Music A-Level
Note subtraction
What Note subtraction means in Music A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Note subtraction
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Note subtraction in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A minimalist technique where a fully formed motif has notes gradually removed one by one until only a fragment remains.
Topics that use Note subtraction
- Area of study 7: Art music since 1910 - Musical elements (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- 20th-century chord structures
- 20th-century compositional techniques
- 20th-century rhythmic innovation
- A cappella
- Additive and subtractive processes
- Alternatives to functional tonality
- Atonality
- Atonality and tonality
Using Note subtraction in the exam
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