Immediate Notes

Well, the piece should have an idea of what it's doing right in the first bar... like I guess it should in every bar. If it does that, I suspect that it will be interesting. Same goes for performers, although in that case it requires so much concentration to get it right without relying on an already existing "flow" that it makes very much sense to think of the first note as just about the most crucial one.

Before i go on and read all the other posts, i wanna go back on what i said after corbin and QC.

No I dont agree with what you say in regards to a piece grabbing people's attention later on in the piece, because the beginning needs to build. Lets say that 1 minute and 45 seconds into the piece, it really starts to pick up in this large scale work and is so penetrating to grab attention...the beginning was warming us up...; unless that 'warm up' is well thought out...you have wasted 1:45 of time in music. These warm up notes can still grab attention too.

By attention I dont mean you need massive harmonic blasts and God-like Orchestration, but they need to be well articulated enough to seem like important notes. I dislike when people say that 'this note was not so important, as it just had to lead on to this more important note'. GOSH. every single note in your score needs to be important...its then a matter of what ones are meant to stand out the most, and what ones are there to support them.

Moldau from Smetana...the river one...now that is an example of a well thought out and attention grabbing 'warm up'. The first notes are given dignity, and are not unimportant. They paint a picture (duh, its a symphonic poem) of a trickling stream. This is not to say that your notes HAVE to paint a picture when you place them, but make them interesting.

Bleh - its hard to argue my point when its my birthday, and its early, and i cant be stuffed.

All the above...personal opinion.

Lets say that 1 minute and 45 seconds into the piece, it really starts to pick up in this large scale work and is so penetrating to grab attention...the beginning was warming us up...; unless that 'warm up' is well thought out...you have wasted 1:45 of time in music.

Ever thought that the 1:45 part wouldn't have catch your ear if it wasn't for the stuff before it? Of course not.

Damn kids today, give it to me now or never bullshit.

...yea, but if you composed the stuff before it, would you be happy if someone told you that is was non-interesting, and then at 1:45 it was awesome. My point is that the immediate notes shouldn't be crap, and even if they are not as interesting as the part at 1:45, they shouldnt be a waste of the composers time. He may indeed need to build it up, but that can be done well.

Plus if the 1:45 part had of caught my ear due to everything else before it, then the stuff before it must have been thought out well enough for me to have lasted as long as 1:45.

If a piece of music is good, it should inherently grab your attention, regardless of whether or not it has an epic opening. An opening shouldn't be strained to accomodate the "wow" factor.

I see what you're saying, but just having some massive/important few notes at the beginning can't account for the rest of the work, even though it may grab attention. But if it fits your intentions, then go ahead.

I guess what I'm saying is don't come up with some contrived introduction and then fail to back it up musically.

Originally Posted by goodridge_winners

...yea, but if you composed the stuff before it, would you be happy if someone told you that is was non-interesting, and then at 1:45 it was awesome. My point is that the immediate notes shouldn't be crap, and even if they are not as interesting as the part at 1:45, they shouldnt be a waste of the composers time. He may indeed need to build it up, but that can be done well.

Plus if the 1:45 part had of caught my ear due to everything else before it, then the stuff before it must have been thought out well enough for me to have lasted as long as 1:45.

If I compose everything before 1:45, I would inform whomever told me the music was non-interesting prior to that point that 1:45 is only interesting because of everything before it.

You're right. The immediate notes should not be "crap" but something is crap only within context. I can take a random measure from an atonal composer and without context say, this is crap! However, when placed into the proper place in the music, it can become magically wonderful.

It should be said that even though it doesn't catch your attention, it might catch someone else's attention. I am not a fan of Mozart, but people say his work his brilliant. I don't care. I understand why his work his brilliant, but it doesn't catch my attention. Using your definition and your logic, then his work isn't very good. We know that's a lie. His work is masterfully crafted and my opinion doesn't change that.

In the same way, just because the first measure doesn't make you feel anything doesn't mean that someone else won't feel something from it.

Originally Posted by Jubilee

If I compose everything before 1:45, I would inform whomever told me the music was non-interesting prior to that point that 1:45 is only interesting because of everything before it.

You're right. The immediate notes should not be "crap" but something is crap only within context. I can take a random measure from an atonal composer and without context say, this is crap! However, when placed into the proper place in the music, it can become magically wonderful.

It should be said that even though it doesn't catch your attention, it might catch someone else's attention. I am not a fan of Mozart, but people say his work his brilliant. I don't care. I understand why his work his brilliant, but it doesn't catch my attention. Using your definition and your logic, then his work isn't very good. We know that's a lie. His work is masterfully crafted and my opinion doesn't change that.

In the same way, just because the first measure doesn't make you feel anything doesn't mean that someone else won't feel something from it.

DOFTS is a lucky guy.

Aw you're sweet. Make sure he knows it and buys me stuff.

Hahaha, I'll let him know.

It is just nice to see intelligent females.

I'm used to dealing with "girls-" you know what I'm talking about.

Bigger breast than brain? Yes I know them.