GEMS Guidelines for Beginning Composers
GEMS Guidelines for Beginning Composers
***** Beginning Composer's FAQ *****
Boris G. Ginsburgs
anky@eden.rutgers.edu
beta version .01
October 12, 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction (and Disclaimer)
II. Elements of Composing
III. Pitfalls of Composing
IV. Sources of Information
V. Conclusion
VI. Postcript: One last plea -- please read!
====================================================
I. Introduction
Greetings all. My name, in case you didn't read the header to
this piece, is Boris Ginsburgs. Recently, there was a gentle
outcry from rec.music.compose for a Beginning Composer's FAQ, and,
always ready for a new challenge, I piped up that I'd be willing to
write one. So, here we are.
Firstly, why bother writing this? Well, my personal reasons
for this are simple enough: I feel that by writing this I'll learn
more about the art than just by reading someone else's work. With
that in mind, let me urge you now to contribute any useful
thoughts, corrections, or addenda you may have by e-mailing them to
me at the above address. By setting your thoughts down into words,
you may end up answering some of your own questions, which would
certainly make my job a lot easier. Secondly, why bother
broadcasting this? Well, someone starting to compose in this day
and age is bound to have a lot of questions. God knows, it isn't
the respected profession it *used* to be, and even if only one
person is encouraged to pursue the art of composition, so much the
better. Thirdly, why bother? Well, why the hell not! :)
This is my first attempt at FAQ-writing, so you'll have to
bear with me on this. This is being written late at night on my
laptop, without anyone else's help or advice (after all, it is just
version .01). If you have any corrections, suggestions or addenda,
PLEASE e-mail them to me at anky@eden.rutgers.edu. Even if you
think what you have to say is stupid, send it anyway -- I may
disagree with you and include it. Flames, however, please _post_
to the newsgroup alt.2600; remember to include your full login
address and password in your post (trust me!).
***** DISCLAIMER *****
THIS FAQ IS WRITTEN ENTIRELY BY ME EXCEPT WHERE OTHER PERSONS
HAVE BEEN CREDITED. THIS FAQ SHOULD NOT BE ALTERED IN ANY WAY
SHAPE OR FORM WITH EXPRESS WRITTEN (OR E-MAILED) CONSENT BY MYSELF
AND ONLY MYSELF. THIS FAQ IS INTENDED FOR EDUCATIONAL (AND
SOMETIMES ENTERTAINMENT) PURPOSES, AND WILL BE USED FOR MONETARY
GAIN OVER MY DEAD ROTTING BODY.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE OPINIONS AND FACTS CONTAINED HEREIN
ARE, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED, THE PRODUCTS OF MY MIND AND MY MIND
ALONE -- THEY SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN FOR GOSPEL. I AM QUITE PRONE TO
MISTAKES AND MISINFORMATION AS IS ANYONE ELSE, AND RATHER THAN
FLIPPING OUT ABOUT MY HORRIBLE ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT OR MISLEADING OF
THE GENERAL PUBLIC, E-MAIL ME WITH ANY CORRECTIONS YOU HAVE,
PREFERABLY WORDED IN AS NICE A WAY AS POSSIBLE. I'M LEARNING TOO,
AND IF YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO ADD, ADD IT, DON'T BITCH ABOUT IT.
Well, without further ado...
====================================================
II. Elements of composing
So, you want to be a composer? Fine. It's an unappreciated,
high-stress, largely unsatisfying job, but you seem determined.
The first thing you're going to need is some education. This first
section covers the different aspects of arming yourself with the
tools of the trade.
1. Education -- training
Most composers throughout history have been professionally
trained and educated. Though it is not perhaps as widespread as it
used to be, there is still a chunk of the world's education system
devoted to the scribbling of little dots. This includes: (A)
universities and conservatories; (B) private teachers; (C)
unofficial education from one's peers.
1A. Education through institutions
No, not mental institutions. Many universities in America
offer degrees in music. Some of them even really teach something
of the subject! If you're interested, look into some college
guides and find something local. Be warned, however, that a music
program does not necessarily include composition -- in fact,
composition seems to be a segment of music education that is
rapidly being cut out of many universities' programs.
Do *not* simply find a local school with composition and
apply. Go to the school. Talk to the professor(s) who teach the
subject. Find out their focus and curriculum. Some schools are
jazz-manic and won't allow anything else. Other professors will
pound counterpoint in your head until you get conniptions at the
sound of Bach. Others are open-minded and allow for the vagaries
of the students' minds and personalities. Composition is a
difficult subject to teach -- one professor of mine said it was
impossible -- and so a little extra effort should be made before
jumping into a program you find constricting or useless.
Furthermore, check into the resources offered. Does the
school have practise areas? Does the school have well-kept pianos?
Does the school have MIDI equipment (do they even know what MIDI
equipment is?) ?
If you're going to college, taking one or two music
composition classes will give you a taste for the subject and not
interfere with your other work too much -- don't overload yourself
and screw up your GPA because you thought composing might be nice.
If you're out of school, find night classes. You might find that
you'll have to find alternative sources for education, but it's
worth a look.
"Regular" universities have been dropping music education in
recent years due to competition with "specialty" schools, i.e.,
conservatories. The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and
the Juilliard School of Music in New York have discouraged other
local schools from investing in the subject (with the very notable
exceptions of Temple University and NYU).
Conservatories offer several advantages: the very saturation
of "musical culture" at these schools keep one focused on the
subject at hand; the faculty tend to be more "in touch" with the
musical world; there is generally a wealth of musical resources
(most importantly, tuned pianos and good practise rooms), and of
course a whole student body of musicians who just might play your
latest creation.
The downside to all this is that schools are expensive,
teachers are human (and therefore fallible) and you may end up with
a complete idiot, and all the other thousands of problems with
schools to-day. So what are the alternatives?
1B. Education through private training
Many teachers at these universities also moonlight as private
instructors. This is a more "old-style" music education -- mentor
and student meet and discuss the student's works, compare notes,
talk, and separate again. This has innumerable advantages over
schools, where you might be one in a large class, either being held
back or pushed too hard by the class's pace (which is rarely equal
to your own).
Composition lessons are not like any other lessons. The
method depends entirely on the teacher, of course, but there seems
to be two general flavours of training:
The first is the "regular" method -- implying regular sessions
(weekly or monthly), regular exercises, regular routine. The
student meets with the teacher on a regular scheduled basis,
bringing in whatever work has been completed from the prior lesson.
Generally, these lessons are like school, wherein the teacher gives
the student assignments, projects and the like, while also devoting
time to the student's own work.
The second is the "irregular" method. Some teachers don't
believe in regular lessons. This becomes more like "advice-giving"
than actual training, but can be extremely beneficial. Basically,
whenever the student has something new to show the teacher, a new
question to ask, a new problem to solve, or whatever, they call up
the teacher, arrange a meeting time and place, and then the two get
together and discuss whatever the student wishes.
There is no discussion here as to which is better or worse --
the success of either method depends entirely on the temperaments
and personalities of the teacher and the student. The regular
method tends to be costly, the irregular method is, more often than
not, the result of a friendship rather than a professional
engagement, and as such, costs nothing.
Finding a mentor is surprisingly easy -- call someone. Call
a composer, call a music association in town, call a university in
the area. Ask about private lessons in the area. Call lots of
people, get lots of advice. Nearly all of the composers in
Philadelphia I met had been trained by someone, and they were more
than willing to discuss the teacher's methods, cost and personality
with me. The local schools were a little stuffier about this (I
suppose it's competition to them), but if you got through to the
individual teachers, you could find out who taught and how. Also,
local artists' associations will also point you in some direction,
though sometimes, admittedly, it can be a bit of a run-around until
you get a straight answer.
And then, of course, is the next source of training, which we
almost all have access to:
1C. Education through peers
We've all got something to say, something to bitch about,
something to applaud. We all have our egos, and we generally love
to be asked for advice. Ask us. Composers are a strange group of
people, to be sure, but we tend to stick together. Look around --
at universities, music associations, libraries, newspapers,
wherever -- and find your local composer(s) (hopefully plural).
Call them and ask them for advice. Write them and ask. People are
people, and sometimes you may get burned for asking, but generally
you'll find people willing to meet with you and talk about what
they do, what you do, and give you useful advice.
To-day, of course, we have something even better than letters
or telephones -- we have the Net. If you've got it, look around.
There are several sources of information to be found. The most
obvious is the newsgroup rec.music.compose. A veritable treasure
trove of information and advice, and sometimes a cesspool of
meaningless debate, but that's okay too. :)
2. Education -- autodidacticism
If you don't know what the word means, look it up.
At any rate, even if you're enrolled in the best music school
in the world (whatever that is), you've got the greatest education
you can possibly get, it won't matter at all unless you teach
yourself some things, too. Composition is a creative process,
i.e., it comes from inside, and you must be constantly interested,
open-minded, and inquisitive if you're ever going to mature and
develop into a real honest-to-[insert deity here] Composer.
There are many facets to autodidacticism. Luckily, they merge
nicely into a whole lifestyle -- you can think of this section as
a "job description" for composing.
2A. Autodidacticism: Reading
Reading is something you're going to have to do. If you don't
like it, too bad, it comes with the territory. Don't worry about
it though, you can find lots of things that appeal to you -- you
don't have to read the whole New Grove's, for example. But reading
doesn't just mean reference materials. There are several
subcategories here (jeez, this outline of mine is getting complex):
(1) Scores. Obviously, you're going to be reading scores.
You'll read them and re-read them until you can practically
copy them out in your sleep. Why? Because the best way to
learn any art/trade is to examine how others did it,
successfully and unsuccessfully.
Buy the scores to your favourite pieces (scores are
generally available at music stores, highbrow bookstores,
university libraries, and really good public libraries), and
listen to the piece while reading along. Make notes, rewind
if you lose your place. Every time you listen to that piece,
you should be pulling out the score along with it. Put an
exclamation mark next to the passages you *really* like, put
X-marks next to parts you don't care for. Mark whatever
intrigues you with a question mark; go ahead, it's your score!
Get the scores to other pieces you really like, do the
same thing. Remember that it might be a good idea to
photocopy the scores for writing on, so you keep one clean
copy at all times.
Okay, so now you've got all these scores with your
graffiti on them. Now what? Take all of them and start
looking through them, without listening this time. Look at
the various passages you marked with an exclamation point --
what's common about these passages? What's something (a
particular instrumentation, a particular harmonic progression,
a particular idiom) that shows up in each passage? Learning
what turns you on in other music will enable you to use those
same techniques in your own so you get a sound that you like.
Look at the passages you marked with X's, and do the same
thing; what are the similarities between them, what's turning
you off about them? This kind of "detective" work, finding
similarities and narrowing down certain effects, allows you to
discover new tricks for your own work, and allows you to
understand your own ear better. For whatever reason, there
are certain things that excite your ear in particular, and
it's always a good thing to figure out what they are. For
example, I really like the effect of a tritone to carry a
harmony through a strange progression, and so I use them in my
own pieces. But sometimes, the tritone doesn't sound right,
and by examining other uses of it in other scores, I can set
up my own little rules and guidelines to use the tritone in
what is for me the most effective way possible.
This isn't just for pieces you like, either -- do it with
the pieces you detest, albums that were given as gifts that
you just never cared for. Learn why you hate those pieces,
find some good in them if you can.
There are other benefits to this -- by reading a score
along with a recording, you will teach yourself the relations
between those little dots and the sounds coming out of your
speakers. This will, over time, enable you to "hear" music
off of paper, because you will have taught your ear the
translation of sight to sound.
Of course, you can also read scores to which you do *not*
have the recordings -- read it from a theoretical point of
view, look at what's going on in the piece, analyse the
harmonics, the melodic techniques, the structure, the form,
all those things you learnt from a Theory textbook. It seems
silly, but it's good practise to take apart music and see what
makes it tick, because it can only benefit your understanding
of your own music.
(2) Books. Which of course includes a lot of other text-
based materials.
Biographies of composers can teach you about the personal
element of music. It changes the way you listen to piece if
you understand the where, when, and why of the composer at the
time. Shostakovich's string quartets, for example, are all
portraits of a certain time and mood of the composer's life,
and take on very distinct meanings in light of information
that has nothing to do with music theory.
Reference materials are indispensable (or unavoidable,
depending on how you look at them) reading materials. The New
Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians is something you're
going to confront, either now or later. It is a valuable
source of information, either for a specific question or just
for browsing. There are hundreds of music dictionaries,
guides to instruments, discographies, and other texts that can
be searched and perused to guide you along your way.
And there are, as I said, other text-based information
sources to be found. This FAQ is one of them, and maybe your
questions are answered in a text file floating around the Net.
The postings of rec.music.compose, of course, fit under here -
- read them, learn from them, enjoy them!
There is a Sources of Information section to this FAQ at
the end, including a list of useful books, which you should
make a point to look at when you're done reading this.
2B. Autodidacticism: Writing
Writing is what you do. But it's not just music. Writing is
learning, writing is communication, and as such, is an essential
skill of the composer. This (surprised?) also subdivides:
(1) Music. Of course this is where most of your pencil
points will be broken and ink cartridges emptied. Many
composers advise writing on a daily basis, regardless of mood
or inspiration. Write for fun, write seriously, just keep
scribbling those dots! Writing music is a skill, and you
should be as comfortable with it as possible so you can devote
your mental energies to your musical ideas, rather than your
penmanship. If you don't feel like working on one of your
pieces to-day, write something else, just a little exercise to
keep you in shape, as it were. Counterpoint is great for
that, for example. Or, pick a new theoretical tool, like a
certain chord structure, and write a little piece around it,
at least a few measures. Play it when you can, listen to it,
maybe you'll come up with something and start a whole piece
around it! Even if you work on a computer (and some people
will probably disagree with me on this), you should still be
writing on paper daily. Firstly, the penmanship is a good
skill to have, when you're away from your monstrous MIDI setup
and have a good idea, you don't want to be unable to decipher
it when you get home. Secondly, you will find that you
compose differently on paper than you do on a computer,
because the very process of "writing" is different. You
should try to be comfortable with both. Sometimes you just
can't nail that sound down on your computer, but maybe if you
try handwriting it instead you'll find a new angle on it and
get it right.
(2) Text. I'm not a lyricist, so I can't really talk about
that (open invitation for submissions!), but there is other
text you should be writing. Letters, for example, asking for
advice, giving advice, or just maintaining contact with your
peers. Musicians learn from each other, and as such, I cannot
advocate a "loner" personality. Keeping in touch with other
musicians is highly beneficial -- you have people to ask
advice from, you have people to collaborate with, you have
people to get information from about the music scene in
general. Another variant on this is e-mail, obviously.
Posts to the USENET are another good thing to be writing.
Questions, answers, or just some weird bullshit that you feel
like sharing don't take that long to type, and you may get
something out of it you weren't expecting. This is all part
of the learning process, which should never stop.
2C. Autodidacticism: Listening
Go to concerts. Discount concerts and tickets are out there,
so don't feel that you have to get a tuxedo or anything. Music is
being performed everywhere all the time, so you can't say it's
unavailable to you. Also, don't just go to concerts where you know
the program by heart. Go hear new stuff, go listen to pieces you
already hate, just go. There is *always* something new to hear at
a concert, some new twist on a piece you thought you had memorised,
some new composition that only gets played at small gatherings,
some new sound that you hadn't even thought of. Only a fool
considers himself/herself a composer who doesn't go listen to music
live.
Listen to albums. Don't blow your whole bank account at the
record store needlessly -- borrow from friends if you have any. Or
check the local library. Increasingly, libraries stock record or
CD collections. You can always tape what you like.
And listen to people, your teachers, your peers, your friends
and your enemies. You've got to keep an open ear (if not an open
mind).
2D. Autodidacticism: Practising and Performing
Surely you play an instrument, right? Well, practise it.
Play it well, because the more comfortable with the instrument you
are, the more freedom you will have in exploring musical ideas on
it.
In my opinion, and no-one will ever convince me otherwise,
improvisation is the cornerstone of composition. You should be
improvising on your instrument daily. You should be playing
something brand new all the time, because you never know when
you'll come up with something brilliant. You should also be
playing piano, if that isn't your first instrument. I won't get
into why the piano is the composer's instrument, it just is -- and
you should get yourself comfortable playing it so you can run
through reductions of your scores to "test" them on your ear. So
practise that as well.
As I said, improvisation is the cornerstone of composition.
Spontaneous invention allows your sub- or unconscious mind (don't
know which yet) to express itself without distractions. You must
play your instrument well to improvise, because you'll be too
bogged down by technical shortcomings to truly let go of yourself
and invent a tune on the spot. Also, improvisation can be taught,
either by a teacher or by experiment and practise. I opt for the
latter, just so you don't get tainted by someone else's mindset.
Start off by picking a scale, an easy one. Just play random
notes of the same duration within that scale. Easy enough -- it
probably doesn't sound much like music though. Now try playing
consecutive notes only (i.e., if you're on E, the next note should
either be D or F, nothing else), and vary up the rhythms a bit.
Listen to yourself play! If you hear something you like, repeat it
instantly, don't stop and try to write it down because you'll lose
the idea. Keep repeating it until you've got it sounding just the
way you want, and *then* stop and write it down.
There are other tricks to improvising, but basically you have
to keep doing it, even though it'll probably sound kind of silly to
you at first. If you're a pianist, stick to a fixed, repeating
bass line (I've got several dozen good ones for this written down
if anyone needs one), and improvise the right hand only. This is
another good way to start.
But not all your playing should be improvisation, if you can
help it. Play other pieces, play pieces you like or don't like,
but play them. Improvising alone will get you "stuck" on your own
particular style, and might leave you unable to play anyone else's
music (as happened to me). Playing other pieces will again expose
you to new music, new styles, new elements of compositions you
might not have thought of. Feel free to incorporate the things you
discover into your own style and work. That's what it's there for
-- you don't have to be a professional performer, but playing well
will teach you a lot of things.
2E. Autodidacticism: Other
I have this written down on my outline for this FAQ, but I
can't remember what I planned on putting here. Consider this
another open invitation for submissions.
3. Influence
This rather vague section title may seem strange in such a
ridiculously organised paper. Ah well. What I mean is the
influence we get from the music we listen to, because of course
you're listening to music all the time. The common fear that we'll
be so influenced by the music we listen to as to subconsciously
plagiarise it is ridiculous; by analysing the music we hear and the
music we write we can avoid copying, and our music original while
retaining the lessons we get from other pieces. Influence can be
a thin line, and sometimes we do find ourselves writing someone
else's piece, as it were -- the only solution to this common
problem is awareness, which is why there is all that non-composing
work to do, to keep ourselves educated and able to separate
originality from mimicry. This may all seem overwhelming to the
beginning composer (all that score work, for instance), but
subconscious plagiarism is a very real problem, and you've got to
fight it -- it's an awful feeling having someone say, "Hey, I've
heard that somewhere before," when you're playing a piece you
thought was your own. The human mind can play funny tricks on its
owner.
At any rate, influence is an essential part of composing. We
learn from our predecessors, and there is a monumental foundation
to the music composed to-day to be learnt from.
Influence is more than just listening to a certain composer's
work and saying, "I wanna sound like that." That's where your
direction as a composer starts, but not where it ends. There are
several things to do once you've heard a style you like.
3A. Influence: Imitation
Don't freak out about this, but imitating your favourite
composer is a good thing to do. You've already studied the scores
you like, right? (Don't tell me you're not taking my advice!)
Learn the elements of that composer's style, and incorporate them
in your own work -- not all at once, but piece by piece. Influence
is a gradual process.
Let's say you really like Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied
Cello, and would like to write something along those lines. Well,
then, take the scores, analyse what Bach did, and do the same damn
thing. Vary it with your own whacked-out ideas, but follow Bach's
guidelines -- use his structure, use his harmonic progression,
whatever. Use his piece as a model for your own. Your piece will
sound very much like Bach's, but, ideally, it will also sound very
much like your own. And these don't have to be "real"
compositions, but just exercises for yourself. If it doesn't sound
quite right, figure out what Bach did that you didn't; maybe there
was a melodic element you overlooked, or a rhythmic change you
missed. Figure out exactly *what* you liked and imitate that,
throw the rest away.
3B. Influence: Study
Nothing new to say here -- find works by your favourite
composer(s) and study them, analyse them, learn from them. Analyse
them on different levels -- first study the harmonic progressions.
Then study the melodic content and thematic structures. Then
analyse the rhythms. Instrumentation, dissonance, study all the
different elements of the music separately, then think about them
as one whole, see how they interact to form the sound you liked so
much.
3C. Influence: Listening
Again, nothing new here. Listen to the pieces, at different
times of the day, in different places, in different moods. You'll
hear and react to different things, maybe there was something you
weren't paying attention to because you listen at night and you
usually fall asleep in the middle of the third movement, or maybe
you miss one part of the second when your kids wake up and make
noise in the morning. By changing yourself (i.e., changing your
surroundings), you'll change the way you hear the piece.
4. Composing
All right, enough preparation, go write something. You've
been studying for weeks, you've made contacts and arranged
composing lessons locally. You're ready to compose -- so now how
do you do it?
Well, again, this largely depends on the individual
personality of the composer, but there are several things nearly
all of us have to worry about.
(1) Materials. You got paper? Get more. You got pencils?
Get more. You can never have enough of these things. Oh,
yeah, get a good eraser, too. More than one of my composing
bouts was ruined by a crappy eraser that, oddly enough,
totally distracted me from my music when I couldn't easily get
rid of a bad note.
(2) Environment. I don't mean the ozone, I mean the setting.
Do you have your instrument and your papers easily within
reach? Are you seated comfortably? Are you free from
distractions? Make sure there isn't a television or radio
within earshot, it'll distract you terribly. Get a beverage
now and put it *away* from your papers (yes, I've spilt my
coffee over a night's worth of work, haven't you?). If you
smoke, bring your cigarettes with you and keep them nearby.
Make sure no-one disturbs you. Make sure the place is quiet
and above all comfortable. Little things like temperature,
drafts, creaking floorboards and pets can really throw you off
of your work. Set up the most relaxed little nook you can,
and designate it your composing area, and set it up
PERMANENTLY. Have all your stuff ready for whenever you get
an idea, so you don't waste time dragging everything out in
the middle of the night when you come up with your killer
cadenza. And damn well make sure other people respect that
area, so you don't find your score buried under other people's
papers or clothes or something.
Now, you're all set up physically. But how do you compose?
This is one of the most difficult and common questions, that of
method. There are as many methods as there are composers, but here
are some basic patterns for you to follow until you develop your
own. Remember, however, do not lock yourself into only one method
of composing, because someday you will be blocked, and then that
one method will not work, and you won't have a backup plan. Vary
your work style regularly to keep in shape, because, like I said,
the human mind can play funny tricks sometimes.
4A. Composing: Imitation
We mentioned this before, remember? Simple enough -- take a
score you feel like imitating. Analyse the main theme and write
your own (it don't have to be good) of approximately similar length
and character. Now manipulate that theme the same way [insert
famous composer's name here] treated it in the piece you analysed.
If they inverted their theme, invert yours. If they transposed
their theme, transpose yours. And so on. Then start building out
the harmony from the thematic tricks you've got.
4B. Composing: Improvisation
By far the easiest method of composing, if you're comfortable
playing off the cuff (which you should be by now). Just play.
Play until you hear something you like, repeat it endlessly until
it's like reflex. Now write it down. Start playing around with
the new idea you have, improvise around it, and build out a piece
by ear.
This may be the easiest way to compose, but it's also the
easiest method to be blocked. This is the way I compose
everything, and many is the time I've found myself frustrated and
just plain pissed off when it doesn't work. If you use this
method, *please* use at least one other method regularly, or you
will find yourself up the creek without a paddle the day you hit
your first major block.
4C. Composing: Theory
Theory isn't just something you learn, it's something you use.
Many composers write without thinking about the theoretical aspect
of their music, which is a shame. All those boring exercises you
did in Theory 101 can come in handy. Flip through your old
textbook and find the explanation of some little idea, let's say
the tritone. Now use it. Force yourself to write a piece based on
the tritone (for example, finding a "clean" shift from c-minor to
f-sharp-minor was exceptionally difficult and rewarding for me).
It should be mentioned here that counterpoint was invented for
this -- if you don't really feel too inventive and need a jolt,
start writing some counterpoint. It's easy stuff to write, but not
so easy to make it sound good.
Forcing yourself to write what is in essence a "textbook
example" piece will give you a direction for the night if you don't
already have one of your own, and also will give you better command
of the theoretical element you're playing with. Besides, if you do
it well, you'll come up with something to incorporate into another
piece!
4D. Composing: Necessity
This isn't really something you can do yourself, but if a
deadline has been imposed on you from outside (classroom
assignment, commissioned piece), you might find your creative
juices flowing just from the need to complete something, anything.
After all, necessity was the mother of invention.
And after all this, no matter what methods of education and
composition you've used, you'll have a complete piece. Now what
the heck do you do with it?
5. Publishing
6. Performance
I have two great subject headers here, but I don't know what
to write about them. I hereby invite anyone who knows about having
your compositions published and performed to submit to me their
thoughts. Otherwise the beginning composers reading this will
write stuff and not publish it or get it out there, and then what
will we have? Music professors! (Just kidding, don't flame me!)
:)
====================================================
III. Pitfalls of composing
Odds are, what I've written so far doesn't apply to you --
you've already taken the steps towards the composing mindset, and
you downloaded this FAQ for another reason, i.e., to answer some
specific question of yours that I haven't even touched on yet. And
so you say to yourself, "This guys talks a lot, but he hasn't said
anything useful yet!" This section covers the troubles composers
have regularly, and some possible solutions.
There are many pitfalls to the art of composition, many
problems we have on a regular basis. There is no set solution to
any of these, of course, but maybe one of the ideas here is
something you haven't tried yet. Also, if you're reading this and
have something to add, e-mail it to me by all means.
1. Pitfall #1: I can't compose anymore!
The first and most common problem composers have is Writer's
Block -- a troubling malady which leads to sleeplessness,
depression and usually anger.
Writer's Block can be caused by a thousand different things.
It would be worth your while to sit back and think about whatever
might have triggered it. Possible reasons are: (1) personal
troubles, like a fight with one's spouse, worries about a friend,
family discord, etc.; (2) professional problems, usually related to
money. Money troubles can cause a whole slew of difficulties,
Writer's Block being one of the easier ones to deal with; (3)
illness; (4) upset of one's routine -- have you changed your
composing environment recently? After having moved three times in
the last year, I can vouch for the fact that moving can seriously
upset one's composing faculties for weeks. There are lots of other
reasons, too. Think about things and figure out what might be
causing your block, and that will enable you to more directly deal
with it and get over the trouble. Stupid things like ill-fitting
socks can distract you and make you want to give the whole thing
up. Find out what's bothering you and fix it.
Sometimes, of course, you just have to deal with Writer's
Block, if the cause is irreparable (like moving, for instance).
There are thousands of ways to deal with writer's block. Recently
I asked for advice from rec.music.compose. Here, then, is a
compilation of the advice I received (with proper accreditation):
====> From: fields@zip.eecs.umich.edu (Matthew H. Fields)
I've never been paralyzed like you seem to be, but my
suggestion for you is to pick one of your incomplete projects; now,
on a separate piece of paper, compose the ENDING of that piece.
Now work backwards.
Matt
====> From: maverick@cork.cs.berkeley.edu (Vance Maverick)
Find a musician friend with a specific need (e.g., verses to
set). Make them make you do it.
Vance
====> From: brickle@ccr-p.ida.org (Frank Brickle)
[Matthew Fields wrote:] I've never been paralyzed like you
seem to be, but my suggestion for you is to pick one of your
incomplete projects; now, on a separate piece of paper,
compose the ENDING of that piece. Now work backwards. Matt
TREASURE this advice. It is very sage.
Also, you might want to consider some advice that helped
Kandinsky out of a similar situation (in painting, of course).
Rule: always stop working today knowing exactly what you're going
to start with tomorrow, even if it means deliberately leaving
something incomplete right now.
Both of these things have helped me a lot, and for decades.
====> From: weave@aol.com (Weave)
Dude...sounds like you have a melody malady. ;)
Okay, onto more serious stuff: I have this exact same problem
and it drives me nuts. Fortunately, I have a couple of methods
that help me when I encounter the "malady"...
1) Find another composer who's willing to collaborate with
you, even if their style is much different. I've gotten some of my
best work using this method. I've found that one of us will come
up with a great melody or verse, and will get stuck at either the
chorus or the break. The other will usually be able to come up
with something cool that fits after a couple of minutes. Voila...a
finished tune better than either of us might have done
individually.
2) At the break, I've often had luck dropping a major song
into its relative minor or vice versa...breaks up the mood and
gives me some creative spark.
3) In my case, I turn off my MIDI gear and start playing some
CDs that I like, completely putting my piece out of my memory.
Some part of one of the songs on CD usually sticks in my head, and
then I head back to the keyboards and see if I can incorporate it
in some way. For example, after hearing "All That She Wants" (by
Ace of Base) on the radio back when the song was popular, this
skanking piano element worked its way into the music for a
playground scene in a video I was scoring. The producer loved it.
Normally, I wouldn't have put "reggae" together with "playground
music" (I know, I know, "Ace of Base" isn't *really* reggae...don't
start). ;)
For what they're worth...hope these give you some ideas.
Cheers!
====> From: David Kanecki
Hi,
I compose in the classical style as well. For me, this is a
nice hobby. One thing to consider is that Chopin and Mendelssohn
took many years to complete a piece. Also, both revised their
works as well. What I do to complete a piece is to think of the
thought and story I am trying to present. Thus, the melody is an
introduction to the story. To complete the story, ask yourself
have I given the listener enough to understand what I trying to
convey? If you have not, then express what needs to be said. Have
confidence, you have a wonderful creative talent! Don't rush the
process, it will come naturally.
Sincerely,
David H. Kanecki, A.C.S., Bio. Sci.
====> From: agower@whale.st.usm.edu (Albert Gower)
Hi Boris,
One thing that has worked for some of my students that have
had this problem is to use a "model". Find a composition you like
and plug your themes in the same way as the composer. I am not
saying to just copy someone else but if the composition starts with
an introduction, write an introduction. Make your first theme
approximately the same length as the original, get to the second
theme (if there is one) in the same way, repeat when he or she did,
etc. Don't worry about sounding like someone else because if your
material is original, the piece will sound original. Give this a
try and let me know how it turns out.
Albert Gower
Professor of Music
University of Southern Mississippi
====> From: peterm@ucsd.edu (peter mueller)
One thing I would do is get a private teacher who would work
with you every week. Its hard to make suggestions without seeing
the actual music. Another thing to do is analyze lots of different
pieces of many different styles, and to different degrees of
thoroughness -- some kind of quickly, little more than a
phonographic knowledge of the piece, and others really in depth.
That will teach you some techniques, and give you some models to
start your explorations.
====> From: Greg Bueno
It sounds to me that you have a well-spring of ideas, but no
set way to make them coalesce to a completed piece. First of all,
when you start on a piece, do you know where it's going to go?
My personal method is to never write melodies until I have a
structure. Structure not only means ABA, sonata form or rondo, but
how timbres relate to each other, how moods of different sections
link together, how dynamics affect the piece, etc.
Once a structure is established, then I start writing
melodies. (In recent months, I've found myself more attached to
timbres and structures than to melodies.) In reality, the creation
of the melody is probably the least important step in writing a
piece. A melody is useless if the listener can't gauge where it's
headed.
All IMO, of course.
====> From: JABROWN%UGA.CC.UGA.EDU (Jimmy Brown)
Boris, the best advice I can give you is to study scores. I
recently completed a choral piece with which I was having great
difficulty. I had much more material than I knew what to do with.
I drove back to my university to consult my professor; his first
suggestion was that I get rid of most of the material. He then
suggested some scores to consult. I took my main theme & found a
theme of similar style in Vaughan Williams' Mass in g minor. I
studied his handling of the elements of the theme & then related
that to mine, adapting for the elements of my theme. That is, I
think, a great use of time -- see how the masters handle their
material. You mentioned Shostakovich and Prokofiev; study their
scores and, yes, imitate them until their process becomes a part of
your thinking. You will someday be able to handle your material
without close consultation of their scores, but they should always
be constant companions.
I wish you well.
[end of advice section]
As you can see, solutions for writer's block are definitely
related to all the things I wrote about before in the lifestyle of
a composer. You should be studying scores constantly, and giving
yourself little assignments regularly to keep in shape. Writer's
Block most often is just a rut; maybe you've been composing in the
same way for too long and need to try another method. Review what
I wrote about the Methods of Composing above, and try one of those.
2. Pitfall #2: No-one will play/publish my music!
As I said before, I don't know much about this subject --
again, an open invitation for others with such knowledge to submit
to me their ideas.
The only thing I might be able to say on the subject is that
of performers -- you might be looking in the wrong place for people
to play your music. Go to a high school, for example, and you'll
find capable (if not fantastic) musicians with young, open minds
who just might give your piece a shot. Colleges are good too,
though sometimes you'll find people unwilling at that age to try
something other than Beethoven or Mozart.
And of course, search out the freelance artists in your area.
Other composers can usually give you some information about how to
find players.
3. Some [insert expletive here] stole my piece!
Well, I don't know diddly about copyright. Someone want to
submit about protecting your piece and what to do if it's stolen?
4. Other pitfalls.
This FAQ is newborn, so I don't feel badly about skimping
here. Why don't you people send me some pitfalls you can think of,
along with solutions or advice? This will probably end up being
the most important section of the FAQ, so ANY and ALL input will be
valued. That e-mail address again is anky@eden.rutgers.edu.
====================================================
IV. Sources of information
1. Books
A thread just started up about must-read books for composers;
I'm going to wait until that thread reaches a conclusion before I
compile a worthwhile list. The only book I can think of off the
top of my head are:
Orchestration, by Cecil Forsythe. Published by Dover Books.
An oldish text, little outdated, but still a practical desktop
reference for a composer trying a new instrumentation. It answers
a lot of basic questions (range, special effects) succinctly, and
goes on to expand Forsythe's thoughts about the particular
instrument into an informative, and often drily witty, essay that
may just spark a new idea in your head.
2. Magazines
Don't know. There are lots of magazines out there: magazines
about a particular instrument, magazines from a particular area,
and academic music journals. I leave it to the people of
rec.music.compose to send me the following information:
Name of journal/magazine
Subscription address
Subscription price
Review of the style and content
Send me all the information you can, folks.
3. The internet
Start at rec.music.compose. If anyone knows of any other
telnettable or ftp sites, please e-mail me with information, I
haven't seen anything worth mentioning in a while. Also, WWW and
gopher sites if you've got 'em.
4. Music
Of course you'll be listening to music (and reading the
scores!). But what music should you be listening to? I wouldn't
even bother asking this question on the net, people get too worked
up over this sort of thing. Here's some basic, nonpartisan advice:
(1) Listen to something familiar. You probably have some
favourite pieces -- listen to them often. Your favourite
music is inspirational and educational. Sometimes listening
to one of my old favourites gets me over a temporary block by
moving me emotionally.
(2) If you've established something you like, a particular
genre or form, listen to new pieces that are similar, pieces
by the same composer, pieces from the same era or area, pieces
of similar form. If you really love Rachmaninoff's Piano
Concerto #3, other pieces you may want to try are Prokofiev's
Piano Concerto #2, Rachmaninoff's the Isle of the Dead, and
Scriabin's Etudes.
(3) Listen to something new. You went to your local library
and found the CD collection, right? Make a promise to listen
to each and every album once. You've got lots of time, and it
can't hurt. And don't just play the album while you're doing
the dishes either -- listening is a serious activity. Set
yourself down (with the score if you can), and *concentrate*
on the music. If your mind wanders and you missed a movement,
play it again. You may find that, although you don't care for
Baroque very much, some of the Italian concerti grossi inspire
you, or something like that. No composer worth his/her salt
refuses to listen to new things -- if you're serious, you'll
find listening to new music exciting and interesting. Go to
local concerts, too, like I suggested. You can find local
composers playing their pieces in the strangest places, and
though you may hate 90% of what you hear, that other 10% might
just strike a chord with you and give you a new direction in
your own work.
One other thing: there are those who say you simply *have* to
listen to [insert composer here]. I don't believe in that and
don't encourage such dogma. What you listen to should not be
dictated by anyone else. Granted, there are some things you just
should be familiar with (Bach, Beethoven), but that doesn't mean
you have to go overboard. Listen to a few of their pieces, analyse
them. But if you don't like that music, don't feel guilty about it
(don't laugh, I once had the head of my music department *yell* at
me for not *liking* Beethoven), just shrug it off and reinforce
yourself by making an extra effort in studying what you do like.
Classical radio should probably be mentioned here. I have
mixed feelings about the forum -- on one hand, it's great that
classical and "art" music is being broadcast for the masses.
Greater accessibility is a wonderful thing, of course. On the
*other* hand, 95% of what gets played on the radio is trite
garbage. One local station I know used to have a DJ (I don't know
if he's still there) that took up *every* *nightly* *broadcast*
with Mozart divertimenti. You cannot imagine how tedious that
became.
Maybe other radio stations are different -- perhaps people can
recommend good ones in various areas of the world? In my
experience, classical radio stations are geared towards commuters
in Volvos, and shy away from anything too "daring" (read: anything
other than Bach Vivaldi Mozart or Beethoven). It is a sad trend,
and I suppose much debate could be stirred up on the subject. At
any rate, give your local stations a try -- maybe one of the DJs is
particularly independent and plays more esoteric recordings.
Listen to the radio at different times for a few weeks. After that
point, you can shut it off forever if you get frustrated (that's
what I did).
====================================================
V. Conclusion
All right, the beta version .01 is done. My fingers are kind
of sore, and I don't even want to know what huge gaping holes I
left in this thing. Read the postscript.
I hope this thing is of some use to somebody somewhere. If
not, well, wait for the next version, it'll only be better.
Good luck and good writing!
====================================================
VI. Postscript: One last plea
I'll say this one last time -- if you have ANYTHING to say
about this FAQ, e-mail it to me. There's no good reason not to.
A FAQ is a valuable mode of information-spreading, and I think it
would be worth the effort for all of us to work on it. Besides,
I'm doing most of the hard work anyway! :)
I'm looking for a lot of input on this project, including, but
not limited to:
-- compliments (the more, the better)
-- criticisms (as long as they're constructive and useful)
-- additions
-- corrections
-- submissions for new sections
-- names and addresses of organisations, journals, etc. that
might be useful to a beginning composer
-- anything whatsoever you feel you just gotta get off your
chest
My e-mail address, in case you didn't notice it the twenty
times I put it in the FAQ, is:
anky@eden.rutgers.edu
Please put a Subject: Music FAQ on it so I can sort through my
mail faster.
As I said, this FAQ, though embryonic now, could become
something extremely useful if we (notice "we", not "I") work on it.
So please write me.
***** End of Beginning Composer's FAQ *****
--
Boris G Ginsburgs | Road swiftly snaking,
anky@eden.rutgers.edu | What am I really but road
DoD # 1580 | kill in the making?