Piano Key A To G: Episode Thirty Two - Motif Magic: The Most Iconic Musical Hooks

How do composers grab our attention, and maintain it when we're listening to a composition? Simple! These use 'motifs' - short musical hooks, that embed themselves in our ears, repeating and evolving throughout the work, providing familiarity and reassurance as we allow ourselves to be taken on a journey of discovery, hopefully encouraging us to return to the piece again and again.

Let's define precisely what we mean by motif, and explore some super famous examples. Finally, just how easy is it to come up with a cool new musical motif? Hmm...