Our voice shines using various mediums. We communicate through the spoken and written word, through paintings, and other artistic pursuits. I love music, and I love to sing! I think my name Chantal is quite a fitting one given my love of song. In French, “chant” means harmony and song. I took some piano lessons as a child and played the clarinet in high school but got distracted by science. Music couldn’t compete with chemistry. The lab experiments that would turn the water hot pink and release a fierce flash of white fire fascinated me. So chemistry it was…
I do not have a strong background in music theory. Music has its language and governing rules. But that didn’t stop me from creating music for my book trailer – I’VE GOT A FEELiNG. I decided to rely on my intuition to create it. Intuitive music-making is iterative and involves trial and error. This process is not linear. It’s like taking a drive and seeing where it leads you. It’s about what feels right to you in the present moment.
So how did I come up with the music? Well, I just put sounds together using various melodic patterns, listened to the song, and made some more changes until I was happy with it. It sounded good, but most importantly, it felt right. I couldn’t put my finger on why it felt like it was suitable for the theme of intuition – I just did. So I went back to basics to further understand and get insights...
I revisited my brainstorming activity that started it all. The brainstorming helped me get a better understanding of what intuition meant for me. It’s one thing to define a word but quite another to translate the meaning into music. When I think of intuition, I think of bits and bursts of creativity, playfulness, a sense of being grounded, and gaining confidence in developing a sense of knowing. There is also a sense of peace and lightness that comes with following your inner compass. It is as if you are carried by a gentle breeze - rowing with the current and embracing the flow.
I used eighth and sixteenth notes to translate the lightness and playfulness children experience when they follow their intuition. I added a few staccato notes. Staccatos are short and sharply separated sounds, just like exclamation marks. I felt these sounds translated one’s individuality and decisiveness in knowing the way forward. Silence surrounds each note. I see silence not as a vehicle of emptiness but as space where things can germinate, grow and flourish.
It felt right using the C major key. Just like the middle C on the piano, it translated for me a sense of being grounded and anchored. Interestingly, Ernst Pauer, an Australian composer and pianist, discussed the affective properties of keys in his book The Elements of the Beautiful in Music. He characterized the key of C major as pure, confident, and decisive, full of innocence, earnestness, and a deepest religious feeling.
Creativity has no rules, no boundaries, no right, and no wrong. I can’t wait to explore this medium of communication further.
The medium is the message. So use your voice and own your song.
I hope you enjoy my first foray into music composition. You can find the audio for my composition on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8b-FvQ37FMQ
Kommentare