17272 / 18210 · Workshop 122 — Building Your Personal Musical Language: How to Combine Harmony, Rhythm, Melody, Bass, Texture, and Form Without Sounding Like a Collection of Borrowed Styles← prev⊞ allnext →
122.171Level 81 — write a personal-language rulebook
Keep it short.
Example:
Melody
Prefer delayed starts and repeated-note cells.
Harmony
Mostly modal/diatonic; chromaticism through inner lines rather than root jumps.
Bass
Melodic, often descending; roots saved for structural arrivals.
Rhythm
Stable pulse with phrase displacement.
Texture
Sparse/open; blocks reserved.
Form
Development by transformation rather than new themes.
Endings
Usually open 5/9 rather than tonic melody.
That's already a strong language description.