The other day, I hosted a ThinkSpace Education webinar all about the Road to Orchestral Composition.
Thereâs so much more to being a composer than just writing the music. You have to ask yourself:
What does it mean to be a modern composer in 2024?
What stage of the process do I find myself stuck in?
Do I know how to progress from one step to another?
Granted, the answers to these questions can be different for everyone but I ended the webinar with a comparison of our composition process to that of a Pokemon adventure- no matter where you are in your own journey!
And no, you donât have know anything about Pokemon for this theory to apply to you! đ
Step 1: Pallet Town
Welcome to the Kanto Region: the world of Pokemon!
You live in a tiny town called Pallet Town where you first discover what Pokemon are. Youâve never left home before, so your world view might be a bit limited.
BUT you dream of eventually becoming a successful Pokemon Master!
As a composer, this is layer 1: understanding the foundations of the Orchestra!
What are the sections of the orchestra?
Do I understand some music theory and notation fundamentals?
How can I set myself up for success BEFORE I write a single note?
Can I close my eyes and visualize the exact positioning of the ensemble Iâm writing for?
In this stage, you know you have some work to do but youâre excited because you know your dream is to write effective orchestral music!
Step 2: Exploring the Kanto Region
Now, you leave your tiny home of Pallet Town and start to explore the world of Pokemon!
You encounter different types of Pokemon and plenty of Pokemon trainers along the way.
Youâre slowly catching a variety of Pokemon and training them to develop a cohesive team that can help you achieve your goal of becoming a Pokemon Master!
Along the way, youâre also learning your own style as a trainer and what it takes to care for your team!
In your journey as a composer, this is layer 2: Exploring Sampled Writing!
This stage is all about learning the technology available to you and using resources along the way to help you grow!
What sample libraries are out there?
What are the limitations of my DAW & how can I overcome them?
How can I rely on a support system of collaborators or mentors to push my own sampled writing?
What I love about this stage is that youâre no longer JUST thinking about the orchestra or music theory or the ârightâ way to do things.
Instead, youâre exploring more options outside of traditional music writing!
In this stage, you might be collecting the tools, samples, and gear but youâre also focused on stripping away the ones that donât help you reach your goals!
Step 3: Victory Road & the Elite Four
Finally! Youâve done all the training, youâve caught and trained your ideal team of Pokemon!
Now is the time to put your experience and knowledge to the test! This is the 3rd step in your Pokémon journey where you go through Victory Road and battle your way through the Elite Four.
The Elite Four is a set of some of the very best Pokemon trainers in the region. You know that if you can successfully take them on, your dream of becoming a Pokemon Master can become a reality!
And since youâve put in the work and expanded your world view, youâve successfully went from being the small town student to being a Pokemon champion!
This the 3rd layer of your composer journey: Achieving Realistic and Effective Sampled Mockups!
Youâre applying what youâve learned and implementing it into your music!
Youâre focused on humanizing your music.
You understand the importance of depth and space.
Youâre applying the right amount of dynamics and expression to your specific set of samples.
This is all in an effort to breathe life into a MIDI ensemble and create convincing mockups; the kind of music that inspired you from the very start!
Of course, Iâm not saying that the dream is to write exclusively for mockups and samples. Nothing can beat the performance of live musicians! What I AM saying is that you can use your samples to your advantage on your way to writing for a live ensemble!
If you looked at the two maps above, notice how close to home Victory Road and the Elite Four is! You could easily have made that left turn.
But you canât expect to go from step 1 (foundations) to step 3 (becoming a Pokemon Master!) It takes work!
You can catch all the Pokemon you want too- but if you donât carefully train them and know how your team works together, you canât expect to take on the Elite Four either!
You can buy all the sample libraries you want but if you donât learn how to actually use them, you wonât be able to write genuinely convincing mockups!
Now what I love about the Composerâs Pokemon Journey is that it can honestly apply to any music goal you have!
Understanding the foundation
Expanding your knowledge
Refining for specific results
With those steps in mind, youâll find success not only as a Pokemon Master but as a successful composer as well!