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composers symposium: john warren (york)/ francois theberge (paris)/ mike gibbs (malaga) earconnector in search of quick-fix composition lessons from three of the most inspired and inspiring composers operating in the field today...
earconnector: (1) can i have a major 7th on a dominant chord?
JOHN WARREN : On a dominant Seventh chord I can't. But Thelonious Monk can.
(2) how can i learn to write a melody? where do your melodies come from?
Learn to sing every song you can find. Study how they are constructed.
Little melodic ideas will pop into your head. Try to develop the idea
into a complete melody by imitating the ones you have learned. (3) how do you when a piece you're working on is finished? how do you
know
that a piece has started to happen, to get composed? how does it feel
when a
piece is finished?/un-finish-able? When the deadline has arrived. Or, if the deadline is postponed, when
you have made all the revisions you wanted to make before the deadline
loomed and couldn't. And when you can't bear to tinker with it any more.
Or it sounds complete- happens occasionally. (4) what do you do when you realise you are in fact re-inventing someone else's piece? what do you do when you realise you are in fact writing a
piece you have already written yourself years ago? I don't think I have done that. Or no one has caught me out, yet. But
there is always a phrase or a passage that I think I have stolen from
somewhere. When I track it down I realize it even if it is similar it
sounds completely different in the new setting. (5) should i try to do some composing away from the piano? in the
mountains for example, or on the train? is changing the environment a good way to make
changes to your composing? All of those, as much as possible. You can always revise at the piano
later. It expands your horizons because you hear different things and
are affected by them differently when in an unusual setting. Just as you
do with listening. (6) wanting to be a composer, does this mean that i have to write
something
every day (please say no)? You can try, but I have never succeeded. (7) how much of my energy should i spend on studying the past masters and
how much should i spend in healthy ignorance of all this already existing,
endlessly wonderful music? As much as possible initially. Then forget about it and get on with
writing your own stuff. Then when you run out of ideas go back to them
and get recharged. FRANCOIS THEBERGE
hello hans,
since i'm on a train and bored -- i'll go ahead and talk about the "untalkable" ---
1- yes of course -- the question is the real nature of the chord -- "it's environment" -- in this case i would need a piano to give a few examples --
2- i always think that singing is essential -- it's linked to body motion and dance to me -- it's physical -- my melodies (?) come from ?
3- it has to be 'cause i always write at the last possible minute -- when i try to rework or improve something -- it always (almost) get's stuffy and overweight --- so i like the "gesture" -- like calligraphy for the oriental poets -- it's a question of inner lisnening and gesture --
4- i have a tendency to "fight" what i already wrote and avoid it --- (?) ---
5- i haven't written a composition on the piano for 7 years -- i'm sort of a "cockail bar" pianist and my hands just go to obvious places that my limited technique slides me into -- so i write by singing and dancing in my head -- the lines are simple and i really like to establish a form as a first gesture, it makes me sort of "happy" in my composing gesture -- form, form, form ---
6- i'm glad you even mentioned it ---- NO
7- as much time as you like or not --- i'm not a fan of the "obligation" to be mister or miss "culture" --- on the other hand i'm a fan of jazz, so i listen to a lot of it not necesserally to "intergrate" it in my writing -- i just like it (boogie -- boogie -- boogie) ok hans enough --- looking forward playing and talking -- cheers
françois MIKE GIBBS
(1) can i have a major 7th on a dominant chord? Only if you are a post graduate in bebop with a masters degree, or are a 'free' player and don't know that you're playing such an awful sounding note!
(2) how can i learn to write a melody? where do your melodies come from?
Find a nice set of words, sing them, write down the tune and take the words away!
(3a) how do you know when a piece you're working on is finished?
When you get to the end of the page! 3b)how do you know that a piece has started to happen, to get composed? When the commissioneer rings for the third time, saying, where the f**k is my piece. 3c)how does it feel when a piece is finished?/--- fantastic relief! un-finish-able?.....................? is right.
(4a) what do you do when you realise you are in fact re-inventing someone else's piece?
It only happened once, I did it by choice,and I prefered my version.
4b) what do you do when you realise you are in fact writing a piece you have already written yourself years ago?
Every piece is a variation of all the others .
(5) should i try to do some composing away from the piano? Only if you always write away from the piano; if not, why make it difficult for yourself. ....in the mountains for example,
or on the train?
is changing the environment a good way to make changes to your composing? I dont want to make changes to my composing.
(6) wanting to be a composer, does this mean that i have to write something every day (please say no)?
okay, No, No, and No.
A piece doesn't start when you pick up a pencil, it's started long before that - in fact it's been going on all the time, and for me - the process never stops, and doesn't need to start...... it started some 45- yrs ago....
(7) how much of my energy should i spend on studying the past masters---
personally, I love 'em, so spend lots of time at it.If you like 'em, spend lots of time with them.... you don't like 'em, give 'em short shrift --but at your peril!! .... and how much should i spend in healthy ignorance of all this already existing, endlessly 'wonderful music'? ...if it's 'wonderful music', I don't know that the ignorance is 'healthy' ...ask yourself!
Dearest Hans ---- I'll do it over, if you hold a gun to my head> |
