You never know when you sit down to write music what will happen. Will this session be fruitless, or will I write at least a snippet of something worth listening to? Sometimes you can have a whole session that produces nothing. Other times, though much rarer in my case, you write something quickly, all in one sitting.
People often describe this as a song writing itself. Or as Michaelangelo supposedly said, "The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material."
When writing the song koi no hajimari, I had a particular image in mind. I was thinking of the sound of wind chimes and the way their irregular rhythm and strange tunings evoke a sense of calm. I started working with this idea in the opening bars of the piece. You can also hear high-pitched random notes far in the background suggesting the idea of chimes.
But very quickly a different idea suggested itself melodically and harmonically. I largely forgot the image of chimes and became interested in what seemed to be happening with this new direction. In a short time, I was finished with the main idea of the piece.
How Did That Happen?
Though, of course, I did write the piece, there is a sense that nothing we create is completely original. The sum of all our influences, our habits, the patterns we have become accustomed to, and even our personalities combine to direct us in the writing of music, literature, or any artistic creation. It's as if we are merely present at the creation of our art. We are a channel of all that we have meditated on and practiced—all flowing through the prism of our idiosyncrasies and interests.
This has been referred to as the muse by some, but as many others have pointed out, the muse only visits when you sit down and do the work. I do not mean anything mystical by this, but when you create something you're happy with, or that others seem to like—especially when it happens quickly—you may find yourself wondering, "How did that happen?" However it happened, it was a much quicker piece to write than normal for me.
What's in a Name?
You might be wondering what koi no hajimari means and how I arrived at that title. After writing the piece, I asked my wife to listen to it. She is my biggest fan, so, naturally, she loved it. I explained the idea of the wind chimes to her, but she had a completely different and quite specific interpretation of what the song suggested.
She imagined two people in love before they have confessed their love for the other. So she suggested the title koi no hajimari which means Love's Beginning in Japanese. At first, I balked at this title, but I do think the piece has a very romantic feel to it however subjective that idea is.
The title is in Japanese because, well, if you’ve read my blog before, I’ve probably explained this too many times, so I’ll leave it at that.
If you have ever had a similar experience creating something, please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear your story. What is your creation process like?
Koi no hajimari releases October 4, 2024.
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