Antecedent and consequent phrases

One thing that can help you get into composing music and writing music is to start writing antecedent and consequent phrases.

This idea is used a lot in older styles of classical music, but can still be heard in some modern music.

It can also be useful as a type of template to follow to get yourself started.

Antecedent and consequent phrases are two phrases of music, usually around 4 measures each, that start in the same way, but end in two different ways.

For example the first two measures of each phrase would be exactly the same, but the second two measures would differ. Usually the antecedent phrase, the first phrase, has a weaker resolution than the second phrase, the consequent phrase.

Below is an example that I wrote for this post:

Notice how the first two measures of each line is exactly the same. The second two measures are what’s different. The first four measures are the antecedent phrase and the second four measures are the consequent phrase.

Notice also that the first phrase, the first four measures, ends on a B, which is the seventh degree of the C major scale. This would be a half cadence, where the music hands on the dominant chord.

The second phrase, the last four measures, ends on a C, which is the tonic of the scale. Right before that is the note B, which makes a perfect authentic cadence, where the chords resolve from the dominant to the tonic with the melody ending on the root note of the scale.

Using this formula can be really useful when first starting to compose because it gives you a structure to fill in. It gives you a starting place to work with. It also lessens the amount of music you need to write because once you have the first four measures, you really have 6 measures because of the repeated material, and all you need to do is change the ending of the first phrase to make it sound more resolved.

ISJ