Cool interview with Tony Anderson

[woodsdenis]

Interesting conversation, I spent a number of years in a music academy learning the traditional classical approach, got very bored with that and then spent a number of years with a brilliant teacher and mentor learning about modern music, anything from Bowie to Herbie Hancock. That music theory background I am sure is invaluable to me on a daily basis although I probably don’t know it, if that makes sense. I certainly approach music in a lets try anything kind of approach, but my theory background helps to quantify and produce an end result quicker, I hope !!!
In the library music context it has to be an advantage when asked to produce music in a certain style, simply because the ability to analyse it and then compose in a similar fashion would be quicker. May not be better but sometimes the quickest horse does win the race.

[Alan]

Music notation is nothing more than a written expression of an idea, just like what I am typing for you to read. What I remember from my music history classes is it was developed by monks who probably were sick of teaching their chants to the choir boys by rote. 🙂
It has developed into an effective language for communicating traditional, non-electronic based, music. I can write a piece of music for acoustic, physical instruments and email pdf’s parts around the globe. A reading of that music will sound about the same everywhere. It’s a pretty good language and worth learning, IMHO.

PBS teaches me that languages evolve and this string seems to be about just that.

I rarely use notation for production music. Unfortunately, this tells me that my music is pretty simple because I can keep all the parts and harmonies in my head and glance at piano roll as needed. When I write the occasional big band jazz cue, I find it necessary to write in notation software (Sibelius) so I can see “who” is playing what note. 12 horns + rhythm section on separate tracks in piano roll? I think not.

Sidebar:
Here is the subject of a conversation I had with my daughter, an elementary music teacher.
Imagine if the creators of Guitar Hero incorporated standard musical notation in the game instead of the visual “language” they created. They could have made a generation of kids who know how to read music, even the guitar players!!
😉

[Alan]

“That, of course, is not to say that there haven’t been successes among composers referred to as “hummers,” who sing melodies and rely upon orchestrators to do the rest.”

I love this line MichaelL. I was in music school in the 1980s. I remember an arranging instructor telling us TV composers of the 1950s would commonly hand write (of course) scores with only lead lines and notes to the copyists like “4-way close” or “8 way drop 2” etc., which are voicing techniques. The sheet music copyists were expected to create all the performers parts by plugging in the standard arranging formulas.

[Michael Nickolas]

Although basically an advertisement for SONAR, this article is timely to the discussion, I feel:

http://blog.cakewalk.com/how-jerry-gerber-creates-incredible-compisitions-without-ever-using-the-prv/

[AaronM]

This has been interesting all around. 🙂

As I mentioned before, I totally agree that learning to read music is important and maybe even essential for many people. That said however, everyone approaches and learns in different ways. I don’t see much of a roadblock for someone who wants to study Beethoven if they are able to play Beethoven’s music by listening carefully to a great production of it. It’s just a different method of study as far as I see it. Of course, that doesn’t work for everyone just as sight reading doesn’t work perfectly for everyone.

It’s all case by case IMO.

[Art Munson]

I read the various music staves, but I don’t sight-read, which you guys I’m sure know the difference.

The Jerry Gerber article was kind of surprising, because of his success even though he doesn’t ‘play in’ the notes, but just enters notes into SONAR’s music staff using a mouse. I didn’t think that was acceptable in the post production sense.

I have written some things in Finale for orchestra which are slow, using Finale’s ‘Playback’ feature. When staying around 90 BPM or less, just mouse inputted notes in Finale can sound pretty convincing.

Here’s 2 examples using Finale that I think work. First is my arrangement and orchestration of Chopin’s Funeral March, and the other my orchestration of a Harry Potter theme by John Williams:

https://soundcloud.com/waveheavy/homophonicwritingext_chopin

https://soundcloud.com/waveheavy/orchestrate-a-line_harry-potter-theme

[Author]

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