Challenge yourself

Your own ideas

Now you have practised using my ideas, can you try using your own starter idea?

I used the pentatonic scale, since this is very common in rock and pop riffs. You can change the scale in the Song Maker options page.

Structure

Structure means the order of sections in a piece of music.

To make different sections, you are going to need a longer song! In the Song Maker options page you can increase the length.

Where sections begin and end should be clear to the listener, which means they should show contrast (differences). However, it still has to sound like one piece of music, not lots of separate ones!

Other pentatonic riffs

If you have an instrument, could you try working out a favourite riff by ear? Here are some favourite pentatonic riffs. All of the songs in this playlist have pentatonic melodies (or mostly pentatonic).

Extension Challenge:

🕑 10 minutes

I have made three Song Maker patterns. Can you re-create them just by listening to them?

  1. Listen to the pattern.

  2. Follow the link to Song Maker.

  3. Try to recreate my pattern.

  4. Listen back to the pattern as many times as you want.

  5. Click for the answer, and see how close you were!

Pattern 1

Click here to open Song Maker (with drum pattern and your first note)

Click here for the answer

Pattern 2

Click here to open Song Maker

Click here for the answer

Pattern 3

Click here to open Song Maker

Click here for the answer

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