We've heard that we need to come up with some kind of a "B Section."

But what does that even mean? What makes a good B Section?? Who says songs can't just be 18 seconds long???

Been there. Even quite recently.

That's cool, but now what?

While working on a recent, seemingly simple piano piece, I encountered this problem yet again.

I had, what I felt was a very strong melodic idea - simple, conversational, highly memorable without feeling cliché....it ticked all my favorite boxes.

But then I ran into a problem - it needed another section (!)

After the cold sweats subsided I started to experiment with my own mental checklist of what SHOULD constitute an effective B Section:

1. Some sense of relationship to the existing material (so that it didn't feel like a new piece entirely)

2. Some unique characteristic that would make it distinguishable from what I had already done.

As you can see, this is a pretty fine line to walk.

Saved from Cliche Writing by an Actual Cliche

Then I remembered the largely misunderstood words to live by "less is more."

Maybe I could keep that left hand pattern I had already established as a throughline to connect the two main sections together?

Ok. That's fine, but how do I create something that sets this section apart from the first? How about faster, continuous rhythmic motion in the right hand part? Where I had mostly quarter notes and longer note values before, now I'll have unrelenting 8ths to give this section more energy.

Could I use some of the melodic material I already had and felt was really strong in a new way? What if that opening melodic gesture became a transition in the B Section?

Better yet, what if the 2nd theme of the A Section could also serve as connective tissue in the B Section?

Now we're getting somewhere.

Simple, but not Simplistic

So, what seems on the surface to be a simple little piano waltz is actually fairly complex once we peel back the layers.

Simple can be sophisticated, but here's the real test - I hope no one notices any of this upon hearing it for the first time.

I would rather it be beautiful than interesting.

All of these devices are part of the craft of composition, but I feel my main job as a composer and artist is to take the listener on an emotional journey.

The tools and the craftsmanship should serve THAT goal, rather than my own ego.

If you'd like to help this track reach more people, you can help me out tremendously by giving it a listen or 10 on Spotify or Bandcamp.