5 Ways To Improve Your Writing
Author: Rich Shemaria, Guest Contributor
Hopefully, most of us experience the “desire” to write music. What I mean is, the creative drive. That intangible thing within us that compels us to write down notes and rhythms and chords in an organized fashion according to the way we hear (envision) them. When you were a kid and somebody put a piece of paper and a box of crayons in front of you for the first time, did they give you a manual on how to use them? No, of course not. You grabbed the crayons and just went for it! Well, for those of us who answer the call of composing, that same creative drive can stay with us for the rest of our lives.
As we gain experience with our chosen art form, the urge to explore deeper and deeper into the possibilities of it can become an obsession. It’s like somebody opened the door into the creative universe and said, “Here, step right in. Have fun. Do whatever you want”. Who can say no to that?
If that sounds familiar then you probably have the urge to make the next piece better than the previous one. To do that, you need to equip yourself with the tools that will help you gain access to that “doorway to the creative universe”.
Basics
Make sure going in that you have the basic tools to work with. I don’t mean physical tools like score pads, pencils, computer notation programs and a piano (although, these are things you may need anyway!). I mean the basics of things like melody, harmony, rhythm and orchestration. You can do this in a number of ways. The most obvious is to get some books on the subjects (of which, there are a multitude available. I will list some of my favorites below). Beginning, intermediate or advanced. Whatever your level may be.
Before I go on, I want to interject something. It is not a crime to admit that you don’t know some basic thing in music (or your chosen art form) no matter what level of experience you have. Maybe you were absent in class the day they were talking about it or you were daydreaming or it just slipped under your radar.
Every one of us has holes in our knowledge. Please print that out and tape it to your wall above your desk. I once attended a master class by Michael Brecker at NYU where I teach. He told his audience that whenever he was on tour and went into a music store, he would always look for beginning saxophone technique books. Why? Because he couldn’t get enough basics, he said.
Harmony. Know what notes are in chords and how to move chords from one to another (progressions). An understanding of basic voice leading is key to both.
Melody. Melodies are made up of two things: pitches and rhythms. They have cadences that create form. A cadence is a structure that has a beginning, middle and ending; like a poem (best example: Jack and Jill). Although melodies come in all shapes and sizes the most successful ones seem to create linear forward motion.
Orchestration. The first things you should acquaint yourself with are the ranges and transpositions of the instruments you are going to write for. I always have an orchestration book nearby in case I need to reference that. The best way though is to go to the source. Seek out musicians and ask them about the nuances of their instruments. Orchestration is also about blending the sounds of instruments in a way that suits your piece. Again, orchestration books will help you with that but looking at scores of successful composers and arrangers gets us right to the source.
Transcribing. Like I said above, there are numerous ways to go about learning things. Transcribing compositions and arrangements of other composers and arrangers is yet another very helpful tool. We often transcribe solos from recordings when we study improvisation. Transcribing orchestrations requires a bit more attention to detail because we have to try and get inside (sometimes) complex structures. Instead of just listening for melodic passages we are also listening for voicings and timbres of instruments. Bob Brookmeyer used to point out that he felt there were a lot of trombonists who became arrangers because they sat in the middle of the band and could hear all the different instruments better. Although transcribing can be time consuming and somewhat difficult, don’t underestimate what a powerful learning tool it is.
Stay Within Your Piece. One thing I see sometimes in composers (inexperienced and experienced alike) is the tendency to drift away from the main theme of their pieces. Instead of making a thematic statement and developing it, they seem to want to throw everything that comes into their heads onto the score page. When we read a book or watch a movie we want to know only what that book or movie is about. You wouldn’t want to start reading a mystery book and then get to the second chapter where all of sudden it switches to a romance novel would you? It’s the same in a musical composition: make a thematic statement and then tell us everything you know about it. How can you expand it? What kind of variations can you design from it? What kind of chords can you create from it? What kind of motifs (both linear and rhythmic) can you derive from it?
Get Your Music Played
I don’t even know why I am bothering to say this because it seems so obvious, right? But, for one reason or another, we write a piece, life intervenes and we end up moving on to the next piece without getting the previous one played. Or, a modern problem many of us can relate to is the complacency that can occur when we use a computer notation program to create our piece and then become satisfied with the computer playback. There is no better teacher than the experience of listening to that first reading by a live group of musicians playing your music.
Play More Piano
Spend time playing the piano away from writing. You might use the piano when you are writing (or not) as a reference tool. But, playing the piano away from composing is a valuable tool to spark our creative drive. It allows us to hear complex chords and voicings that we otherwise couldn’t hear in our heads. It also allows us to hear multiple lines at the same time (depending on our level of piano playing, of course!). You can also play other instruments that are capable of playing chords like the guitar or vibraphone. The piano however, has a greater capacity in that category making it the ideal instrument for allowing us to dream and create.
Recommended Readings and Videos
Harmony by Walter Piston (W.W. Norton)
The Technique of Orchestration by Kent Kennan & Donald Gratham (Prentice-Hall)
Inside the Score by Rayburn Wright (Kendor Music)
The Shaping Forces In Music by Ernst Toch (Dover)
As conductor and arranger: Michael Brecker and UMO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46bVsAJrfeM&t=20s
As conductor and arranger: Lenny Pickett - The Prescription
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5EdqyGkqXY&list=PLa1Vl_yZxdeii4b-OPjTk8PRsyk47EF7x
About The Author
Rich Shemaria is a composer, arranger, and pianist. Currently he is Jazz Composer in Residence at New York University, where he teaches composition and arranging and directs the NYU Jazz Orchestra. He is a member of the NYU faculty ensemble, Combo Nuvo. The group recently recorded his “One World Suite”, a positive statement on climate change. He has written music for Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Tom Scott, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Michael and Randy Brecker, Lenny Pickett, Teo Macero, The Airmen of Note and a host of others. From 1994-96, he was director of the UMO Jazz Orchestra, the national radio big band of Finland based in Helsinki, where he recorded two albums: "The Prescription: The Music Of Lenny Pickett" and "Michael Brecker: Live In Helsinki 1995,” both on Random Act Records. He has toured with Natalie Cole and conducted performances with Paquito de Rivera, Mercer Ellington, Steve Turre, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. His album 3:AM (Amosaya Records), features his own New York big band. In January of 2019, his Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra was premiered featuring Wayne du Maine on trumpet. A concerto for bassoon and chamber orchestra is currently under construction.
Rich Shemaria Big Band YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs550T8C5LGJo_I0rsA6pnQ
Riot with the Airmen Of Note
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHz8ZM7xKc
Mr. P.C with the Airmen Of Note
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygs7r59YEwM
Combo Nuvo One World Suite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-AqZdKzZEA&list=OLAK5uy_l2juJG9q8WsxFDGSEuTAq_0vrCGirgtyU