Augmenting and diminishing a motive

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Motives and phrases

Rhythmic augmentation lengthens a motive’s durations by a consistent ratio; diminution shortens them. Pitch order may remain intact, allowing a familiar idea to occupy a different span of musical time.

Double every duration and renotate the bar lines, then try halving them. Check playability and breathing in both versions. Distinguish editing note values from changing the tempo of the entire piece.

Example

Two eighths and a quarter become two quarters and a half note.

Try it

Halve a quarter–half-note motive. What durations result?

Related topics

References

Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom

Subject-expert review pending.