Hey All, In an effort to keep video game music stellar and keep you all composing and happy, I want to share something I worked hard on and am passionate about - I'm posting my audio track presentation outline from Casual Connect Seattle here! I hope you find at least something useful. The meat starts on slide five. Cheers! Oh and feel free to participate in the audience participation sections! SLIDE ONE CONTAINING THE FLOW OF INFINITE IDEAS - A LOOK INTO THE MUSIC-CREATION PROCESS SLIDE TWO Quick Topic Summary: Containing the Flow of Infinite Ideas - a Look into the Music-Creation Process This session will give composers some tips and tricks to focus and limit the endlessness of the musical mind This session will also give non-musicians or hobby-musicians insight into music creation techniques and process. *audience participation – raise hands if you are a composer. Raise your hand if you’ve ever had writer’s block? Too overwhelmed with possibilities? SLIDE THREE Introduction / Biography: While at Sonoma State University for my music degree, I started a website called Aaron Walz’s MIDI Home (now www.midishack.net) and offered game music MIDI files that I sequenced by ear. I also included free downloads and usage of my originals, and people started emailing and hiring me for freelance work. Walz Music is responsible for the soundtrack for Aveyond, by Amaranth Games, which won Game Tunnel’s Sound of the Year in 2006. The game features a live orchestrated symphonic soundtrack. Walz Music has also been responsible for an assortment of mobile games, Aveyond 2, Yummy Drink Factory, Hardwood Hearts, which was also nominated for Best Sound at the IGF. Aaron speaks Japanese and is highly influenced by Japanese video game composers such as Nobuo Uematsu, Noriyuki Iwadare, Koichi Sugiyama, Miki Higashino and Masahiko Yoshimura. These are the talented minds who brought us the sounds of Final Fantasy, Lunar & Grandia, Dragon Quest, Suikoden, and the Shining series. SLIDE FOUR Some Achievements & Awards: Miditrax & other contests of the ‘90s – Won over a dozen awards Hardwood Hearts (Silver Creek Entertainment) – at IGF - Nominated for Best Indie Game Collaborating with Santa Rosa Symphony & American Philharmonic, Sonoma. Lead to LIVE ORCHESTRAL SCORE, 2006 - Game Tunnel 2006 – Aveyond – Best Sound of the Year Produced 4 CD’s – synth classical, pop dance, acappella, classical symphonic nR Element Signed to Record Label Akyr Music in Italy Aveyond 2 – Nominated for Game Tunnel Best RPG 2007 SLIDE FIVE Topic Description & Explanation: Today I have some techniques I will present to help composers contain their infinite ideas – these techniques are like a cup and saucer to keep the musical ideas, which are like hot coffee, from spilling all over the place. No one wants to order coffee all over the table and lap, right? Presentation is very important to enjoy this coffee, and most importantly, containment into a vessel. Does containing the coffee make it less valid or tasty? No, such is with composition. So don’t feel like you are hindering your creativity or limiting your artistic freedoms when you use a restrictive composition technique. I will be sharing some composition techniques and insight into the music creation process today with you all for two purposes: First, for non-musicians to gain insight into this world –many musicians often take for granted what we do and know and believe everyone understands us. And second, for other composers and musical professionals to use as tools when they feel stuck or overwhelmed with too many possibilities, and make better music so that casual games can sound better and better – and most importantly – unique and artful. Speaking of this, when I wrote Walz Music’s business plan I put right in the mission statement something I take very seriously – my music fulfills not only a need, but also stands up alone as a worthy contribution to the world of music as art. Writing filler serves no one – it makes the industry look bad, it makes people turn off the music and play their stereo instead. That is a waste of time and money. Why not instead create music like the Japanese great composers have – music that has inspired numerous live concerts, symphonic recordings, and people still can’t stop humming to this day. (Super Mario, Tetris, Zelda, Final Fantasy) My composition teacher was dubious that I wanted to create video game music – I want to prove to him that this music can be as stirring as film and concert music. From the very beginning of the composition process, it is all about limiting the possibilities. After all, at first, we can do anything our brains allow us to invent, which is a whole lot! So of course, game genre cuts it down. We probably wouldn’t need a jazz combo for a game taking place in medieval times, for example. Composers then try to work with developers to get some ideas (and again) limit ourselves to latch onto an idea of the scenarios and soundscape. Images, storyboards, videos, demos, plot, written story and dialogue, item and monster lists, etc. These all help narrow things down – however sometimes composers need to limit themselves further to really get something nailed down, and also to force something out of us we would otherwise never write! I’m going to go through some techniques with you that I have used and found useful. I humbly and sincerely hope these little tricks can help some of you, or provide insight into how composers work. For each technique, I have some of my compositions to serve as examples. With each, I am strict with myself – after all it is a limitation – so if I decide to use a technique, I HAVE to follow it through and see what it brings into the world. I must say I’m a timbre & texture composer, I must admit this bias. BUT never forget - Melody is king though. A sticky tune always wins over anything else. Eg – Super Mario. I once emailed Noriyuki Iwadare (composer for Lunar & Grandia) many years ago and he heard my work and said: "You do your best and keep make good melody from now!" SLIDE SIX TIMBRE – GET INTO A CHARACTER’S HEAD (INSTRUMENTATION LIMITATION): 1. Aphrodite – www.walzmusic.com/aaronwalz-aphrodite.mp3 Character & instrumentation – what would Aphrodite have on her stereo while she sipped a mocha? Lush boyish vocals, harp, guitar, violin, clarinet, double bass, piano, heavenly bridge, counter melodies, interweaving melodies * Audience Participation – call on volunteer, else pick someone if no volunteers – one or two answers only. Prompt examples: “Bartender in a hut on a quiet Hawaiian beach.” “Spelunker entering unexplored limestone caves .” SLIDE SEVEN MUSICAL ONOMOTOPOEIA – CHARACTERS IN SONGS (INSTRUMENT EFFECTS): 1. Pegasus – www.walzmusic.com/aaronwalzpegasussample.mp3 Tom melody, galloping feeling. Tambourine then takes off as Pegasus does too. Toms fade out. Very stringy and windy, like flight. Then the playful creature plays during the bridge. Not the loudest thing, but a foundation, like you don’t see the foundation of a building, but it is the base. (Other examples – not to be mistaken with actual sound effects - frog sounds represented by a guiro (not sampled frog croaks,) whistle sounds are like crickets, look to Peter and the Wolf for some of these, or Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals.) SLIDE EIGHT THE LYRIC OR WORD TRICK FOR AN INSTRUMENTAL SONG (MELODY TOOL): 1. Shaenlir Castle – www.walzmusic.com/shaenlir.mp3 Word trick - Pretend this song has lyrics and use those to write the song - Splendid, Beautiful & Cold – the words were given to me by the developer and give themselves a melodic rhythm & maybe even pitch – Instrumentation (mellow brass, orchestral percussion, tremolo strings, bells, jingle bells, - story – has a dark secret, hence major melody at end. *audience participation – prompt example: “Eerie moss creeps up every wall” SLIDE NINE PUT YOURSELF THERE – WHAT WOULD YOU HEAR? (INSTRUMENTATION & METER) (mention W.A. Mathieu – the Listening Book) *audience participation – write down EVERYTHING you hear for one minute, then share some stuff - this can be used as a composition technique later - imagine you are in a place in the game and do this... 1. Jewel Mines – www.walzmusic.com/aveyond2-sample-jewelmines.mp3 Also uses the musical onomatopoeia. Annoying yet endearing – accordion! Gliss tubular bells, playful percussion, pizz acoustic bass, low mellow clarinet, hodown or bluegrass country feel, brass, 9th harmony at end 2. Jellyfish – (integrating also character & animal idea...) www.walzmusic.com/aaronwalz-jellyfish.mp3 Composition exercise “animals” – compose a piece representing an animal that may be in the location you are trying to compose for... this is program music, thematic music, like Peter & the Wolf – I chose a jellyfish for this scene because it is watery and “cold” feeling, but peaceful. Slow 6/8 time, runs around, flowy, alarmed, peaceful, jumps around keys, dark low bass, arpeggios SLIDE TEN ADVANCED & THEORY BASED TECHNIQUES: (MELODY & TEXTURE) *audience participation – poll audience about who knows each theory term and ask for definition 1. 12 Tone Mischief – www.walzmusic.com/12tonemischief.mp3 Serialism, 12 tone row, still based on C as tonic home. All 12 cromatic notes are used in a certain order and that order must follow for the whole piece. Each part is following this order in its own time! Pizz, cello bowing, flute all move to the same sequence. In b section, pizz chords also move in the sequence in clusters. However, B section is in retrograde (played backwards from right to left.) This piece had to portray witches & warlocks, weird swamp town. Why mischief? See if you can figure out why this 12 tone row song is so naughty. One tone seems to be truant! 2. Casket Hill – www.walzmusic.com/aveyond2-sample-caskethill.mp3 Whole steps and Minor Thirds only for the melody and harmony can be used! (explanation with solfedge and singing) 3. Greystone – www.walzmusic.com/greystone.mp3 Phrygian mode - play all white notes starting from E and ending on E! SLIDE ELEVEN CLOSING So I hope this presentation gave you tools to Contain the Flow of Infinite Ideas and provided you non-composers with a Look into the Music-Creation Process End with Noriyuki quote – as my good friend Noriyuki told me, and this is a challenge to you – “you try hard to make good melody from now” Walz Music www.walzmusic.com www.nrelement.com aaron@walzmusic.com

Quote: Original post by walzmusic
Today I have some techniques I will present to help composers contain their infinite ideas – these techniques are like a cup and saucer to keep the musical ideas, which are like hot coffee, from spilling all over the place. No one wants to order coffee all over the table and lap, right? Presentation is very important to enjoy this coffee, and most importantly, containment into a vessel. Does containing the coffee make it less valid or tasty? No, such is with composition. So don’t feel like you are hindering your creativity or limiting your artistic freedoms when you use a restrictive composition technique.

I think this segment bears emphatic repetition.

Once a composer has a firm grasp on theory, form, and orchestration, the single hardest part is figuring out how to limit oneself in order to make a definite musical statement. You have to stop asking yourself "what am I going to write" and start thinking "what AREN'T I going to write".

Like Michelangelo would say, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

So art, like music, isn't so much about what you create. Sometimes it's all those unnecessary bits that simply need to be removed. Restricting yourself to a few techniques and forms is the best way to do that. Otherwise the sheer possibilities are overwhelming.

Thanks for sharing your presentation and music!

Hello Aaron,

Thanks for posting this. I do have several comments that I hope you'll read as advice and constructive in nature.

1) Without the visuals, this presentation is very incomplete. Perhaps you could link the PP session so anyone viewing this can have the full experience instead of just reading it.

2) Musical Examples: All of them seem to be your music. I would highly advise featuring music from well established professionals and even the masters (when it supports your points). Using only your music to showcase each point comes off rather egotistical and also carries less weight. (I don't mean this as an insult, but seeing you only use your own materials for every example makes this session feel more like an Aaron Waltz promo instead of an educational session.)

2 A) As a follow up to my second point- provide scores for whatever music (yours or otherwise) that you do feature. Show the audience what you're talking about. Never forget, not everyone in the audience may have your musical understanding or background and the last thing you want to do is leave them confused and in the dust.

3) Length: How long is your session? 11 slides doesn't feel very long and looking through I could see much more room for more tips and teaching. I see you have a few audience participation activities in there which is good! However, based on my years of teaching (which is 8) I would imagine you can get through this presentation pretty quickly. Are you planning on listening to your music in it's entirety? This could take up some more time, but you also might lose your audience as well. My advice is to keep the presentation active and moving forward as much as possible. Also, I think you should have plenty of back up material just incase you get done early. Trust me, you don't want to finish early and realize you have nothing for back up and a room full of folks waiting for your next nugget of knowledge! :)

4) Finally how to listen: Share some insights on how to listen to other's works. Some composers only listen passively or do not know the various methods for actively listening and drawing out as much educational and inspirational material from a good piece of music. Teach them this.

I'm not trying to harp on you at all, but feel this presentation could be really cool with a bit more explanation and focus. For example, I see nothing about melodic inversion, retrograde, retrograde-inversion, tonal and real sequences or counterpoint. I also don't see much explanation of focus on the different methods of orchestration and how to create progression with it. I also see nothing about international music and how it can broaden a composer's range. Many games feature exotic locales and it is important for a composer to be well versed in various styles. You bring up a few of the church scales or other modes but you don't feature them all. Teach them (briefly) the 7 church modes and how to quickly remember them. Here's how I did:

(no black keys played in each example)

I = Ionian (major scale C to C)

Don't = Dorian (minor scale D to D)

Punch = Phrygian (minor scale E to E)

Like = Lydian (major scales F to F)

Muhammad = Mixolydian (major scale G to G)

Ali = Aeolian (minor scale A to A)

Lately = Locrian ( diminished scales B to B)

Explain why and how each scale is either based on major, minor or diminished and play them for the audience. If you're going to cover some of the modes (whole tone and Phrygian) then why not cover ALL of them?

If I were you, I'd expand your resources and reference beyond what you've done yourself and incorporate music from various A-list names. This will give your presentation a more balanced feel. Right now, I feel like it is more about (frankly) you.

Again, no offense meant and I'm just giving you my opinion and stance after reading through this.

Thanks!

Nathan

Thanks, Brian!

And Nathan, thanks for your detailed analysis and great constructive points.

My presentation was 45 minutes and I went over by a few minutes, so I had enough material. This is when I did a lot of the explaining and clarification you were mentioning, including all the other "normal" modes. Without actually doing the presentation, it is a bit verbose to type everything out that I said. There was a recording done though - I'll let everyone know when the link is up.

I would have loved to talk about many of the things you listed, but could not fit them in the time allowed.

As far as using my music, my intent was not at all to be egotistical. Simply put, I made my music using these techniques, so I know for sure they are examples. It doesn't mean I think they are superior to anyone else's work. Second, I didn't really have permission or rights to be posting other people's work and playing it in a public forum.

Thanks again for all your comments. They are whole-heartedly received.

[Edited by - walzmusic on August 26, 2008 2:26:00 PM]

Ah, cool! Glad it went well!