciplines seeking to explore the intersection between classical and popular music in their work. I begin by defining each tradition and some differences between them. Next, I review existing methods of analysis for popular music, and demonstrate what these analytical techniques reveal when applied to three examples of twenty-first century rock songs. Finally, I demonstrate how I have implemented ideas from popular music into my own composition, and provide suggestions for further implementation of this practice. I conclude that there is clear potential for innovation through an interdisciplinary approach to composition, and further research into this topic is necessary.