BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
5948 / 18210 · Workshop 41 — “Chameleon”: One-Chord Funk, Clavinet Logic, Syncopated Ostinatos, and Building Harmony from a Bass Line← prev⊞ allnext →

41.93Mini-composition exercise

Write a 20-bar piece in 5/4.

Requirements:

  • E♭ minor center
  • clear 3+2 groove
  • one section shifting to 2+3
  • one 3-beat motif repeated across barlines
  • one full-bar rest
  • one chord anticipation on 5&
  • one bass breakdown
  • final return to unmistakable 3+2
  • no more than three harmonic roots

If it sounds complete, the meter—not the chord progression—has generated most of the form.