Composing, from Pizzicato

[Diana, NEC Music Advisor]

Thought that you might find this interesting.
Diana

Dear Musician,

Many of you are willing to compose your own music, whether to
express your emotions and deep feelings or to create a unique music
and communicate it to your relatives or to other people you
appreciate.

Composing an original and personal music is both an art and a
technique. The "classical" method suggests that you learn music
theory, harmony, counterpoint and composition. Others suggest that you
just go for it and compose. Others (and sometimes well known
composers!) do not have a knowledge of these music theories, but they
compose by pure inspiration and by their instrumental skills acquired
by experience.

Where are you in this field? What are the difficulties you have?
How can you improve the situation?

Whatever knowledge you have about music theory, there is at least
one thing that you possess, at least if you are interested in music
composition: the ability to differentiate between what you like and
don't like in music. You will argue that this is totally arbitrary.
Yes, it is! Musical taste is indeed arbitrary! This is why there are
so many styles of music. Every person is not expected to like EVERY
style. We have preferences, we are FREE to like or dislike any music
style.

So, let us start from that and please be well aware of it: you are
able to differentiate between what you like and don't like in music.
The most obvious proof of it is that you like most of the CDs and
music you listen to, because you select them yourself. On the other
hand, you don't listen or buy music that you dislike.

Don't neglect this ability, because it is the key to music
composition: you power of choice. Starting from this ability, let us
see what we can get out of it to compose music...
What is intuitive composition?

The concept of intuitive composition is very simple: to be able to
compose music based on your power of choice and not based on a deep
music theory knowledge.

Let us take a practical problem to which a composer is often
confronted: adding one or more secondary voices to accompany and
nicely support the main melody he has just found out. At least two
approaches are possible.

The first would be to use the theoretical and practical knowledge
of counterpoint (a music theory subject explaining how to combine
several independent melodies together) and to deduce from these rules
melodies that could accompany the main melody. This implies a good
knowledge of counterpoint.

The second approach would be to make several tests and trials and
to listen to them as you build them, then you could select out the one
that fits the best, simply because by listening to it, you like it and
it creates the effect you want to create. This only implies your
ability to differentiate between what you like and don't like in
music.

However, in both cases the problem reduces itself to sort out the
numerous existing possibilities and to select the one that will best
fit your work. Counterpoint, harmony and composition theories are in
fact tools to help you discard the wrong solutions and locate the best
ones. Then you still need to use your power of choice to find the one
solution that will give the expected effect.

We can see then that a lack of theory knowledge may be
counterbalanced by tests and experiences. It is a natural approach. If
you don't know the access code of a padlock, you may always try out
all combinations! Once it is open, the result is correct in both
cases, whether you opened it at once or after 100,000 trials...! The
example being quite explicit, here comes the next point...

... There are so many music possibilities!

Well, in some way it is a chance, because this will enable anybody
to compose his/her own music and not bump into the wall of "Everything
has been already composed now...".

If you do not have solid music theory knowledge to help you sort
out the possibilities, here is the problem the novice composer has to
solve: how to choose between an infinity of possibilities? They are
too many to test them all. You then limit the trials and finally, by
chance, by work, by insisting, by inspiration or by any other means,
you find one solution that fits. But depending on the experience, the
beginner may also feel the frustration of "I think there must be a
better solution, but where can I find it...?".

The overall purpose of music composition may be expressed as
follows: to select THE combination of notes/rhythms/chords/sounds
taken from the infinity of possibilities, that will satisfy the effect
you want to achieve, the feelings you want to express.

If theory knowledge is lacking, then there is still a hope: tools
to make it easier and speed up the search for musical solutions. Such
tools should:

* Enable to examine (listen to) numerous possibilities, easily
and fast (one or two mouse clicks for each tested possibility)
* Enable to sort out by criteria given by you to orient the
area of search
* Not depend on the user's music theory knowledge
* Be easy to learn and to use

With such tools, you may then compose by multi choices, being
guided intuitively by what you consider agreeable or adequate to
express yourself. This is intuitive composition, as opposed to the use
of music theories. Of course, theoretical knowledge is not to be
dismissed and will contribute to a better global understanding of
music itself.

Let us see now what Pizzicato Professional offers in the field of
intuitive composition tools.

Music libraries

Watch the video presentation on music libraries and intuitive
composition: Flash video - Quicktime video

Pizzicato Professional contains numerous libraries of basic
rhythmic sequences, elementary note sequences, chords progressions,
instruments and other musical objects. Without getting into complex
details here, these elements may be compared to the bricks needed to
construct a house. They form the raw materials.

To compose, you select by simple "drag/drop" the bricks you want
to use or test. In other words, you click on a musical object, you
move it and drop it in the score by releasing the mouse button. The
score is redrawn to include it and you may listen to it. It does not
fit? Just drag another one and listen again. As many times as needed.

You may do this kind of operation by listening to a passage in
continuous loop. At each passage, you drag/drop another element. Your
taste selects the one that best fits to communicate the expected
effect. You keep it and continue further with the composition or with
other instruments. At any time you may come back on the previous
elements and change them again.

This applies in selecting sounds (instruments), for chords that
influence the all accompaniment, for the form of a melody, the rhythm
of an accompaniment, nuances and accents, special effects,...

You will find in these libraries tens of thousands of these
elementary musical bricks you can use to compose your music.

You select and decide. The computer applies your choices and plays
them. You are the composer and Pizzicato is your co-pilot. More about
this...

Styles and instrumental sequences

Watch the video presentation on how you can compose music with
styles: Flash video - Quicktime video

To create a personal accompaniment rhythm, you may use the
individual instrumental sequences (percussions, bass and others). You
may modify them with a graphical intuitive editor, by listening. In
this way, due to the quantity of possible choices, you can create a
real unique rhythm pattern that will fit what you want to express.

However, if you want to use prepared styles, you may use the one
included in Pizzicato or download and import style files (you can find
them by the thousands on the Internet) and use them for your
composition and arrangements.

Moreover, a special Pizzicato tool lets you decompose a set of
styles into a set of building "bricks", giving you all individual
instrumental patterns used in these styles. This is a new set of raw
music materials that you can also use in your composition.

The selection of styles and chords is also done by listening. You
click the styles and they play with the given chords you selected.
More about this...

Finding chords

Watch the video presentation on how to find chords: Flash video -
Quicktime video

Pizzicato Professional has harmonic spaces. These musical objects
contain a series of chords that may be sequenced and that you can use
to navigate while listening to one or more rhythmic patterns.

You write or select a rhythmic pattern for one or several
instruments. Then, while listening to it in loop, you click on a
chord, then another. You hear the rhythmic patterns modified as you
click on each chord. The instruments automatically modify their notes
to satisfy the selected chord. While listening, you "walk through" the
harmonic space and decide for yourself what are the chord changes that
express the expected effect. You select them and you get the chords of
your composition or for a section of it. More about this...

Finding a melody

Watch the video presentation on how to find a melody: Flash video
- Quicktime video

If you want to create a melody, you may use the little basic
melodic sequences (a few notes) and combine them with basic elementary
rhythmic sequences. The possibilities are innumerous.

If you already have a chord progression that makes the structure
of you work, Pizzicato displays the melody using three colours (green
- orange - red) showing within the context, which notes are
susceptible to sound correctly.

You see these colours modified when you change the notes. The
intuitive graphical editor also displays these colours. It is like
walking in a town with a map that guides you but at the same time lets
you decide where you want to go. More about this...

Finding secondary accompaniment voices

Watch the video presentation on harmonization: Flash video -
Quicktime video

Based on elementary harmony rules, Pizzicato Professional suggests
you arrangements of your scores. Starting from a chord progression,
you may here drag/drop musical elements and see them adapted to the
existing chords. Pizzicato may suggest you one or more accompaniment
voices and you can adapt them as you want, modify the rhythm, add
instruments,... At any time you may display the original untouched
score or the Pizzicato's arranged and suggested version. You keep the
control and decide for yourself what best fits. More about this...

Summary

With the intuitive composition tools, Pizzicato Professional helps
you to compose your music and to find how to express you emotions and
deep feelings so that you can communicate them. The tools exposed here
may be used in any order, depending on the element that is the most
inspiring for you to start your composition. They are tools you can
use at any moment and they do not constitute an imposed method of
composition.

Notice that the techniques exposed here do not require a deep
understanding of the musical elements you handle. You may just
consider them as a construction set and assemble the bricks to build
your own composition. The basic concepts needed are explained in the
lessons related to the various tools.

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The new Pizzicato Professional 3.2 release contains all the above
tools.

Pizzicato Professional exists in package version (with paper
manual and CD) and in electronic version (downloaded and cheaper, with
the same possibilities).

Go right now on the secured order page to get your own copy of
Pizzicato: click here!

Upgrades: If you have an earlier version of Pizzicato (version 2),
you may specify it on the multiple choice menu "You have" on the upper
part of the update order page. The price table is redrawn and displays
the possible upgrades (cheaper than the full versions).

**********************************

You may ask us any question about the use of Pizzicato at
sup...@arpegemusic.com

I sincerely hope that this information will help you better
understand Pizzicato.

Musically yours,

Dominique Vandenneucker
sup...@arpegemusic.com
====================================
ARPEGE MUSIC
29, rue de l'Enseignement
4800 VERVIERS - BELGIUM
Phone/Fax ++32 87 26 80 10
Web site : www.arpegemusic.com
Pizzicato, your personal music software