The Importance Of Getting Your Music Played
As a composer there is nothing more important and fulfilling than seeing your compositions come to life in the way you intended them.
Unfortunately it has always been tremendously difficult to find such opportunities to have your music played, especially if you are writing orchestral music.
These days with the rapid advancement of music technology it is even becoming common practice in Hollywood to opt out of using live players and instead sequence the whole project in order to dramatically cut costs. Many big film scores including the Batman trilogy have mixed live orchestral tracks with midi instruments to create a huge ‘epic’ sound that is so desired in film composition (at the moment).
Now I’m not suggesting that live players will become obsolete, I’m positive they won’t for many reasons that I won’t go into here, but the fact is that the composer/player dynamic is changing and in order to find work as a composer, one needs to embrace the change. This might be out of the question to the traditionalist composers but if you are a film composer this shouldn’t be an issue as that is that whole game, especially if you are a young composer then you are growing up with the technology as an extension of your instrumental palette.
I feel that this great technology however, should only be used as a way of communicating your ideas and should not be treated as a means to an end. Yes, some sample library’s now sound exceptional and yes I still get sucked in and want to buy many of them, but my intention is to always have my music performed whenever possible.
I also think that it hugely important because of the learning curve one has when being present in a room with the musicians who are playing your music, after all, who knows more about their instrument than they do? I have learnt countless lessons from players that have allowed me to write better for them and thus streamline my recording sessions in order to save time and money instead of fussing around answering questions about your music, whatever they may be.
Here are a few tips that have worked for me and can hopefully help you:
Join online forums for composers, because I have noticed many opportunities can present themselves within these forums.
There are hundreds of composition competitions out there that present the winner or winners with live readings of their music and can even lead to other opportunities such as being commissioned to write music.
Be aware that there are other options out there that combine live players with programmed music machines such as the Heliphon, which you can check out here;
www.ensemblerobot.org/music.shtml
I myself have had music played by this wonderful music robot and I really think that it is a perfect example of how modern composers can embrace all the avenues they have available to them in order to have their music played. While it may not posses the dynamic and creative prowess that I look for in a live musician it certainly does present an interesting concept of how we can use this technology in new and exciting ways.
If you write choral music or chamber music go and ask around your local churches, especially the smaller ones. I have found that many will be open to playing your music (maybe not during a service) but it is a good resource for great musicians. Even better, if the church has an organ write some organ music and take it to the organist.
Most schools, colleges and universities have music ensembles to some degree, it could be a string orchestra or marching jazz band but whatever the style go and speak to them as they are always looking for new pieces to add to their repertoire.
I have done many sessions by personally finding each musician and organizing the rehearsal times and spaces. This is the old fashioned way, but still the best. On the downside it takes a lot of time and effort but on the plus side you get control over who your players are and where and when you rehearse as well as the artistic control over your music (if you conduct your own music), where as other institutions may not give you that privilege.
It is always important to remember that professional players will expect to be paid, unless you are calling in a favor. Hiring musicians is the best way to go but also the most expensive, however if you are associated with any musical institutions it is easier to find phenomenal student musicians who are breaking into professional level but still happy to do work for free just to get exposure and experience. However, always show your gratitude, especially if they are doing something for free, even if you can only afford to buy them coffee it is important to do so. Happy players are good players and if they respect you they will continue to come back and work for you.
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