Here's the situation: You are playing this awesome concerto, but your teacher is encouraging (read: forcing) you to write your own cadenza. Instead of staring at a blank sheet of staff paper wondering where to begin, just follow these seven easy steps:
Note: There are, in my oppinion, two types of cadenzas. The first is the "let me show off my flawless technique" cadenza which is made up of random scales, and anything else that the performer can play really fast. The second is kind of like an embellished recap of the thematic material from the piece. Not to say that it isn't full of technical challenges, but this cadenza is based on the work to which it belongs. These directions are for how to write this second type of cadenza.
1. You can't write a really good cadenza until you know the concerto pretty well. Practice until you have a pretty good idea of how the piece goes and until you can pick out the main melodic theme(s) and your favorite parts. A good recording of the concerto being performed with an orchestra will be a huge part. In addition, you need a basic knowledge of scales, thirds, arpeggios, etc. to write the transitions. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here.
2. Photocopy the concerto. On your copy, mark the main melody sections and your favorite parts in red. Mark effective transition material in green.
3. Listen to or look at other cadenzas. Mark any other sections from the concerto which you may have forgotten in blue. This step can be avoided if you're worried that you will lose your creativity when you hear another cadenza.
4. Cut out each phrase or transition that you marked. Lay the rest of the scraps aside.
5. Arrage the melody fragments in a logical progression. This could be the order in which they are presented in the piece or any other order that makes sense to you. Remember, this is your cadenza.
6. Connect each of the melody fragments together. You could use a scale or scale in thirds, or even one of the transitions that you cut out. Try to make a variety of different transitions (don't just use a scale in thirds every time) and don't be afraid to have rests and pauses- these are a necessary part of a good cadenza.
7. Play through your cadenza and edit until you like the way it flows together. Pay special attention to the way that it fits with the piano parts at the beginning and the end; there are designated starting and ending notes in your part. Get your teacher or someone else musical to listen to the cadenza and help you improve it as well.
