How to Use the 12-Tone Method

A complete 12-tone composition will use a few of the possible forms of the row as the basis for composition. Other factors can be changed, such as texture and rhythm, and the notes of the tone row may even be used as chords.

To make 12-tone composition easier, composers using this method create a matrix which will display all the possible forms of the row. When complete, the matrix shows the original row plus its eleven possible transpositions, as well as all twelve inversion forms. To find the retrograde and retrograde-inversion forms, one reads the rows from right to left or bottom to top of the matrix respectively.