Immediate Notes

Ok, so you log on to Young Composers, and see the most recent posts and there is...I dunno...a string quartet or something. So...that sparks your interest and you click and open it to listen. The midi loads with dignified speed, and you await the piece to start. It does, and your interest plummits upon hearing the first 10 notes...

At the beginning of this year, I went to an Australasian piano Summer School (a selection of auditioned kids have masterclasses for a whole week) and we had a very awesome pianist take masterclasses with us every day "Michael Leslie" was his name. One of the things he taught us, and probably the thing that stuck with me the most was, "Make the first note count".

This is an opinion, but see the logic behind it:
The first note of a piece is the note that everyone hears...well...first. Duh. So, with this note, you as an instrumentalist/composer need to make this the foundation note of your entire piece. No matter if the piece is Tempo 400, or Tempo 30, the first note needs to lay the foundation for your listeners. Think of it as: You have one Bar to grab the audience attention. If you fail at doing this, the rest will suck unless you play the Recapitulation with your feet.

So...the point of this post:
Firstly: Post your opinion; either for or against mine.
Secondly: Please Please Please - GRAB MY ATTENTION WITHIN THE FIRST BAR. Yes, this is possible with a Midi recording. This is your foundation bar; the bar where you say: I AM A MUSICIAN!

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The only issue I see with this is the danger of falling into a formulaic "movie music" type of writing.

Sometimes, something worth saying starts with an introduction, and doesn't really "get going" for a bit. However, for the satisfaction of the over all form it works with that lengthy introductory passage.

It might also be important to note that something that doesn't catch YOUR particular attention immediately MIGHT catch someone else's.

I can't say that I agree that the "first note" should be the foundation of an entire piece. It might work for a brief piece, or for a movie cue, but for a lengthy work it isn't necessarily the wisest move. Large forms take time to establish.

Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing as QC.

What if something doesn't really "build up" until later.

That can catch someone's attention in itself.

Hmmmm, I think I know what you are getting at.

It isn't the first few notes as much as the first few minutes I think.

Hmm, i actually like what you guys have to say.

QC: Yea, i agree that what i may not find interesting may to someone else appear interesting. Hence, it becomes a personal judgment. But as to the comment of 'greater/larger scaled' works taking longer to start up...i kind of meant my 'first bar/10 notes' comment to be taken relatively; a small 32 bar work vs. a large 3560 bar work...pretty much...the first 1.75% of the piece.

But yes...personal opinion. I think what sparked this post is actually the fact that I listened to a piece that was just uninteresting. The start was just blase' and too sudden...the chord progression 'pop'-ee. However, this then goes into discussion of the composition ability of people...so I'll stay away from that.

But yea, personal opinion.

Personally I find the beginning of pieces extremely important too. And the ending. However, for me that doesn't necessarily have to mean "grab ones attention". It just needs to be thought about with great care. (And that can even mean deciding on a beginning that is meant to sound almost arbitrary and without a clear direction, which might then slowly gain a direction, or something very concrete breaks in, or maybe it even stays rather vague and nothing "exciting" happens at all.)

But generally I prefer a piece that gets more and more interesting the longer it lasts to a piece that starts with a "Whoah"-effect and then gets boring.

I totally get what you are saying goodridge!!! Its so important.

If my song is playing on the radio and the first bar doesn't "grab" the listener and they change stations, so be it. Hell, at least my song made it to the radio!

But I mainly live in the world of live performance. One hopes that the audience is there to listen to the music and not dismiss it after one bar. This is not to say that every note shouldn't count, because it should, but a song is a journey. And when I say "song" I mean that in the most vague way possible, be it string quartet, symphony, choral piece or pop song. I wouldn't say you need to "grab" the listener, but you do want to make them want to listen. One also wants to be careful about putting the "best part" first, thereby diminishing its power and rushing the piece.

I agree with both opinions. The piece should build and develop, drawing the listener along...but also needs to provide something for the listener to latch onto at the beginning. It doesn't need to be the most amazing or spectacular introduction, but something that grabs their attention and sucks them in.

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Within the first bar? No. Unless My first bar is 132/4 at 60 bpm, then sure.