Completing a Given Rhythm or Melody
Your first composing tasks: finishing a rhythm or melody so it balances and ends convincingly.
Explainer
This chapter is about finishing what's already begun — a real composing skill, not just theory recall.
For a rhythm: count what's already there, then choose notes or rests that make the bar add up to the correct total for its time signature.
For a melody: look at the shape so far and the key it's in — usually the strongest ending is a step or short leap onto the tonic.
Worked examples
Completing a rhythm in 4/4
If the first three beats are already crotchets, the last beat needs exactly one more beat's worth — a crotchet, two quavers, or a crotchet rest.
Completing a melody
If a melody has climbed up to the dominant (5th degree), stepping back down toward the tonic often gives the most satisfying ending.
Checking your answer
Always count the total beats in your finished bar, and check the last note is a stable, "at rest" pitch.