currently listening + process

Have you all heard Mumford & Sons new album? I'm a little late on this one (although not as late as I usually am) since it came out last February. Someone recently gave me their album, Sigh No More, and it's been on a loop ever since. There is something incredibly visceral and immediate about Marcus Mumford's lyrics and voice that sound like the search for redemption to me. And I know that's way corny to say but sometimes a songwriter will come along and find a way to just tap into that feeling of grace.

My two favorite songs are "White Blank Page" and "I Gave You All." In the former they do this really cool switch between 6/8 into 3/4 near the end. It's a subtle change but it adds something beautiful before the band sings the last phrase a cappella. Go get it!

This album is good listening for the formatting stage on this new piece for The Singers. I get to drink coffee, listen to whatever music I'm freaking out about at the moment and do nothing creative and, selfishly, this is my favorite part of my process. I'm not sure how other composers work but I feel like I have a few distinct stages:

Conception--This is figuring out what the piece will sound like in the imagination (the big gestures, the pauses, the contemplative points, etc.). I think there are some composers who will write extensively during this phase but I rarely do because the final product bears almost no resemblance to these initial scribbles. I feel like maybe this phase is just me getting used to the idea that I'm about to expend a ridiculous amount of energy on something. It's the deep breath before the plunge (to nerdfully quote a movie that I only marginally like).

Writing--This one is self-explanatory and, although it's easy to wrap your brain around what goes on here, it's easily the most stressful part. If something isn't working or you can't get a good seed to start from there can be all sorts of emotional consternation and, combined with an approaching deadline, you've got a possible Combustible Edison.

On the other hand, this part can be incredibly rewarding if you write something really good. If that's the case I usually go back and play that one sliver of music over and over again because it makes all the other fighting that goes on for some other parts worthwhile.

Stitching--I hate this part. I hate it so bad. There is nothing creative about this part and it's not personally fulfilling until it's all over with. It's just work, plain and simple. The shitty part about this stage is that there are often beautiful bits of music left on the cutting room floor; the proverbial blood, sweat and tears of the process. I forget who it was but someone told me once that, "You're not a real composer until you cut out something that you love." Yep. My pound of musical flesh for this particular piece is a gorgeous alto solo I wrote which didn't make it in. I've got it tucked in my back pocket for another piece, though.

Engraving--Easily my favorite part because the music is locked and I'm not responsible for anything creative. As I said earlier I get to be giddy with caffeine and listen to my favorite musique du moment. Hitting the print button at the end of this part is what I live for and I hope that feeling never gets old.

Off to work. Go getcha some Mumford & Sons.