Tapping into our emotions

One of the elements which makes music unique is its ability to go deeper than skin and connect with us on an emotional level. In his article Music and emotion - a composer's perspective, Joel Douek takes an anecdotal look at the how's and why's. The full article is available for download here.

During the article, the Douek discusses the response from composers when has has asked "How do you compose?" to which he is often answered "I have no idea."

From this standpoint as a teacher, it is important to have an understanding of how we compose in order that we can work with our learners on their compositions. It is not about having the answers to all their questions, but a focus on helping where and when an issue arises. This may be at the outset or during the process but I think the "I have no idea," answer may be able to be answered if the composers questioned truly thought about what it is they do.

When composing, we will generally have a preferred way of writing. This could be situational, maybe a preferred space, it could be a process such a starting by finding the harmonic sound world the composition will occupy, it may even be that a stimulus needs to be in place to help generate creative thought, but whatever it is, as a composer getting to know how you write is a great comfort when embarking on a new project. While it is worth acknowledging that an idea can just appear out of nowhere, how that idea is then developed is part of a process. In the article Douek talks about his process and that he tends to,

"improvise around ideas and begin to hear what is not yet there, but should be."

Music is a key form of communication and how we make the connection between what we compose and its emotional intention is key to success. Douek uses film music as the vehicle for discussing emotion in his article, and the connection between what we see and what we hear. There is no doubt that on screen action is enhanced significantly with the introduction of carefully conceived and placed music. However the key to communicating emotion lies to a greater part in the contrasts in music, such as in changing rhythms, or dynamics. Learning through experimentation how to use and manipulate these and other elements to create will help a composer to express mood, character and emotion in music.

Douek closes his article with this sentiment:

"Because after all, 'emotion' means to move, to move on. And it can transport us somewhere beyond the human experience, beyond words, beyond thought, beyond our furthest imaginings - to transcendence."

Douek, J. (2013). Music and emotion-a composer’s perspective. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 7(November), 82. doi:10.3389/fnsys.2013.00082