SOUND PATTERNS

It ain't over 'til it's over

The key to growth as a composer is that you MUST hear what you've done. A million comments about your work won't mean nearly as much as hearing it just once. You are your own best teacher. Some thoughts:

• Compose for a specific person:
  • Friend(s) who is a good performer or a special event.
  • Family
  • Classmate(s)
• Compose for a specific event:
  • Church
  • Assembly
  • Concert
  • Graduation
• Work with performers as you write the piece, asking questions such as these:
  • Ranges
  • Good places in the range and bad places
  • Syllables that are problematic to sing
  • Awkward notes for intonation or tone quality
  • Idioms that work well (and those that don't)
  • Special effects such as mutes, flutter tongue, or ponticello
• Composer's ettiquette: when you ask performers to do your music, you owe them respect:
  • Give them the music well in advance of the first rehearsal
  • Make sure the music is legible and accurate
  • Be prepared for the music to sound different than you expected...it will
  • Be prepared for inevitable wrong rhythms and pitches...don't say anything about them
  • Offer only constructive advice, and do so sparingly and with tact
  • Remain calm at all times
  • Do not run the rehearsal past the alloted time
  • Express your gratitude for the performers' time