Writing Music is Hard
If you want to be a bard, but you've tried writing music and it's hard, don't give up. I think it's hard too! At least sometimes. I'm supposed to be writing music for Coriakin and Xepel's great battle, but I can't get past this stupid song. You can tell I'm really desperate to procrastinate, because I'm writing a blog entry about it.
/action thumps the ground with her Axe.
I can generally write about 20 seconds of music, before it all starts to fall apart. It's all going great, and then... what next? Shoot! What next?? And then I write another 20 seconds, but it belongs to a completely different song. Can't fit them together. I'll try repeating the first part, but that sounds borring. Then I'll try bending the rules of composition, because after all, that's avant garde! That's pushing the edge! That's fashionable! That sounds horrible!
There is a fine rule of ABA or ABAB or ABCA or whatever overall repetition pattern your using, "Don't change too many things at the same time." Such a simple rule. So hard to follow. Change the tempo, or change the melody, or change the key, or change one of the harmony lines, or just change a bit of each. I'm not very good at it. I can never seem to find the happy middle ground, writing another melody and harmony with reminiscent rhythm... similar enough, but not boring... SO HARD!!!!
/action smacks her head into her hands
But don't give up! You're having fun! You'll be a bard someday.
I am having fun... I am a bard... Really. At least I know I will have had fun once I get this to work. And once it's done I'll have been having fun the whole time! Because what is life but a memory and a dream.
So join the guild! I've got plenty of stout, if your feeling discouraged you're not alone! If your stuck you can always find me in the library, and we'll commiserate. I'll take you hunting, and remind you to re-read Baraboo's Guide to Writing Songs That Don't Suck and soon we'll both be back on our feet.
Now where was I? What key am I in? A minor? No, wait, I think I'm in a D Dorian mode. Oy, where did I leave my stout?
