writing music is easier than ever.

by paul, on 07.26.2007

well, kind of easier than ever. I mean I am after all writing this because I am putting off writing the second half of a tune because there is a Db that can't find its way back to a Bb, despite having definitely done it before.

I started writing songs down in standard notation (dots, lines, sharps and flats, that kind of thing) when I was a freshman in college. I was in a jazz band with some friends and wrote some tunes for everyone to play. coming up with the music was easy, getting it down on paper and in a format that other people could parse was another bag entirely. it doesn't really help that trumpet and clarinet read things in a different key than us guitarists, pianists and bassists, so you have to write out two copies of every tune and keep them in different folders, as well as have extra copies for people who lost their copy and so on. instead of composing for a band being the collective realization of a well written melody, writing music conjured thoughts of driving to kinko's and tracing over pencil with pen (no 2 pencils, which suck for writing music btw, don't copy well).

forunately for us, all that has changed in the past 15 years due to notation software and usable playback. instead of writing some music down, copying it at kinkos and bringing it to rehearsal hoping it sounds good, I can sit in front of a computer and write for a symphony and hear it played back instantly. 20 years ago I would never have been able to hear music written for a large ensemble without considerable cost, today I can buy an orchestral sample library for 250 bucks and hear it all. correct any mistakes, try a section a different way, whatever, it's all right there.

notation programs (basically word processors for music) are extremely powerful and can generate parts from a score automatically, transpose everything that needs transposing and apparently also generate figured bass. they can playback your score with rubato, pay attention to dynamic markings and generally turn in a credible, perfectly in tune performance. the new sibelius even comes with post it notes for ideas!

with multitrack recording software you can basically cut an album in your basement, with programs like ableton live you can take your laptop to a gig and play it. hell, half the gigs on jim black's gig page feature him on drums/laptop.

the best thing about all this is it's all available to anyone. you don't have to go to school or work in a studio or repurpose your basement, anyone can spend a couple hundred bucks on some software and start cranking out the jams.