Compose with pencil and paper [closed]

Question

I see many composers argue that one of the best ways to compose is with pencil and paper, without using an instrument.

What is the process for composing this way? Does one have to imagine a fairly solid fragment of a melody, a motif etc and write that down? Or, you just write one or two notes at a time and experiment as you go, akin to writing a body of text?

My questions are probably a bit abstract. I just find the idea of composing with no instruments, using only your imagination a great idea, but I fail miserably in it! The ideas in my head are hazy, and need insane amounts of concentration to come out. Also transferring anything to paper seems very hard, although I have trained my ears for years.

Answer 1

Most of the people I know who write with just paper and pencil are old and have been composing for decades, starting before computer notation software for PCs existed. I do believe one can grow into it as one gets used to composing, but I don't think that a beginner is necessarily able to jump right in. Knowing the rules of counterpoint helps, and knowing how certain intervalic movement sounds helps (eg. if someone wants to use parallel fifths instead of following counterpoint rules).

I do a mix of both working at the piano and working without the piano. Sometimes, when I am trying to flesh out ideas and some harmonic movement, I still need the piano. When I am orchestrating or working on rhythm-related things, I don't. Whether or not I use the piano really depends on what part of the process of composition I am in. I currently cannot write completely away from the piano. Who cares? I only have time to be concerned about getting my own ideas down.

If I hear about a method someone else uses, I may try it. If it helps, it is useful. If not, I put it aside. There is no right or wrong way to compose, and each person has to figure out what works best. I personally find it extremely difficult to compose directly into computer software, so I am a pencil-and-paper (with piano and eraser, of course) until it is time to make the notation look pretty.

Answer 2

First of all the composer needs to be able to hear music in their head, and know SMN well enough to know how to write their musical thoughts down. This isn't natural for most people but does come with practice.

But I interpret your question as one of why not use an instrument when composing rather than how can one compose without an instrument. One reason, in my opinion, is that when we go to our instrument we may restrict our ideas to only what we can play and not what we want to hear played. By composing on paper (if you can) you are unlimited. You can paint the landscape of our composition from a high level and fill in the details later. Whereas using an instrument can lead to noodling around and compromising on phrases that are manageable on the instrument. It's not just about the motif but also the supporting elements.

I think modern software can help with the process but it can also hold you back. In my experience managing the idiosyncrasies of s/w, especially w/r to timing, can make the process harder rather than easier. Hand written is quicker but the s/w will let you hear what you're doing right away. As Heather states, I also use a variety of methods. I'm not sure it is fair to defend the statement that pencil and paper is the "best method".

Answer 3

You don't have to be VERY old to have been working when pencil and paper was all there was, and the first time you heard an arrangement was at the recording session!

We had pianos, of course. And although some composers worked completely 'in their head', many more worked at the piano. This is a typical picture of a composer (Michael Fine) composing.

What we're really talking about, whether the notes are pencilled onto paper or displayed on a screen, is the balance between writing what you hear and pure experimentation. I expect all of us who use notation at all could score 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' straight onto the page/screen without needing any trial and error. Could we all add a bass line? A counter-melody? Write an alternative harmonisation? If ALL of this has to be done 'trial and error', your musical skills could do with some work!

Answer 4

Music is an art form, and no composer works in the same way: Some composers rely on an instrument and others do not while writing music. If we look at the composers who work without an instrument some (like e.g. Beethoven) works with a sound understanding of the rules of tonal music combined with clear imagination of how "this would sound". Other, more modern composers, compose using various "mathematical" principles, in some way disconnected from the notion on how it "sounds", but still producing magnificat works of art. I would argue that the most important part of composing it the ability to write parts for each instrument, not the way in which these parts have been comprended.