There’s never been a better time to work in music composition. The writing process is as simple, quick and as intuitive as it’s ever been. You have sound libraries and programs that will give you a perfectly orchestrated segment, or even arpeggio’s at the stroke of just one key. Loops are now impeccable right out of the box and virtually every single element in a band has been sampled, including vocals. Individually, everything sounds amazing. But what happens when you put them altogether and they don’t fit? And what happens when everyone is using the same libraries? Ultimately, the downside which in turn becomes a deal breaker, can be originality. Though I am a child of the digital era, and I encourage new composers to take advantage of the technology that is available today, that once wasn’t, I also encourage upcomers to take a good look at the basics, and start from there.

Great samples on the go aren’t really that customizable. At that point, you are basically flying autopilot and crossing your fingers that the client won’t ask you to modify some aspect of the composition or sounds. This is where the basics still hold up today, and in fact end up being the actual methods and techniques you use. Library riffs, segments and grooves are great for quick mockups and drafts, but at some point, you’ll need to make changes and that’s when you will be grateful that you know how to write those measures yourself.

That in itself, is what they ask me for when I get calls…original music. I might be requested to follow a similar tone or adapt a certain sound, but today, if a client wants a clone of another piece of music, a lot of times is actually easier to simply get the rights to specific music rather than hire a composer. The second aspect of my work that is requested, is the thematic attention. Believe it or not, themes are still desired even if just for marketing purposes. If this is a new concept to you, I’ll give you a brief explanation. Using musical themes to underline certain characters, or to give ones film an identity is not fundamental, however, when it is used, people can’t forget it. Here are some easy examples: Back To The Future, Indiana Jones, Star Wars and The Godfather. My personal favorite of all time is Danny Elfman’s theme to Beetlejuice. As I said, these are easy examples that are unforgettable. If you heard them…basically anywhere, you would immediately recognize them. Thanks to Hollywood (I suppose), orchestral music breaks away from classical, and becomes pop. Not only does pop sell, but in many cases with films, it better compliments a well written story line. In essence, films aren’t expressing a million ideas without a point. Instead they are telling even a very complex story that somewhere down the line, finds itself funneling towards a hypothetical end. It’s nice when you have a reoccurring theme that seems to fit into all the aspects of your story, as complex as your story may be. Look at this for example: I love you. I love you. I love you. By emphasizing a different word, you’re saying something different, but the words are the same, and the common theme is always love, it’s the action. So, if you write some music based on love, the story will probably fit together. Whereas, if you write something based on I or you, you’re being too specific to the character. With few exceptions, movies aren’t cherished for the characters, movies are remembered for the story that involved those characters.