Week 2

1.    Color – determined by various combinations of timbres belonging to different instruments. Flutes and clarinets in the high register would be described as having a bright color, while double basses and bassoons in their lower register would be described as having a dark color. Composing with these ideas in mind helps one create music that has greater dimensions than just pitch (melody/harmony) or rhythm alone.

Balance – similar to the idea of mix within music production. This concept takes into account the relative loudness of each instrument, as well as how many of each instrument are playing at any given time. Composers need to be mindful of balance when orchestrating in order to ensure that their musical ideas come across clearly to members of the audience.

Pacing – the relationship between the length of time it takes for a piece to develop ideas, the climax of the piece, and its ending or resolution (or lack thereof). Having a knowledge of effective pacing strategies is an important skill that composers can use to improve the logical flow of their music, in terms of its structure.

2.    'Writing songs' – When I tell people that I’m a composer, they often ask “what type of songs do you write?” This inaccurately represents the art of composition as songwriting, when – considering aspects such as those I mentioned above – the role of the composer is more similar to that of both songwriter and producer combined.