Section 3: Songwriting Concepts
The act of composing music on paper is very technical when it comes to producing timing, sound, and rhythm. This is diametrically opposite when establishing mood or conveying a message. Writing music is a near exact science on paper. There is a process that the writer will go through before beginning any piece of work and before any writing gets done. But unlike the science of putting it on paper, this process varies depending on who is writing.
There are, however, similarities in the processes that composers will use. We will now take a look at these, so we will start with a simple question. Where does music come from?
Ask a philosopher this question and I am sure you will get varied answers, but if you ask a musician or composer, they will tell you that it is inspiration. What inspires you? Is it a memory? Is it an emotion? Was it a specific event in your life? Or is it as simple as the mood that you happen to be in today?
Inspiration, regardless of what it is, will in many occasions become the very soul of any piece of music that you write. Another good question to ask is, "What does this mean to me?" When you know what inspires you, you are already on your way to writing music.
Inspiration is important but there is one very important element that is a must in music composition. It is purpose.
Purpose here is two-fold. First we will ask this question of you. Why are you writing? From the writer's point of view, the answer will often be his/her inspiration. For example, "I am in a good mood," or "I remember when my mom died," or any of the other reasons that inspires creativity.
How about this one? "We're working on a new movie and I am creating the score."
Already the purposes vary and take on a life of their own. But that is only one side of the coin. The other side of it would be to convey a message to, or stimulate emotions in the listener(s). The movie's score composer will undoubtedly want the listener to not just see, but "feel" the movie, as well as get drawn in by the message(s) in the content, while most other composers would want their listener to experience the writer's inspirational mood, regardless of what that is.
If inspiration is the "soul" of the music, then purpose would be the "why" of it.
Exercise:
You are now about to begin the process of writing music. As we continue through the process of writing music, we want you to actually do the steps yourself. The goal here is for you to write a piece of music.
- What inspires you? Think of, and pick out one topic that you believe you can write about, whether it is a memory, a feeling, or an event in your life - pick just one. That will be the inspiration for your song.
- Why are you writing? Ultimately the answer is to convey your inspiration by emotion. With that being said, think of the mood you were in at the point of inspiration? How did you feel? How do you want the listener to feel?