Perpetual Canon

Create a canon or round for given number of voices and time before each entry

If you have a motif, riff, or other melodic idea you want to "canonize" then you jot that down and use it for inspiring "diminutions" or "realizations" - a "reduction" of your idea should be used for the ealier steps

  1. Decide on number of voices - this will be the number of staves in your "working score"
  2. Decide on number of bars per entry - this will be the number of bars in your "working score"
  3. Decide on your chord progression - put this above your top stave of your working score. If using an exisiting melodic idea - start with chords that work with your idea
  4. Part of above - decide how often the chords change - this will determine the "initial note value" of your voice sketch
  5. Decide what note you will start on
  6. Decide on your local peak - usually about 2/3 of the way - mark the measure and beat where you'd like to mark the highest (or lowest) note - which should only happen once
  7. At the end of your last measure of the last stave - mark the note you will start your piece on.
    • When you know what note a staff starts with, mark the previous' staff's last measure with a hint of what's to come
    • When you know what nots a staff ends with, mark the next staff's first measure with a hint of what came before
    • The staff previous to the first staff is the last staff
    • The staff after the last staff is the first staff
  8. Using the voice sketch note value write notes in harmony (fitting the chords) for all the staves - be sure to follow the harmony rules more strictly with the upper staves and you can relax later. This is because when canon first starts and the second voice comes in there are only two voices - so the tips for two voice counterpoint apply here.
  9. Write diminutions
    • If you had a melodic idea to start - this is where you replace your first measure of your working score with the melodic idea.
    • Use rhythmic ideas and shapes from your melodic idea to modify the rest of the working score. All the while don't make things sound bad ;)
    • If you didn't have a melodic idea. Come up with a rhythmic phrase - and work out a "florid" counterpoint for the rest of the working score (This requires a separate grimoire entry)
  10. Once you've completed your diminutions - you are essentially done - in working score form
  11. Turn your working score into a part for performace
    1. Write a new score with a single staff and append the notes of each staff of your working score onto this new single staff - each time you add from the next working score staff - you make an "entry mark" on your new single-staff score.
    2. That's it