Zach.Brown.Composer: Excellent advice on self -criticism from Arnold Schoenberg
From Schoenberg’s awesome Fundamentals of Musical Composition.
“The preceding discussion of melody and theme is chiefly aesthetic, rather than technical. Technical advice can be formulated more easily in the negative than in the positive. The sense of melody enables one who has it to do the right thing at once without the intervention of self-criticism, but even a master may stray on to the wrong track.
1. LISTEN
Play or read harmony and melody separately several times. This sometimes prevents self-deception. Perhaps only one of these factors is poor, its shortcomings hidden behind the virtues of the other. If the harmonic progression is satisfactory the beginner may easily overlook shortcomings in his melody. A good melody is smooth, fluent and balanced when it is played without accompaniment.
(Every good musician must possess the ‘inner ear’, auditory imagery, the capacity of hearing music in imagination.)
2. ANALYSE
Be conscious of the significant features of the basic motive, and determine whether they, or the less characteristic, are developed. There may be empty segments with no real content, without significant melodic or rhythmic movement, even without harmonic change.
3. ELIMINATE NON-ESSENTIALS
Too much variation, too much embellishment and figuration, excessively remote motive-variations , too abrupt a change of register, may contribute to imbalance.
4. AVOID MONOTONY
Too many repetitions of tones or melodic figures are annoying, if they do not exploit the advantage of a repetition— emphasis. Watch especially the highest tone of the melody. The climax normally appears toward the end, and can be repeated or exceeded only with caution. Beware of too restricted a compass, and avoid moving too long in one direction. Evaluate sensitively the endings of phrases.
5. WATCH THE BASS LINE
The bass was previously described as a ‘second melody’. This means that it is subject to somewhat the same requirements as the principal melody. It should be rhythmically balanced, should avoid the monotony of unnecessary repetitions, should have some variety of contour, and should make full use of inversions (especially of seventh chords). Chromatic progression can be as melodically advantageous in the bass as in the principal melody. Semi- and quasi-counterpoint help to make the bass interesting.
6. MAKE MANY SKETCHES
Change the method of variation frequently. Try each method several times. Join the best sketches to produce others and improve them until the result is satisfactory. To make sketches in a humble and unpretentious approach toward perfection. A beginner who is not too self-assured, who does not believe too firmly in his ‘infallibility’, and who knows that he has not yet reached technical maturity, will consider everything he writes as tentative. Later he will be able to base his composing exclusively on his sense of form. The student should frequently review the methods of motive variation. Methodical variation is no substitute for invention, but it may be stimulating, like the athlete’s ‘warm-up’.
7. WATCH THE HARMONY; WATCH THE ROOT PROGRESSION; WATCH THE BASS LINE”
Great book, considering rereading it since I forgot most everything in it and since I actually want to start writing good music again. But who am I kidding I never wrote good music.
Ah, a wonderful book! This and the Harmonielehre are always on my desk, but I still don’t spend enough time with them.
Good advice on how to critique yourself and other people.
