Music composers are the people who write and create music, for a film, an album, an opera, a commercial etc. They use silence and sounds to create a melody that is beautiful to hear. Composers create music through instruments or oral renditions and write down its musical notations for further reproduction. Many composers are singers themselves and vice – versa.
What do Music Composers do?
Music composers have a vast amount of knowledge in music and are usually trained in the field of music. They understand how to use music to evoke particular feelings amongst the audience. Their basic purpose is to give shape to a melody that is beautiful to hear. Singers perform these melodies to the best of their abilities.
For films, a music director sits with the director of a film or the music company and understands what type of music they want and in what genre. He understands the script of the film and decides what type of music will suit the film. He first comes up with a basic idea of the general over – arching type of music for the whole film or album. In case of independent work, his focus is more on deciding how to achieve his own vision.
Before a composer starts to write the music, he assembles a team. The team consists of musicians, technicians, associate composers and most importantly singers. This team helps the composer create good quality and innovative music. He also decides upon what instruments and arrangements will be used for a particular song.
Finally the composer starts to write the music. He can do this directly on instruments, or through oral renditions or even through directly writing the notes. He might or might not take the help of his team at this stage. He writes music keeping in mind what the film-makers / music company want, but not at the cost of sacrificing his own ideas and creativity.
One of the main jobs of a music composer is to actually record the music with the help of his technicians and singers. The composer directs the singers, musicians and technicians to evoke the desired emotion in the song and lyrics.
Once the song has been recorded, it is the job of the music composer to make it sound as good as possible by tweaking it using various software and digital techniques.
How to become a Music Composer?
There is no set path for becoming a Music Composer. There are many who have studied and learnt music for years, whereas there are some who have absolutely no formal training. The only common thread that binds all Composers is their love for music.
The most secure way to become a Music Composer is to join a music school and receive formal training. This way, you receive extensive knowledge about the technicalities of music, and learn to use your qualities to achieve what you want.
Another way to become a part of the music industry is to be ‘self – taught’. In this method you study music by listening to different types of music composed by great composers and try to compose original melodies by yourself.
Performing is the single most essential thing for any aspiring Music Composer. Music Composers need to keep coming up with new and innovative tunes that can be played to an audience. The day you stop performing, your chances of becoming successful drastically decrease.
Another way of entering the music industry is to assist a Music Composer. This helps you get industry experience and also helps you learn about the technicalities of music. If you’re good, there’s a possibility that you might get a break as a Music Composer.
There are a lot of competitions that are held for Singers and some for Music Composers. It is important to take part in these competitions and reality shows as they give you fame and recognition and access to the networks.
Another very popular way of becoming a part of the music industry is to join a local band. You can showcase your style and talent to the world and if you’re talented and lucky, you will open the right doors. Even if this method doesn’t give you instant success, it can help you get stage shows, performances and live gigs.
What are the skills required to become a Music Composer?
One of the most important things required to be in the music industry as a Music Composer is to have a considerable amount of musical knowledge. This can be self – taught or formally learnt. A Music Composer needs to know about musical notes, pitch, tone etc. You need to be patient and dedicated towards your work, as you might not get a lot of projects initially. It is important to continuously try and do something new as a Music Composer. Until you stand out in a crowd, you won’t be successful. As a Music Composer, you need to have the ability to communicate through music. You need to be able to use notes, tunes and voices to evoke the desired feelings amongst the audience. One should never forget that luck is an essential factor in this industry as it is in all other forms of performing art. Whether luck is on your side or not, one should keep doing good work and hope for the best.
Is this career right for me?
The life of a Music Composer is very unpredictable. There can be days where you get a lot of work, and there can be days where you get no work at all. Even if you do get work, the work can have little space for creativity or to do what you want to do. A Music Composer survives on stage shows and live gigs as much as he does on film and television projects. Also, he has to deal with a lot of competition daily.
So anybody who’s looking for a secure job with regular income and set rules and regulations should not think of becoming a part of the music industry. But if you’re willing to deal with job insecurities for the sake of musical freedom and creativity, and if your love for music exceeds your love for fame and money, then this is the job for you.
