This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License and ©2011 Gregory Weaver.
I’ve been kind of wondering when I’d actually get to composing something and, well, tonight was the night. I wasn’t even planning on it, but I was sitting in bed and a little melody popped into my head and I figured I should just get to it.
After making the decision to go ahead, I immediately realized that it was indeed a good decision. The melody is exactly what I want in a first tune: it’s simple. My writing typically isn’t simple, as I consciously constantly try to think of what I can do to develop a part and make it more interesting even if it doesn’t need any more development. Since that can make things very cluttered, one of the goals I set for myself before I started the blog was to let things stand and not make unnecessary developments. As I work on these songs, you’ll be able to see what I’m doing, and if I go too far with something, you have my permission to tell me to stop. Remind me of my goal if things get too crazy!
Without any further ado, here is the first very very rough 21 seconds of my inaugural project for [Score.]!
As I was sitting down to write, I was hoping that my idea wasn’t too much like an already published work. In fact, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was imagining the airy flute sounds of Secret of Mana’s forest music, even though I couldn’t put my finger on how that melody went. Needless to say, I was happy when I realized that I hadn’t copied it. Now, in hindsight, I think there is also an influence of all that Chrono Cross to which I’ve been listening present in the instrumentation…
Anyhow, I threw my ideas for the flute, the english horn, and the pizzicato violin and cello into Logic Pro in about 10 minutes and then fiddled for a bit. I then notated those parts and added the viola and bass in Finale 2010. Afterwards, I went back into Logic to sequence those parts I added and to tidy up everything just enough to have something to post.
What’s next? Some immediate action items:
- Tighten up the time. I did it enough so that it’s passable, but I need to go over it again for sure.
- Alter the beginning. It sounds weird to me. It may have something to do with the time, the flute’s attack and release, and/or the tempo.
- Add fills. Clearly there’s some space that needs to be filled by the strings—I just didn’t want to fill it tonight.
- Review English Horn part. The ending is the big part I want to change up a little bit at the moment, but what I do will ultimately depend on what I have after I…
- Expand. ‘Nuff said.
Not a bad night of writing overall, I’d say. I have a simple melody to work on and develop and even have some other ideas saved for a later day (actually, that includes what was originally meant to be made the bridge of this track; unfortunately, it was too divergent from the apparent theme). Please let me know of any questions, comments, or suggestions you have for either my work or for my presentation of my work!
New Goal: Write something that isn’t soggy with 4-bar phrases. Reference Chris Potter’s“Hibiscus”.
Oct 28, 2011 @ 09:26:08
Great! I like it a lot. It sounds straight out of a game, and it is a wonderful melody. I really think it sounds great. You’re getting really good at evoking particular moods with the instrumentation, etc. You’re getting the vocabulary of the art down! I also like the contrapuntal line between the English horn and flute. Hmm…or they just harmonizing? Geez my ears are bad. Can it be called counterpoint if they’re moving in the same direction? I guess it can?
I think you’re right about the beginning sounding weird. Perhaps it’s the release on the last note of the first phrase? It also might be something with the time, but I don’t have any idea how you do time in Logic. It’s amazing to me that you can line them up at all. I think to me, the initial dotted eighth sixteenth rhythm sounds a bit weird. Maybe it has something to do with the sparse nature of the accompaniment, as though the time doesn’t settle into the groove right away between the two patterns. The rhythm sounds fine the second time, though, so maybe that is a function of the time or whatever not lining up like you have in mind?
I’d caution you in reference to number three. The beauty of this is how much space it has! Be careful that you don’t try and overdevelop the spirit of the thing out of it. I could see strings being a good way to fill out the bridge section though; I think that is part of what makes the Secret of Mana so great. It really builds throughout by adding more instrumentation, then it takes them away at the end. Taking a cue from SoM – what about some acoustic piano? It might be a nice color to play with, though I’m not sure if the strings you have in mind are pizz or bowed. I really like how delicate it is, so beware the urge to use up the space. Think about it, maybe, as though the space were a melody in its own right. Does the addition of strings warrant altering or destroying the space? When in doubt, leave it out!
It really sounds great though! I dig the direction, and I imagine that this was very easy to throw together. Inspiration is wonderful when it comes. I think that the trick is learning how to make the most of those ten minute bursts.
Brandon
Oct 28, 2011 @ 09:42:26
On second thought, maybe the first rhythm just rushes a tad.
Also, you might try having the pizz strings out in front alone for a phrase or two, then introduce the flute. Try that out and see what you think!
Oct 28, 2011 @ 11:14:27
Brandon,
Thanks for the great reply and for your compliments. I’ll reply myself by list:
– What is counterpoint? What is… jazz? (I think counterpoint’s a little more defined, haha). I wouldn’t call the woodwind lines contrapuntal. The harmony’s in octaves most of the time, and when the voices split directions they have same rhythm. The only thing that may be contrapuntal is the entrance of the English Horn, but I don’t know if that’s considered as being such since it’s just an entrance over a whole note. Then again, I’ve never had anyone tell me strictly what is or what is not counterpoint, so… Maybe I should actually read that Fux book on my shelf.
– Yeah, I was definitely struggling with when exactly to release that last note. At first I had it extend through the whole beat, but decided to keep scaling it back… But as you point out, it sounds fine the second time through, so I’m not sure exactly what’s happening. I’ll look over the prior rhythms per your suggestion. Also, as far as not settling in the groove, I thought about that, too, after I had posted this, and have an idea for an edit. I’ll try your suggestion. We’ll see how it pans out!
– Haha, someone already telling me to stop my vices… awesome. I’ll try to remember your “When in doubt, leave it out!” heh. We’ll see what comes of putting in what I’m thinking, though. What I will certainly take from your comment is that I’ll see about not putting the voices in right away. It wasn’t going to be much, so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about necessarily. Despite what I decide to do, I look forward to your response. One of the reasons I didn’t do too much with the draft is so that people can hear how the song evolves and comment on what they like or do not like about how I choose to develop or change the parts that had previously been established. So bring it on!
– I was lucky that I had my equipment around during that burst, heh. Usually I’m not so fortuitous.
Thanks again! I hope to hear from you on the next take as well.
Oct 30, 2011 @ 23:05:50
I also really like this, though I clearly can’t give such a specific constructive comment as Brandon. I agree that it totally sounds like something out of a game and each time I listen, a forest scene pops into my head, and that it’s really amazing how you can come up with a great combination of instruments to fulfill what scene/mood you’re trying to set up (like what you did for the Japanese teahouse before). Also also, yes, try to resist the urge to fill in every space…simplicity/minimalism can be very powerful. I think especially since you’re creating a forest/village theme and not necessarily music for an action-packed, fast-paced segment where you might want a lot of stuff happening (like at the transition of Time’s Scar when there’s a ‘flurry’ of sounds, tempo picks up, percussion’s added, and all that). Awesome job for your inaugural composition for [Score.] – I’ll be looking forward to hearing developments and new pieces!
Oct 31, 2011 @ 10:12:52
Thanks, Jen! I have a feeling that you won’t be shy in regards to keeping me in check, too, which is much appreciated. Speaking of minimalism, I think I might experiment with a boss theme by straying away from the traditional heavy guitar thing, just to give you a glimpse into the probable future…
Oct 30, 2011 @ 23:27:03
I asked Carol what setting your clip evoked (without letting her see the page) and she said, “the woods.” I think that is a victory! Congratulations!
Oct 31, 2011 @ 10:14:50
Hahaha. Score.
Also, that’s very astute of Carol: after I posted I thought that it sounded more like the woods than a forest and have since planned on changing the name. “Forest” seems heavier to me; so far this sounds more like it’d be the container for “woodland” creatures.
Oct 31, 2011 @ 12:26:13
You also might think about what particular kind of woods or forest you are conveying. This sounds like a pleasant little romp through the woods with woodland critters, like you say. But what about haunted woods? How would you make something like this sound more insidious? I’m thinking specifically about the haunted woods in A Link to the Past, but I can’t remember how they sound…
Oct 31, 2011 @ 13:25:47
Yeah, I’ve considered the type, which is what sparked the change in name. Also, I have indeed thought about working out variations of tunes in order to project different emotions in a single location; whether or not this one gets turned into a “haunted woods,” as you say, or otherwise will be determined on how much I like the final product. That being said, I wouldn’t expect to hear a variation until more stand-alones have been written.
Oct 31, 2011 @ 23:12:41
On a side note, I find it fascinating that somehow, over the course of the past century, we have had certain associations hard-wired into our brains for certain sounds. Why should a flute sound like the woods? Who knows! It just does. I wonder if it works the same way in other cultures? It almost certainly would have to be different from culture to culture, but a professor at a conference I helped run last year said that all cultures have at least one musical association in common (unless I am remembering the example wrong). He said that all cultures experience the descending minor third as derisive (think of a child going “nanny nanny boo boo”). It blows my mind. It’s like…musical evolution or something. It’s in our genetics! Or if not, how does it get there?
Oct 31, 2011 @ 23:20:02
Hahaha yet another thing to which I have to say: I was planning on trying to un-conventionalize some instruments and the sound of some themes. Stop making me reveal all of my secrets! Haha.
And for that other stuff… wild. Makes me wonder if I could find some CDs of instrumental music from other cultures that depict certain scenery, etc…