Fire The Canons!

Canons! No, not cannons, those are totally different. Let's get started!

1) Let's begin with a bit of score study. Pachelbel's Canon in D is perhaps one of the best-known canons out there, and it's a great example of the style. Here's a copy of the score, and here's a recording. Listen to it for as long as you can and try to differentiate the various violin lines. It'll be tricky if you're not used to it, and you may get distracted by the cello and harpsichord (This is an accompanied canon.) but really try to listen to how the different independent voices interact.

2) Now let's try writing one! These get harder and harder to do the more rules you add on, so I don't want to overburden you. If you want to just write a simple canon, that's great! If you want to try one (or more) of the more advanced versions, give it a shot! Whatever you feel up to. Just share it here when you're done, and if you can't play it I'll try to get you a demo track of it. Have fun!

3) Last, let's have a discussion question. Had you heard of canons before? Did you know what they were? What do you think of them? Are there any variations that particularly stand out to you? Even better, can you think of any ways to play with them that we didn't cover? Any new variations? Let us know!

And that's it! As always, you can put answers in the comments below or on the main video, and we'll see you next time!