There is a book by Clemens Kuhn, which is a truly outstanding book if you want to develop your inner ear as a composer. It's originally in german, and I don't know the title, as I'm reading the Spanish translation, entitled "La Formación del OÃdo Musical". I don't think there is an English edition.
This book takes you from the absolute basics, to the point where you can read an orchestral score that you've never seen/heard before, and hear it played in your head. At the moment, I am a quater of the way through, and I can read two voices and hear them both internally, with clarity--but only in a tonal context, or with simple modulations. So I can, say, look at a four-part bach chorale and imagine the bass and soprano, as if I put on a CD (slowly!). From a couple of composers I know who got through it, they spent about two years until they could actually mentally do all the excercises in the book.
It is truly a brain expander! I don't think it's possible to be a true composer without a fully-developed inner-ear. One must be able to imagine the totality of one's music, and write that down.
At the moment, all I do when I'm composing is try and try at the keyboard until I like what I find, and then try to develop that. I can't even actually internally imagine very interesting things internally, so I have to resort to "found sound" composing, rather than "true" composing. I mean, I do have an intention when I start, but it is often very blurry or vague.
I highly recomend this book! Now I understand how John Williams can write a 60 minute score in two months. He hears it in his head as if he puts on a CD, and he has the mental resources to accurately identify those sounds, and write them down. What he does NOT do is fumble endlessly in a process of trial and error [[:)]]
Since I started this book, music is starting to "come to me" as melody and bass (just fragments for now), and I can see myself getting whole orchestral "mental photos" of my own music in a few years. THAT'S how to compose!! How misguided and naive I have been [[:)]]
Opinions?
Leon
This book takes you from the absolute basics, to the point where you can read an orchestral score that you've never seen/heard before, and hear it played in your head. At the moment, I am a quater of the way through, and I can read two voices and hear them both internally, with clarity--but only in a tonal context, or with simple modulations. So I can, say, look at a four-part bach chorale and imagine the bass and soprano, as if I put on a CD (slowly!). From a couple of composers I know who got through it, they spent about two years until they could actually mentally do all the excercises in the book.
It is truly a brain expander! I don't think it's possible to be a true composer without a fully-developed inner-ear. One must be able to imagine the totality of one's music, and write that down.
At the moment, all I do when I'm composing is try and try at the keyboard until I like what I find, and then try to develop that. I can't even actually internally imagine very interesting things internally, so I have to resort to "found sound" composing, rather than "true" composing. I mean, I do have an intention when I start, but it is often very blurry or vague.
I highly recomend this book! Now I understand how John Williams can write a 60 minute score in two months. He hears it in his head as if he puts on a CD, and he has the mental resources to accurately identify those sounds, and write them down. What he does NOT do is fumble endlessly in a process of trial and error [[:)]]
Since I started this book, music is starting to "come to me" as melody and bass (just fragments for now), and I can see myself getting whole orchestral "mental photos" of my own music in a few years. THAT'S how to compose!! How misguided and naive I have been [[:)]]
Opinions?
Leon