That Cheapskate Composer Guy!
Coda Connections Feature - Summer 2015
(Editor's Note: Although the following article targets jazz teachers and listeners, the basic concepts apply to all styles of music.)
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"Where do you get your inspiration to write music?" I get that question all the time, and I'm still not sure how to answer it. There is no divine force that hands me complete tunes out of thin air...or even gives me a great 16-bar melody. Yet I manage to produce new music.
Why? It's because I'm a cheapskate composer.
You see, I don't like to write any more notes than necessary. When I uncover a little melodic-rhythmic motif with good bones I will see how much music I can squeeze out of it. I'll sequence it, truncate it, transpose it to a different modality, invert it, slice it, dice it, you-name-it. And then I'll sift through these ideas to see what I'm inspired to glue together into a larger statement.
To provide an example, my jazz ensemble piece Chili Today, Hot Tamale illustrates this concept well. Without looking at the score and using your mind's eye, the primary 16-bar melody is a 4-measure motif followed by three variations. A fourth variation appears as a countermelody later on. And a truncated version is used as a background figure behind soloists. In addition to saving me the trouble of having to come up with a bunch of new material, this sort of motivic construction unifies and strengthens the composition. And this specificity gives a piece like Chili Today a distinctive character and personality. You can listen and check it out at Alfred.com!
This process of motivic development is nothing new. Think about the opening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, arguably the paragon of compositional thrift. Or check out Oliver Nelson's tenor solo on Stolen Moments, a brilliant improvisation in which he spins out chorus after chorus of motivic variation. And then there is Hip Song by Thelonious Monk, an excellent example of thrift by a supreme musical tightwad.
Share this concept with your students. Have them discover that the music they play is made from small building blocks. Ask them to point out passages in their parts that are-or aren't-related to the main theme. Have fun discovering your favorite musical cheapskates.
Rick Hirsch, composer/arranger
Adapted by Pete BarenBregge (Jazz Band Director)
Coda Connections Feature - Summer 2015
(Editor's Note: Although the following article targets jazz teachers and listeners, the basic concepts apply to all styles of music.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Where do you get your inspiration to write music?" I get that question all the time, and I'm still not sure how to answer it. There is no divine force that hands me complete tunes out of thin air...or even gives me a great 16-bar melody. Yet I manage to produce new music.
Why? It's because I'm a cheapskate composer.
You see, I don't like to write any more notes than necessary. When I uncover a little melodic-rhythmic motif with good bones I will see how much music I can squeeze out of it. I'll sequence it, truncate it, transpose it to a different modality, invert it, slice it, dice it, you-name-it. And then I'll sift through these ideas to see what I'm inspired to glue together into a larger statement.
To provide an example, my jazz ensemble piece Chili Today, Hot Tamale illustrates this concept well. Without looking at the score and using your mind's eye, the primary 16-bar melody is a 4-measure motif followed by three variations. A fourth variation appears as a countermelody later on. And a truncated version is used as a background figure behind soloists. In addition to saving me the trouble of having to come up with a bunch of new material, this sort of motivic construction unifies and strengthens the composition. And this specificity gives a piece like Chili Today a distinctive character and personality. You can listen and check it out at Alfred.com!
This process of motivic development is nothing new. Think about the opening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, arguably the paragon of compositional thrift. Or check out Oliver Nelson's tenor solo on Stolen Moments, a brilliant improvisation in which he spins out chorus after chorus of motivic variation. And then there is Hip Song by Thelonious Monk, an excellent example of thrift by a supreme musical tightwad.
Share this concept with your students. Have them discover that the music they play is made from small building blocks. Ask them to point out passages in their parts that are-or aren't-related to the main theme. Have fun discovering your favorite musical cheapskates.
Rick Hirsch, composer/arranger
Adapted by Pete BarenBregge (Jazz Band Director)