Composing music - how it's done

Many times I have been asked: "how is it done?" To make everything clear - it's about composing music. Until I heard this question, I didn't think about it - I just did it. And the answer to this question is not as simple as composing itself.

Of course, I joke a bit when I say it's an easy thing - sometimes it is, sometimes not... When I do it for pleasure, for the joy of creating, it's simple, easy, and enjoyable. If it's, for example, music for advertising created on demand, strictly according to the guidelines of the client, it can be different - sometimes it's easy, sometimes not.

But getting back to the topic - how is it done? Hm... I just sit at the piano and play, or rather Something in me plays with the help of my hands. To be more specific - my way of creating a musical composition is improvisation. In the case of this method of creation, the key factor is the perfect, harmonious connection of body and mind. It's about the fact that the executive apparatus, i.e. the hands, must execute the mind's commands without disturbances, immediately, and in the most perfect way.

For improvisation to be possible at all, certain specific conditions must be met. Firstly, the composer must have very good technique playing the instrument so that the hands can constantly execute what is being created. Secondly, they must have well-encoded knowledge in the mind in the field of music theory so that what is created is not a cacophony of sounds but music based on specific formal, harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic assumptions. Thirdly, they must have a musical ear to control what they create. And fourthly, they must have SOMETHING about which I cannot write anything sensible - creative inspiration - the ability to create something from nothing.

What I described above is the basis of my composing. After recording the material from improvisation, the next stage is to clean up minor errors (like typos in an article), quantization, which is the perfect equalization of rhythmic values (note lengths), and more or less work on correcting the musical material (melody, harmony). At this stage, additional musical ideas enriching the piece also appear. This time, not through the body (hands) but in a more abstract way - through imagination in the mind, such as "internal hearing" of sounds. This is when additional musical paths emerge - there are bass guitar and percussion parts, the so-called rhythmic section, guitar, piano, or synthesizer solos, and string or wind sections enriching the harmony. I am constantly looking for the right colors and adjusting the dynamic relationships between the individual instruments.

What do I do next? For a while, NOTHING, and it is by no means a less important stage of work. I set aside the piece for a week, two, or even longer, and when I come back to it after such a break - with a so-called "fresh look" - I see new possibilities for improving the musical form, improving the sounds, correcting composition details. If I create for myself and there are no deadlines chasing me, I repeat this last maneuver several times. And so, working on a piece sometimes takes even several months. Finally, I scold myself: "Siwiec, enough!!! How much more!" And the piece is finished..

And that's more or less how it looks. I certainly didn't describe all aspects of the music creation process, but I'm sure I've brought you closer to this topic.

author:

Marcin Siwiec