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Motif and sequence
Composers rarely write a brand-new idea in every bar. They take one short idea, the motif, and use it again and again: the same, higher, lower, changed. Spot the motif and a page of notes becomes a few shapes you already know.
Plain prints every note in black, without the color coding.
Listen
Play each example here, or download it as an MP3 (audio) or a MIDI file.
The motif
- Für Elise: the E–D♯ motif, pickup and bar 10:04
- Minuet in G: the drop-and-climb motif, bars 1–20:06
Repeat it, move it
- The Echo Song: a repeat, then the idea a 3rd higher0:13
- Minuet in G, bars 13–16: one shape, a step lower each time0:09
Change it
- One motif, then upside down, in longer notes, and just its head0:17
Download all
Free to use in your own lessons and practice. Made by the teachers at Tissimo.