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Advice for the Emerging Composer, Part I: Notation
Posted on December 6, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I don’t believe there is a ‘correct’ way to compose, or even a ‘best’ way to compose. As a composer you’ve ultimately got to invent your own method – whatever it takes to get the sounds in your head onto the page. And there’s really nothing more important than that damn page, because without it, you’ll never be able to communicate to other people the exquisite pain, joy and sorrow that is flooding your heart.
Here is the method that has worked for me:
I use a pencil and paper. That’s it. I’ve tried Finale, tried Sibelius – I just seem to write better when I’m using ‘old school’ materials. Something about the smell of the lead and the feel of the paper make me feel more like I’m working, and for me that’s an essential part of the process. I like to get to the end of a writing day and have sore fingers and little bits of eraser all over my clothes, like a woodworker leaving his studio. And I love that at the end of a day I have something physical and real to hold in my hands, even if it’s only a stack of pages that I wrote and immediately discarded. (There are LOTS of discarded pages, more on that in a different post).
I always use the biggest manuscript paper I can find, at least 11×17 and at least 18 staves, even when I’m writing four-part a cappella music. For me, it’s important when I write that I can see as much of the music at one time as possible, partly so I can get a sense of the overall structure, and partly because it’s a great way to sketch a lot of ideas and quickly refer back to them. The big pages are also great for lining up on the floor (or on my 8′x10′ corkboard on my studio wall) so that I can get a visual sense of how the entire piece will play out in real time.
My first scribblings on the page aren’t pretty. I write as fast as I can, and oftentimes I won’t even worry about the rhythm, or the key, or ‘proper’ notation. Sometimes I’ll just write the noteheads and the shape of the phrase – anything to get the general motion of the gesture onto the page while it’s fresh in my mind.
Sometimes, when I’m just beginning a piece, I’ll turn on my sequencer (Digital Performer) and just record myself improvising, because every now and then my fingers will find an interesting chord or progression and I’ll forget it before I can write it down. And sometimes, after I’ve written it down on paper, I’ll sequence parts of a piece so that I can get a general idea of how it will sound when I’m finished. (I sequenced all of Equus, just to make sure it would work).
When it comes to the actual notation, though, I try to stay away from the computer. As I said before I really don’t think there is a correct way to do it, but for a beginning composer I think the computer can be a real trap. Here are my three biggest arguments against it:
Cut and Paste. Finale or Sibelius have made it so easy to cut and paste that you don’t even have to cut anymore, just highlight and drag. And I think that is a bad thing.
It’s not just the obvious argument that the music suffers from exact copies of a musical motive all over the place, or that it breeds mindless, quasi-minimalistic ostinato patterns that don’t develop and have no real destination. The real problem is that it is easy to do, and it should not be easy. When you are working with pencil and paper, and you have to copy and paste something, it is a major pain. You have to either literally ‘copy and paste’, with a copy machine, scissors, and tape, or you have to rewrite the same material over and over by hand. And when you are faced with that much work, you stop and think before you write something down. That is a good thing. That pause forces you to reflect on the worthiness of the material you’ve got, and makes you think about the larger structure of the piece before you forge ahead. It encourages reflection and introspection, and in my experience reflection and introspection are two of the best friends a composer can have.
The Playback Sucks. I don’t care how good your samples are, its going to sound awful. You’ll write a big section of the piece, play it back, and want to kill yourself. You’ll question your writing and change it. Worse, you’ll hear the crap playback performance and begin to believe you’re a crap composer, which messes with your confidence. And confidence, along with reflection and introspection, is most certainly one of a composer’s best friends.
Or the converse: if you’ve got a fantastic sample library, you’ll think your piece sounds great and then be devastated when you hear it played by a live human ensemble. The real-live horn section might suddenly sound thin compared to your 16 Hans-Zimmer-conquest-horns patch. That gorgeous cello/English horn line might not balance so well when the English horn is sitting seventy-five feet from the cellos, as they often do in a real symphony orchestra. And human voices, once so lush and seamless when played by samples, suddenly sound un-tuned and strained as they try to navigate vowels that your computer couldn’t replicate during playback.
You’ll stop using your imagination. I think the most important skill a composer can develop is the ability to sit quietly and ‘hear’ the music in their mind before they write it down; it’s something I’ve been struggling with for twenty years, and will probably keep struggling with for the rest of my life. When I’m composing, I’ll often just take walks (or long showers) and work on the music there, away from my studio and my piano, and try to imagine the music as it’s being played in the ‘virtual’ concert hall in my mind. I think most of my best compositional solutions come that way.
I find that the computer notation programs can damage this process, because the temptation to hit the playback button is just overwhelming, even after you’ve only written a few bars of music. When I’m working at the computer it’s very rare – for me – to just sit and stare at the page in total silence, trying to hear what I’ve written and imaging where it ought to go.
Now I know what you are thinking, and you’re right – so many composers these days use Finale or Sibelius. In fact, I don’t know a single composer my age who still writes with pencil and paper. Still, I’m going to be the dusty old luddite professor and offer this: just try it. Use pencil and paper, at least for the first draft, and see if it doesn’t dramatically alter the music you are writing. I think you’ll find that if it worked for Bach, Bethoven, Debussy, Stravinski, and Britten (et al), it can work for you.
27 Comments
Ashley Jensen on December 6, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I was reading your blog and I found it really interesting how composers write music now these days. I'm such a big fan of your work and I hope you write more great music.
!luke ellard on December 6, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Wow, that does make a lot of sense. I've been using computer notation software almost exclusively. I'm going to immediately try your method. Thanks so much for posting these blogs!
Oh, and I know a few composers that still use pencil and paper; John Adams, Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, Christopher Rouse, etc.
So you're in good company :D
Steven Bryant on December 6, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Eric, here's a link to an old thread on the BCM forum where this was discussed. Worth starting with Newman's post on the topic, but the <a href="http://www.bcminternational.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=380&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=compose+pencil+paper" rel="nofollow">whole thread has some good stuff in it. Thought it might be relevant to post here. And great post, btw.
I remember Corigliano saying he would work on pieces by laying on his bed with a pillow over his head to block out the NYC traffic noise and just hear sound, away from any instrument. I've tried that, but I fall asleep…
Patrick Hart on December 6, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Inspiring! I agree, until they can make computer composition more tactile, pencil and paper is the way to go. Time to dust off my Whitacre-endorsed Moleskine notebook from the Paradise Lost premiere…
Brian Schmidt on December 6, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Great post!! And, I don't think there is any reason to be aftraid of old fashioned. I am a young composer that has stuck to the pencil and paper method – and grown drastically from it. I thought I was the only one!!!
Here are reasons it has been good for me, personally:
Creative development is very intimate time. The pencil-paper allows for quick notation when music is flying and, like you said, a global view of the piece being worked on. I think it helps me be more honest to what I am hearing/dreaming/singing in my mind.
Also, I have learned that an extra step in the process allows me to catch mistakes or sticky places in the music. Once a work is complete in pencil-paper draft I then engrave in Finale. Transferring from paper to computer allows me a different – more businesslike – view of my own work. I think it has helped me become a better editor of my own work and build confidence that what I am dreaming is actually realized on the page.
Matt on December 7, 2008 at 12:58 am
this is wonderful Eric! I absolutely agree with what you say, though I do own Sibelius… But the computer programs take away the excitement and spirituality of composing.
Also I like your idea of just going someplace with some staff paper and a pencil, and rather than trapping yourself in a little room and trying to force it, to just notate your imagination.
Tessy on December 7, 2008 at 9:55 am
I agree about the playback! It's amazing how unnatural some of the sounds are, in both Finale and Sibelius.
I find pencil and staff paper a wonderful tool (now, keep in mind that I've just started this wonderful journey of composing). Sometimes I'll use Finale/Sibelius just to hear what the harmonies sound like, etc. Fortunately, I will soon be able to bring my keyboard from home and use that instead. :)
Very useful post indeed Eric! Thanks for sharing your tips with us.
Austin on December 7, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Good thoughts.
One question, though, for those of us without ready access to a personal orchestra or choir at our disposal – what is the best way to see if our creations have a chance of sounding like we hope they will? Are we really better off having no digital simulation/playback?
My mind often has worse playback than my fancy Garritan sounds. ;-)
Peter C on December 7, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Thank you for this posting! I too often start with just noteheads or shapes on staff paper, and have been criticized and reprimanded by some of my profs for "neglecting" the rhythm. It's nice to see that I'm in good company when I use this technique.
Eric Whitacre on the role of notation software in composition » Sibelius Blog on December 8, 2008 at 2:09 pm
[...] first post in the series, he writes about how notation software hinders his compositional process. He writes: I use a pencil and paper. That’s it. I’ve tried Finale, tried Sibelius – I just seem to write [...]
Matt on December 8, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Thanks for the post,
I'm glad that you mentioned those no "correct" way to compose. What would our music be like if we all did the same thing? I've got a hybrid system going between my moleskin notebook and Sibelius. Works great for me. I'm also glad to see you talking about the "concert hall in the mind." I don't start notating anything down until I can hear the piece in my head, glad to see I'm in good company! It's a great skill to develop, and especially useful when you want to get a feel for some sheet music from sight alone.
I'm excited for the rest of this series, especially the business side, that's what I need help with.
Thanks,
Matt
Chris B on December 8, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Mr. Whitacre,
Please keep posting things like this. These type of things keep a sort of musical heartbeat going. Especially when you're just starting to fall into the world of composing. Hearing things in your head but having no idea how to get it onto paper, because you really have no knowledge of theory. You feel like if you're really supposed to be composing then it should just naturally flow out of you onto the paper. Whether you know anything about theory or not. It's a really, really crappy feeling. Anywho, the point is, thank you for posts like this, it keeps that fire in some of us from dying out. Kudos a thousand times over!
Anthony Sanchez on December 12, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I agree with your arguments against Finale. I've composed music with this software, and most of the time my pieces sound awful. I also prefer to use a pencil and paper when composing music, often to jot down ideas I play on the piano. By the same token, Finale is necessary for me because it provides a blueprint for how my music should look and sound. If my music is tonal enough, then I feel as if I am going in the write direction.
Brindle on December 16, 2008 at 6:18 am
A good post, yet I feel I need to give my useless feedback nevertheless, knowing that you'll very likely disagree with me.
Cut and Paste: Using the notation programs it's less time consuming to produce the final product, which is the full score of everything you have written. And.. are you saying you can hear your whole set of instruments chosen for a particular piece and the ways they combine, that you can hear them better in your mind? How does that work? I'm not saying that the libraries produce authentic results, yet they are one of the only things that really help ME HEAR how it could sound, because I wouldn't have the slightest idea otherwise. About cutting/pasting, I never do that, I just listen to what I have previously written and go on from that accordingly, for example, when writing for choir, I see the text before me and read it to myself, and soon I'll have an idea how the melody would sound, then I write it down. About having a global view of stuff you have composed so far.. why not buy a larger screen (like a VERY large screen)? About dust and pencils, yeah nothing can compare with the process of wiping the rubber off your desk and having your hands dirty from the pencils.. whatever. I totally agree with that.
The Playback Sucks: Oh I already talked about that above :P
You’ll stop using your imagination: My imagination doesn't depend on whether I'm sitting at a piano or at a PC, the ideas are there or they're not. Sometimes when sitting at a piano and I have an idea, then I very often do it the old way, write it down on manuscript paper with an ordinary pencil.
So overall, it's just a matter of preference, yet I don't believe writing with notation programs is as awful as you imply here, not for me anyway! :)
Sora on December 21, 2008 at 4:02 pm
So I found your blog in the process of looking for a small notebook in which I can write my ideas down anywhere – waking in the middle of the night with music thoughts, traveling on the bus, anywhere…
I'm 53 and just began the real process of composing about 5 years ago, although I am a musician and have improvised and dabbled in composition in the past. Now that I'm seriously writing, I realize the importance of "long-term planning" – and capturing musical thoughts no matter where they fit in to the final composition. I do begin by sketching with paper and voice or piano, but transfer to computer as soon as ideas become too technical and involved – maybe I will try waiting longer after reading this article.
I guess my most pressing question is about revisions. I often find that my sketches are too compact and demand longer transitions, or even time within a section. Maybe this is a process learned through trial and error or even with more practice — maybe it means more time should be devoted to thinking out the sketch more fully in my mind before putting anything on paper?
Thanks,
Sora
Bill Beazley on December 28, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Hello Mr. Whitacre!
I'm a brazilian music student and I recently heard some of your music in YouTube and your website. I really liked it. I also liked your post "Advices for Emerging Composers", because I recently understood that I work better with pencil and paper than on the computer.
One of the problems I faced when writing on the computer is that knowing the playback wasn't good, I would always blame it for any problems in the music – even some I knew I could make right with a little hard work. When I'm writing with pencil, I think a lot more about every note I write because I have time to do it while I'm painting note heads and also because every note should be worth writing. As you said, it makes you think about what you're doing, before doing it. It's not just copying and pasting and listening to see if it worked out.
Somethings you said, however, I've never tried, like using bigger sheets of paper. Sounds to me like it will be helpful, as I really like having space when writing music. And what you said about stop using the imagination, I never realised it, but it makes perfect sense.
Thanks a lot for the advice, and please keep on posting it! From what I've seen, I have a lot to learn from your advices.
All the best,
Bill
Kris M. Sandrock on January 22, 2009 at 9:01 am
Thank you for this post! Like many who have already commented, I don't think you're crazy at all for working with pencil and paper. I always start with the "old fashioned" tools, and only move it to Finale once it's finished, or at least the broad strokes are. I have found it impossible to create something out of nothing staring at a computer screen.
I think it's great to hear from a master composer like yourself about method and practice. Keep up the good work – both the music and the discussion!
Mike Anderson on May 3, 2009 at 2:33 pm
This is absolutely invaluable to me! I am curious, though, if you use your piano at all, possibly to confirm the harmonies that you're hearing in your head.
The Sibelius Experiment « SoaringLeap.com on August 4, 2009 at 3:44 am
[...] Writing: The CATcerto The Sibelius Experiment August 4, 2009 Last year I wrote this post encouraging composers to work without computer notation software and write using only good old-fashioned pencil and paper. It was meant as a friendly bit of advice [...]
Eric Whitacre writes with Sibelius 6, shares his experiences on August 4, 2009 at 9:41 pm
[...] that will be very interesting to follow as it develops. Last year, Eric gave the following advice to emerging composers to avoid using notation software. He said: When it comes to the actual notation, though, I try to [...]
Will on August 15, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Wow, you have no idea how much this inspired me just now. I am an aspiring composer (choral mostly) and have been away from home for 2 years in an environment in which writing music was not available. Now that I'm home I have discovered that my copy of Finale is gone. I've been devastated for a while now as I have felt that I can’t write anything without my computer software. I've got several commissions coming up so getting software has been pressing on my mind quite a bit. Now, after reading your post, I realize that I don’t need it. The music is coming from ME, not from the computer. All I need is paper and a pencil and I can get to work! Thank you SOOOOO much for your advice, it has changed my outlook on composing entirely and has given me hope for the near future until I can afford to purchase Finale again…IF I ever decide I need to. Thanks again.
Eric Whitacre’s Advice for Young Composers « Trevor Hewer on October 29, 2009 at 1:01 am
[...] of being chosen very slim. Whitacre also has two other articles aimed at fledgling composers: one about notation and another referencing youngcomposers.com. Take a [...]
Graham Ladd on November 22, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I've been using Sibelius for a while, and I have to agree that sometimes when I play it back, it sounds like crap. Then again, I compose almost exclusively for saxophones and midi saxes generally sound bad. I recently began work on a new piece using pencil and paper, and it's coming along much quicker because I can't stop to hear what all the parts sound like together (I haven't even started writing most of the part yet). All I'm doing now is writing down what I play on my sax right away.
PS. The wind ensemble at my university is playing Lux Aurumque and I'm enjoying every time we rehearse it.
Nikki Schilling on September 6, 2010 at 6:05 am
Okay, so this isn't entirely related to the point of this thread but I wanted to get this out there none-the-less: I am one of those composers where music theory is a huge crutch for me, so when I compose I tend to just write out compositions that only I will be able to play. Also, interestingly enough, most of my newer compositions never stay exactly the same, I'm always altering something, and that makes it even harder to give to people to hear. But I was so awestruck by your piece "Lux Arumque"- it seriously moved me to tears like the first ten times that I listened to it, I'm not even kidding, I was literally sobbing with the overwhelming beauty of the piece, and it moved me so much that i decided to try writing a choral arrangement for "Somewhere" from West Side Story, using your chord methods for inspiration. And I have to say, I'm rather pleased with the way it came out. So, long story short, I just wanted to sincerely thank your for bringing me out of my shell, and encouraging me to get over my hump that is music theory. It's because of you that I am going to keep pursuing it, and I am eternally grateful.
Your loyal, dedicated and loving fan,
Nikki
Martynas Matutis on September 17, 2010 at 2:48 pm
To be blunt, for me, it doesn't work like that. I draft a few bars on paper, start liking the idea, and go on in Finale. The thing is, I hate having to write it all out, because I'm lazy and enjoy the promise of easy satisfaction that Finale gives me. Besides, I listen to the playback until it sounds AMAZING, and then, the live performers are freaking UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING, and never disappoint. It helps for me, but I guess it's just based on the person (besides, I hear it perfectly in my head anyway, the playback's just there to affirm that).
Audio Tutorials on November 12, 2010 at 1:59 am
This is absolutely invaluable to me! I am curious, though, if you use your piano at all, possibly to confirm the harmonies that you’re hearing in your head.
Katharine on April 30, 2011 at 6:25 am
I know this is a really old post, but I love it.
I too enjoy paper (and I'm younger than you are). I started using paper back in middle school when our family didn't even have a computer, let alone did I know there was such a thing as music notation software–I remember in high school, my exasperated church choir director looking over my chickenscratch (mind you, this was me carefully having written it out as neatly as I could) and asking could I find some way to not make it handwritten? I still have that notebook, which has pieces from middle school all the way up through college and to the present…pages are half torn out, some are missing, I've written half of one piece, stopped, started another piece later on the next page, then continue the first and had to do so a few pages later. It's a mess. :) Now I've just recently wised up–I print out blank staff paper and put together a notebook using binder rings, so I can add, remove, etc. as I like. The final stuff goes onto the computer where it'll look pretty, I can use playback, and it's less likely to be lost.
I always used to use only pencil and paper for writing prose and poetry and such as well, but I have transitioned to the computer for that. It's simply practical–I type much faster than I can write, so it eliminates the problem of writer's cramp and illegible chickenscratch when I'm trying to get an idea down quickly. It's also easier to cut and paste into existing sections if I have new ideas. I'll never be faster at computer music notation than I am on paper, though.
I am glad I'm not the only one lazy enough to just scribble on a work-in-progress, though having seen some of the handwritten scores of composers like Bach and Tchaikovsky, I already knew that. Other than initially, I don't bother with notating key or time signatures, or even note stems–at this point I'm writing only for myself and I already know what I mean! It's a musical version of the weird shorthand and abbreviations I used when taking notes at meetings and such.
I am jealous of your sequencer. I've done the same thing with forgetting something I've just played. Or, worse, I will hear it in my head and forget by the time I get to any sort of piano-like device. One day at work a gorgeous harmony played in my head. I ran to a computer to try to figure it out on one of those "online pianos" (they leave a LOT to be desired but better than nothing when you're sitting in front of a pile of filing and something is in your head NOW; unfortunately I'm not blessed with perfect pitch) and by that time…it was gone. Shouldn't have trusted myself to remember it!
The other day I was discussing with a couple of fellow choir members about hearing music in one's head (I can do this a lot because one duty of my job includes mindless filing. What ELSE am I going to do with my brain?). I was a bit relieved to know that other people also do it and think they're strange for it. I have a non-vocal piece I'm working on right now that is inspired by a movie soundtrack, and one day the simple beginning I came up with started orchestrating itself into harmonies in my head. It got so complex that the orchestrations were inspiring *alternate* orchestrations–"well, I could put the strings on this part and the horns on this part….but what if I put the strings on that other part and brought in an oboe instead?" This was problematic because a few measures of the basic theme from the soundtrack are used in it at the very end to tie it in, with original harmonies…but I started wondering if what I was hearing in my head was truly mine, or if I was remembering parts of the soundtrack it was inspired by and thinking they were mine…it was the former, I believe, but a bit unnerving. This was the first time I've worked with anything not 100% original (save for hymn arrangements and such) and it will be the last time! Too confusing. :)
I agree on the playback as well. Not always, but sometimes. It really depends on the program and your platform/OS as well. One program I'm using right now just makes my stuff sound awful. I've stopped using it for "real" playback; I use my electronic keyboard instead (wish I had a real piano–sometimes I find I'm more inspired sitting at a real keyboard, go figure–but oh well). And I just ordered a microphone to use with my partner's Mac Mini so I can actually RECORD in my own voice–I'll probably use Garageband–and put it all together. I'm excited about that.