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COMMENT(S): The Composers: the world's most creative writers share their secrets
Published: September 08, 2012
Author: kiltie59 | (report inappropriate content) |
| Thanks for sharing your insight into how you put your tunes together. I know everyone has tried to put pen to paper at least once or twice. I myself would love to get feedback on a few of my tunes....Thanks Bruce |
Published: June 03, 2008
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| Thanks for this great article Bruce. Was interested in your comment about leaving tunes aside for long periods before they get completed.
For some reason I often write three-part tune that I like, and struggle for a fourth. The final part I write (which may be inserted as the second-part) is always just a boring rehash of another. Have you come across this? |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Excellent article Bruce!
I really enjoyed this one. The instruction was so well presented that I decided to write my first song and dabble in the mystic of music notation. Even though it's only two lines long my wife was still impressed that I could write something coherent and fun to listen to.
Cheers, Mark |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Congrats Mark, that is how it all starts. It will not always need to be that simplistic, you will have the ideas yourself, but breaking it down to it's most simple form will help you determine if the melody is strong enough to hold it's own. Keep at it, if you don't write them down, you won't know what you have.
Cheers
Bruce |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Bruce - you make it sound so straight forward and I agree, if followed with basic theory skills, a player has a golden opportunity here to create original compositions using your methods. But therein lies the concern. The vast majority of players out there cannot correctly write a score in a given time signature - have little knowledge of simple vs. compound time - and more importantly, do not understand the significance of the G, D and E grace notes and their use within a composition. At workshops and schools, all too often these theory concepts are 'first time' ideas for the player, unfortunately! "Gee, I didn't know that....!" Would you agree?
Good article...the Captain |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Good point, Ken. I've never been someone who could write a tune "in my head" and then write it on paper later. My best tunes were created at the editing stage, with pen in hand, crossing out bars or phrases when I came up with an improved version. (I'm sure I wrote about 15 parts to "Michael MacDonald's Jig before picking the most appropriate 4.) To do that well I need to be able to write down my ideas quickly and accurately without having to think about how to do it.
Writing tunes has always been about hard work for me, though in a different way than it is for Bruce. Very often if a tune comes to someone "just like that," it sounds like it and will not stand the test of time.
Jim |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Happy New Year Bruce. I loved this article. You make it sound so easy but I knowe it is not. I tried the method you use yesterday and I still got a tune that wasn't worth playing so my question Bruce is how long does it take for you to compose one tune? |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Thanks Kirstie. This method is not what I would call the sure fire answer to writing musical scores, it's more of an explanation on "how" it is possible to use an academic method to produce a score.
As for how long it takes, that's a tough one for sure. I have had the idea, put it down and had the parts just fall into place a few times and the tune only takes an hour or two. But, that is not often and I find that the largest percentage of my tunes get somewhat completed, then laid to rest for a day or two at least. I then go back at them with a fresh mind and try to complete it. I have also had some tunes, or bits of tunes laying around for years. I don't throw them away if I feel they have a good part or a good "hook" but sometimes, just cannot find the answer to completing the tune.
If you can't get it right away, just leave it and come back to it later. If the tune started out good, it will still be good in a few days. Be patient with the music and play them for some people to hear. Get an honest, but fair opinion as well, that's very important. Everyone can compose a tune if they want to, working around the sounds, chords, arpeggios, hooks, keys etc is the tough part. Some people have it naturally, others, it takes time. One thing is for sure, I am positive that if you keep trying, the tunes will get better as you go.
Good luck with it!!
Bruce Gandy |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Thanks for this great article Bruce. Was interested in your comment about leaving tunes aside for long periods before they get completed.
For some reason I often write three-part tune that I like, and struggle for a fourth. The final part I write (which may be inserted as the second-part) is always just a boring rehash of another. Have you come across this? |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| HI there, sure I've hacked away a tunes and I either do one of two things, 1- keep at it and try to write something that fits the melody but is not too similar to the existing part. 2- if I just can't do it, I would either leave it as a 2 parter, or chuck it.
There is no magic, either a thought will come to you or you have to use some sort of academic approach to make it fit and if those two approaches do not work, then I am afraid I have no other suggestion. | |
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