Write a melody plus accompaniment that work together rather than sounding like two unrelated parts.
Every section below is labeled with the checklist item it helps you meet. Your finished composition must meet all of them.
Communicator · Thinker — Thinking: balance musical layers so melody and accompaniment work together, not against each other.
Compose, listen, and revise before you consider this composition finished.
Inquiry: How did you make sure your accompaniment supported your melody instead of competing with it?
Reflect: Which revision improved “Composition 6: Two-Part Composition” the most, and how do you know?
This composition combines Unit 5 (chords and melody over harmony) with everything in this unit. Instead of starting with the first note, make four decisions. Once they are made, the melody and accompaniment are built from the same plan, so they fit together instead of sounding like two unrelated parts.
Choose C, G, or F major and write an 8-measure progression from I, IV, and V, usually one chord per measure. Ending measure 4 on V and measure 8 on I gives you an open first phrase and a closed second phrase (Units 3 and 5). Both layers will follow this progression.
Put chord tones on the strong beats and use passing tones to connect them (Unit 5). Include some longer notes: they are the places where the accompaniment can move without competing.
Choose one accompaniment pattern from Lesson 2 that fits the character you want, and keep it consistent so the listener can settle into it. Changing it at the very end, for example to a held note, helps the final arrival.
Choose two instruments for a reason (Lesson 3) and check both parts against the range table. Keep the accompaniment below the melody, with space between them, especially under the melody’s long notes.
Here is an original two-part piece written for this course, titled “Harbor Lights,” for flute and cello in G major. Study how it meets each item on the checklist. Yours should meet the same items with different musical choices. (On this page both parts play with the same plain tone; in Noteflight you would hear the flute and cello.)
| Checklist item | How “Harbor Lights” meets it |
|---|---|
| 1. Melody + accompaniment | A flute melody and a cello accompaniment, both on the progression I–IV–I–V | I–IV–V–I; every strong-beat melody note is a chord tone |
| 2. A clear pattern | An eighth-note arpeggio (root, 5th, octave, 3rd, then back down) in every measure, ending on a held G |
| 3. Sensible registers | Flute G4 to A5; cello D2 to E4. The cello stays below the melody throughout |
| 4. Instruments for a reason | Contrasting timbres: the bright flute stands out over the warm cello, and bowed arpeggios flow smoothly |
| 5. Playback for balance | Flute marked mf, cello p; playback revealed one crowded measure (see below) |
| 6. Revised accompaniment | The V arpeggio was moved down an octave (see below) |
Model description: “Harbor Lights” sets a flute melody over a cello accompaniment in G major. Both layers follow one progression: the first phrase moves I–IV–I–V and ends open on V, and the second moves I–IV–V–I and closes on the tonic. The melody places chord tones on its strong beats and holds half notes in measures 2, 4, 7, and 8, where the cello’s steady eighth-note arpeggios keep the music moving. The flute stays between G4 and A5, and the cello between D2 and E4, so the layers never overlap. The contrasting timbres and the mf/p dynamics keep the flute in the foreground, and the flowing arpeggio gives the piece its calm, rippling character, like lights on water.
Notice what the description does: it names both layers and their instruments, shows how both follow one progression, gives each part’s register, and explains how balance and character were achieved.
In the first draft of “Harbor Lights,” measure 4 used the same arpeggio shape as the other measures, starting on D3. On playback, the melody’s held A in that measure was hard to hear. Here is the change and the reasoning behind it.
Revision note: On playback, the flute’s held A in measure 4 blurred into the cello, because the cello’s arpeggio climbed to F♯4, only a 3rd below it. I moved the V arpeggio down an octave so it starts on D2, which keeps more than an octave between the parts and lets the open ending on V ring clearly. I used the same lower version in measure 7.
A good revision note names what you heard, what you changed, and why. Notice that the fix changed only the accompaniment’s register: same chord, same pattern, same melody.
Pick an answer for each question. You will see right away whether you are correct and why.
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1Which draft is a melody plus accompaniment?
2What accompaniment pattern does the cello play in “Harbor Lights”?
3In this draft, which measure breaks the “sensible registers” item?
4Which explanation of an instrument choice is strongest?
5Listen, then choose which excerpt you heard.
6Which revision note about an accompaniment passage is strongest?
This is a graded composition. Work through the four decisions, compose both layers on the same progression, then use playback the way the “Harbor Lights” revision did: listen for the melody, find where it gets covered, and fix the accompaniment.
Compose an 8-measure piece in C, G, or F major for two instruments: a melody on the upper staff and an accompaniment on the lower staff, both following one chord progression built from I, IV, and V. Use at least one clear accompaniment pattern, keep each part in a sensible register for its instrument, and choose the two instruments for a reason. Use playback to check balance and clarity, revise at least one accompaniment passage, and write a revision note plus one or two sentences explaining your instrument choice. Give your piece a title.
Chord tones on strong beats, over your I–IV–V progression.
Choose a pattern for your character and keep it consistent.
Each part in its comfortable range, the accompaniment below the melody.
Pick two instruments and be ready to explain why.
Check that both staves follow the same chord in every measure, and that each strong-beat melody note is a tone of that chord.
Play it back at least twice in Noteflight, listening only for the melody. Mark any spot where it is hard to follow or where the parts blur.
Revise at least one accompaniment passage you marked, then write your revision note: what you heard, what you changed, and why.
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Finish the Noteflight work above, then mark this lesson done when you finish.