Another idea proposed by Gonzalo Macías in his book Doce Maneras de Abordar la Composición is to begin by drawing the duration of the notes in a melody.

A long line can represent a long note, and the same principle applies to short notes. We created an example based on the following drawing:

On the left side, horizontal lines represent the duration of each note. The vertical lines represent the pulse or beat. In this case, each beat lasts five seconds. The drawing on the right shows its equivalent in rhythmic notation. The reader should note the 5/4 time signature, played at one quarter note per second.

Drawing and its equivalent in notation

That rhythmic pattern is repeated three more times, with variations in the third note of the measure. Finally, a closing gesture is sought for the melodic idea. In the example produced by the author of these lines, the result was the following score:

Notice how the final measures change to 2/4 in order to approach the closing of the piece by fifths.

It is a simple idea; however, it serves to test Macías’s ideas regarding approaches to composition. The final result appears in the following video and is the third piece in the series Miniatures for Bass.