Why The Best Music Terms Aren’t Music Terms

-- January 5, 2012

Many of my clients and collaborators preface their notes to me with "I don't know much about music, so forgive me if I'm using the wrong terms…" 

They think that they need to have some kind of special training or vocabulary to describe what the right music for their project.  And this is a commonly held belief among the wider public about music: talking about music is shrouded in mystery and faraway languages. 

But that's all wrong. 

You don't need to know Italian, German or music theory or "music appreciation" to convey to your composer what you are looking for.  Any terms work, and it's up to your composer to develop a common lexicon with you that you both understand.  You might want something that is "edgy, new, a little like Trent Reznor, but with a more hopeful quality".  And it is the composer's mission to turn that into something that hits the mark. 

By using scratch music, common reference tracks, and multiple sketches, before long your composer should know exactly what you mean when you ask for something "sunny with a hint of sinister".  More importantly he should know what to change when you say, "That's too much like a romantic theme.  It needs to be bolder."

Undoubtedly, you already are doing these things to communicate with your composer or music editor.  The important thing is that you not hold back from throwing out any terms that come into your mind when you are describing what the music to do in a cut.  As you know from writing, "go for the jugular".  The same goes for giving notes to your composer.

The more richness and depth you can give in your direction, however it is conveyed, the more nuance your composer can impart to support your story. 

Any composer who looks down on using "non-musical" words hasn't yet shed his conservatory ego or figured out how to get out of his own way.  He is trying to prove something best proven by sharp ears.