Anything

You Can Do Anything

Joel Chadabe

But here are some things to think about.

Unlike the years of tonality, from 1600 to 1900, when there were generally accepted rules for music in the western world, you can do anything with sound. In other words, these days there are no general rules.

Well, there’s one rule: Know what you’re doing. It often seems that there are a lot of people that don’t follow that rule.

And there is some wisdom to acquire. For example, to paraphrase Norbert Weiner, a new idea is worth more than a cliché.

So, as some guidelines for knowing what you’re doing, here are some things you may want to consider:

How does the long line spin out?

Do you have a very clear concept for the piece? Imagine the piece from beginning to end. How does it move through time? Does each sound lead to the next? Or are there contrasts? Smooth transitions? Or drama?

What’s your very clear concept?

What is the look and feel of the piece? Is there an idea? What does the piece tell you?

A sound space has 3 dimensions: hi/low, front/back, and forward.

Be aware of how your sounds travel through space and how they work with each other.

Fill a vacuum.

Do you want to achieve a classical balance? If you’re high and nothing is low, you’ve got a vacuum. Filling a high texture in with a low sound might be effective and dramatic. And if you want to move faster, start slower.

Introduce one sound at a time.

One sound, then another … Give each sound an identity before you combine sounds.

Stay with your palette.

A palette is a range of related colors, i.e. earth colors, pastel colors, primary colors. It’s a concept that can be related to sound. If you’re working with something raucous, don’t add something subtle. If you’re composing a sweet flute solo, don’t bring in an unpleasant undefined noise. If you’ve got a brass quartet, an amplified harpsichord might not be the best choice for a solo. Unless, of course, you know what you’re doing.

Little things mean a lot.

Pay attention to detail.

Don’t negotiate until you’re sitting at the table.

Develop your ideas before you worry about how to realize them.

Trust your intuition even when you can’t explain it.

If something works well, go with it.

Value serendipity.

If an accident happens and you like it, keep it.