4 steps to composing a Mazurka

Do you have a favorite Mazurka?

Two of my favorites are ‘Mazurka Appasionta’ by Agustin Barrios and ‘Adelita’ by Francisco Tarrega.

I recently performed 16 new Mazurkas that were composed over the past few months by members of CCG. They were all inspired by Adelita, but all turned out very different. A clip of one Mazurka from the program is below.

Step 1: Plan

Probably the most important step was to have a plan. A plan gives your composition structure and cohesion and helps focus your creativity.

If you've tried composing before, you might have experienced stumbling blocks like:

- Not knowing where/how to start
- Not knowing how to extend beyond your initial ideas
- Not understanding about the underpinnings of music

Having a plan addresses all of those points!

What did the Mazurka plan that CCG composers use look like? Check it out below:


Step 2: Melody

Think about what the most defining feature of a piece is.

Most of the time, it's melody. A melody is something you can connect with, because it's something you can sing (or hum, or whistle if you prefer).

I like to say that melody is the heart of a song.

Melody also contains crucial structural elements and helps to organize your composition. For example,. the term 'Parallel Period' in the plan above is referring to a key melodic structure that's used in many melodies.

Below is a melody that was based on another Mazurka, Maria Luisa. This was written by Trisha, whose Mazurka 'Between the Tides' is recorded above.


Step 3: Harmony

Now that you've got a solid structure and beautiful melody, time to add chords in!

You might be thinking, "but there are so many chords to choose from!!"

Good news: you can just choose from three chords, called the primary chords (I, IV and V).

Below is Trisha's melody from above, now with the addition of primary chords.


Step 4: Edit and Refine

Now you've got some really solid material to start refining and editing.

Some of the considerations you want to think about:

- Playability
- Fingerings
- Texture/voicing


If you can play something on guitar, then you can compose something, no matter your ability or experience.

Follow the 4 step process and see what emerges!

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