Motif workshop
About this app
Transform a short motif: repetition, sequence, inversion, retrograde, augmentation/diminution. Original and result visible and audible.
What motivic development is
A motif is the smallest meaningful unit of a theme, often just a few notes. In motivic development it is transformed, and a whole movement grows from very little material. In a sequence the motif is repeated at a different pitch level. In an inversion every interval is mirrored, so rising becomes falling. In a retrograde the motif is played backwards. Augmentation doubles the note values and diminution halves them, while the pitches stay the same.
What the app shows
Two piano-roll rows sit one above the other: the motif on top, the result of the chosen transformation below. You can pick the motifs fanfare, staircase and arch and change them yourself by clicking and dragging. The Values panel shows the applied transformation, the notes of motif and result, the number of notes and the range in semitones. During playback the app marks which row is sounding, so you can follow along note by note.
Listen and compare
Choose a transformation and play original and result one after the other. Notice that the motif stays recognisable even though it has been changed: inversion keeps the rhythm, retrograde keeps the interval sizes, augmentation and diminution keep the order of pitches. Then edit single notes of the motif yourself and check how the result follows along.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between inversion and retrograde?
- Inversion mirrors every interval vertically: a rising third becomes a falling third and the rhythm stays the same. Retrograde plays the notes backwards, from last to first. The two can be combined, which is called retrograde inversion.
- What is a sequence in music?
- A sequence is the repetition of a motif at a different pitch, usually step by step higher or lower. It can keep the intervals exactly (real sequence) or adapt them to the scale (tonal sequence). Sequences drive the music forward and connect sections.
- What do augmentation and diminution mean?
- Augmentation lengthens the note values, usually to double, so the motif sounds slower. Diminution shortens them, usually to half, so it sounds faster. The order of pitches stays the same in both cases.
- What can I try in the Motif Workshop?
- You choose or build a short motif in a piano roll and apply one of six transformations. Original and result are shown one above the other and can be played one after the other.
Subject: Music (Gymnasium)
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