What are some guidelines to using dissonance well in musical composition?

Dissonance is a musical technique that uses harmonic intervals or chords to create uneven pitches that clash and make listeners feel uneasy. It can be used to create tension or movement and can make the resolution of a piece more joyful. Here are some guidelines for using dissonance in musical composition: Understand your audience Consider what your audience is used to and avoid chords that might be too dissonant for them. You can also slowly introduce dissonant chords. Prepare the dissonance You can prepare dissonance by first sounding it as a consonant tone in a preceding chord and then tying it over as a common tone. Resolve the dissonance You can resolve dissonance by moving the voice containing the dissonant chord tone downward by step, holding over any common tones, and moving the other voices to the nearest chord tone. Use dissonant intervals Some examples of dissonant intervals include tritones, major and minor sevenths, and major and minor seconds. The vii° chord is often considered the most dissonant chord in a scale. read less

When you are learning, imitation is the best place to start. Copy what you think sounds good. ( An easy place to start is in musicals like Les Miserables.) ... But then it's time to break the rules. Try to use so much dissonance that your ears explode! Defy everything you've just been imitating! read less