I recall reading a post by the late Chris Michalek where he suggested that whilst watching TV to switch off the sound & play along with the scenes. No doubt this is real improvisation?
Are there any rules or is it a case of 'if it sounds good it is good'? Eg switching positions/modes/tempo etc.
What I have in mind, and would like to bring to fruition, is to make a soundtrack to fit scenes shot in outback Australia. Of course I could use existing compositions like in the following video but I think playing known tunes really is a difficult fit. Eg Shenandoah really is a beautiful tune but simply not a good fit alongside an outback Australian river!
If it sounds good it IS good. As a practice routine, I like to tune to my local cable blues music channel and play along to the songs that don't have harp on 'em.
No rules (well, unless you are using other people's videos). There are some guidelines. Faster animals get faster tempos, creepy animals get stuff with lots of bends. Dangerous stalking animals get something that sounds like the jaws theme. Birds get soaring riffs. You can make animal noises too. Birds aren't too hard, frogs... I think a kangaroo might have 2 quick tones, one high, one low, then a pause followed by two more. As it goes faster you make the pauses shorter. :)
I have a younger brother that majored in Film Scoring at Berklee. He can expound on this subject for long periods.
Essentially, what it comes down to is to free up your mind and allow the interpretation of what your eyes are seeing to translate across to what your music can produce. Once you get over the initial stumbles, it can be a quite fun exercise. It really is true improv when things are flowing.
Thank you all. It's good to know there are really no rules. But I think it will be a challenge to create music & sound to fit different scenes involving -heat -cold- dust- sunsets - fear- vastness etc.
nacoran -I wouldn't use others videos. Thanks for the suggestions re animals & birds.
As Greg said, there are no rules. But, there are plenty of conventions, and that is what rules essentially are: conventions that have come to be accepted as normal practice.
If you're going to break the 'rules' then all you have to ask yourself is this: will it affect how my intended audience is going to take what I'm giving to them? And, do I care anyway?
All music is intended to evoke a response or invoke a mood. Only you can be the final arbiter as to what you want your soundtrack to achieve. A skillful composer will have a vision and get the balance right, but it's not an easy thing to do. If it's an amateur affair then it should just be fun. Who knows? The final result may turn out to be pretty flipping good.
EDIT: one 'rule' - or convention - is: use music that fits the era and area you're adding a soundtrack to. Think of Wim Wenders' use of Ry Cooder in his film Paris, Texas. If you know the film, you'll know what I mean. ---------- YouTube SlimHarpMick
Last Edited by on Aug 29, 2011 3:13 PM
