u/nerdycatgamer

Oftentimes I just sketch out these short little tunes in my free time (I hear a melody in my head at work or think of some chord progression and quickly jot it down in my notebook), but usually these just end up being short (~1 min) little snippets of the melody/harmony I had in mind, and I really don't know how to extend them out. If I come up with a little groove/chord progression I can make this a larger song with my band, but that's usually it.

For example, recently I wrote a little fugue inspired thing while procrastinating more important work: https://youtu.be/gCfOlSjwMaU

I'm really happy with it; I feel like the melodies of all 4 (okay really 3 because the 4th voice only comes in at the end and plays whole notes) voices are strong and there is some really funky harmony jumping between a bunch of different keys and stuff, but I have no idea how to make this a longer piece. I could keep going with the counterpoint and harmony (that last chord is a nice sus chord that sounds resolved (imo) but could also be a dominant thing to keep going), but I feel like it would just waffle about and get tiring.

I'd rather be able to take each little section of this and draw it out -- take measures 9-11 for example; I really like that dramatic moment wtih the E phrygian dominant harmony and the interplay between the voices, but also the movement of the voices just feels like it immediately needs to go to the next section and then on and on... I don't really feel like I could just insert more music to linger on that moment... In my band, we might come up with a similar vibe/harmony for an intro or a bridge or a cadenza-like thing, but that's a lot more repetitive, funk/jazz jam music, so I don't know how to transate it.