Start With Photos
Jul. 29, 2022
Sometimes just looking at a photo, I can start to make the impression into a song, but if I can’t, as I wrote in the previous article, look for the theme while playing the guitar.
Once I have even a vague idea of a theme, then I search the internet for the photo that matches the idea.
After all, every time I start composing, I have a photo. There are several reasons for that, but photography is an important element of my composition.
What is the theme of this song? It’s important to express it in words. For example, the song Bougainvillea is titled ‘Bougainvillea’, but the theme was “The brightness and relaxation of Santorini, where the bougainvillea blooms.” The words such as ‘Brightness’ and ‘Relaxation’ are important. Because I can ask myself “Is this song bright?”, “Is this song relaxing?”
However, the word ‘Santorini’ can’t describe how the island is, while the photos of Santorini can do it.
When I’m looking at what I want to express, it’s easier for phrases to come out. Even without a theme, songs often begin to appear as soon as I look at a photo. Also, when the phrase following the first melody does not come out, a new development can be created by another photo.
Thus, the first reason to look for photos is that the phrases comes out naturally. Photos help me to create songs, and words help me to confirm the songs that have been created.
Bougainvillea : Stuff Notation ↗️
The second reason is to keep the song from drifting away. Composing goes well when the first phrase fits well with the theme, but when I keep going, often forget the theme and just connect the phrases one after another. But the photos let me know that I am drifting away from the theme, and I can correct the direction.
The third reason concerns plagiarism. It may not be directly related to composing, but I don’t feel good to compose songs while worrying about this.
Isn’t the song I made a plagiarism? Of course I don’t intend to plagiarize. But as a result, isn’t there a similar song in the world? I’m sure there will be. There are only seven pitches. Even if we include semitones, there are only 12. Also, the length of the notes are only about 10 types actually used. Random sounds do not make music, so there are even fewer meaningful choices. If it is one or two measures long, perhaps all the phrases have already been made. Because people all over the world have been composing for over 2,000 years.
But on the other hand, the songs I know are only a few of them. I can try not to resemble a song I know, but there is nothing I can do about a song I don’t know. So, I’m sure there is a song that sounds like my song. Then what should I answer if I’m asked that “Isn’t it a plagiarism?”
How about people who paint? Many Japanese, from artists to children, have painted pictures of the famous Japanese mountain Fuji. Even if the painting one drew resembles someone else’s, it wouldn’t be plagiarism if he drew it looking at Mt. Fuji himself. But if he drew it by looking a painting of Mt. Fuji instead Mt. Fuji itself, it may be plagiarism.
If one looks at a painting and draws a painting, it is plagiarism; if one looks at something that is not a painting and draws a painting, it is not plagiarism. That’s why I need a photo. If I make a song from something that isn’t a song, it’s not plagiarism.
I don’t know if the world will accept this logic, but thinking this way allows me to create the songs with peace of mind. When people say there is a song that sounds like it, I would say, “You have that one. But I wrote this one.” I neither want to create a new music nor to show my originality. I just want to enjoy composing. Whether or not I happen to have the exact same song, it doesn’t change the enjoyment I felt when I compose.
← Carve Out Theme / Worry About Structure →
Photo by MustangJoe on Pixabay