Young Composer in need of help

B

BOTBproductions

hi all
my name is Connor i am a film student from England and i am currently working on a creative/experimental project, i am composing a piece of music for David Lynch's Eraserhead. I am seeking advice on how to approach this as i am a first time composer and a self taught guitar player. I'm hoping to capture an industrial, dark feel to the composition, the only instrument i am using is an electric guitar and i am wanting to use sound FX using a microphone and Tascam to incorporate into the piece. your help would be much appreciated.

thank you
 
Hello Connor!

I'm not a composer, but I can say - EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT! Eraserhead is a very strange and unique film, which both the score and other aspects of the film were achieved through experimentation. Try out going into different rooms, using strange room tones, facing the mic strange ways from the guitar, playing the strings with a different object, etc. etc. etc.
 
This is where, as a composer, you "live or die" on your own. As a composer you will have to make the "approach" type of decision every time you take on (or even apply for) a film score. What you don't have is the input from the director. Believe it or not, this is not unusual. Though they vehemently protest that they don't think this way, they are 30% to 70% "I'll know it when I hear it," or else they are so married to their temp music they can't get past it. So you will have to know what the proper approach is; you're the one guiding the director.

Now, I want you to understand that I'm not being flippant here. Go back and reread your post.

BOTBproductions said:
my name is Connor i am a film student from England and i am currently working on a creative/experimental project, i am composing a piece of music for David Lynch's Eraserhead. I am seeking advice on how to approach this as i am a first time composer and a self taught guitar player. I'm hoping to capture an industrial, dark feel to the composition, the only instrument i am using is an electric guitar and i am wanting to use sound FX using a microphone and Tascam to incorporate into the piece. your help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

You have already answered most of your own questions.

BOTBproductions said:
I am currently working on a creative/experimental project, i am composing a piece of music for David Lynch's Eraserhead.
Click to expand...

The key phrase her is creative/experimental project. So go ahead, experiment. Be crazy, be stupid, be creative.

BOTBproductions said:
I'm hoping to capture an industrial, dark feel to the composition
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That's where you start.

BOTBproductions said:
i am using is an electric guitar
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That's your "noise maker." Remember that it's not just about strings and picking. There's the pick-ups, and tuning, and amplification, and micing techniques, and unusual ways of attacking the strings (thumb thumps, pick scrapes, violin bow, E-Bow, etc. Ever here of "prepared piano?" Apply that concept to the electric guitar!)

Now, with all of this at your disposal, what sounds can you make that are "dark and industrial."


Now, watch the scene for which you are composing. What are the high points and low points? What are the emotions? You've now got some idea of what your sound palette is; apply them to the arc of the scene. Find a theme. Now, go back to my earlier comment - Experiment. Be crazy, be stupid, be creative.

Just for fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc3-C7Lnzh0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex57oiPSxKc
 
I think you should put on the movie and then jam over the scenes while recording (just the guitar). Bring the recordings into an audio editing program and grab the parts that sound cool. If you have a sound sequencer such as cubase(what I use), then take the segments you liked and loop them with FX.
 
thank you all for your help what i recieved was very helpful and as a further thank you i am hoping to post my work on here soon to show you guys what you helped me achieve :)
 
Hello Connor, i am a composer trying to get my music into film. I would like to work with someone and do a film together. If you are interested,contact me. To see some of my audio you can visit my website,thanks.
 
As cool as experimenting is, eventually you'll find yourself running in circles if you only play guitar. Try learning some midi in garageband or something. There's some great string patches you can use in Kontact 5, which you can use as a plug in for garage band. Check out my composition "A Way Home" which was made using Garage Band, Kontact 5 and two patches called Cinematic Strings and Drums of War.

If you insist on making a soundtrack exclusively from Guitar, try downloading Amplitube. It's great for recording different guitar sounds onto your recording software without having access to different amps and effects. If you want to spend a little bit, I always find that an Ebow + a lot of reverb works well with soundtracks.
 
Hey guys been a while i know and i'm very sorry but i have finished my work and have been given permission to post it finally, it is in three videos; the first is me recording the track, the second is the finished product and the third is a completely new score for a different film as a thank you for waiting patiently. you all helped me out on this and i thank you all dearly. so without more babbling. enjoy
 
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Marshall_Tyler said:
As cool as experimenting is, eventually you'll find yourself running in circles if you only play guitar. Try learning some midi in garageband or something. There's some great string patches you can use in Kontact 5, which you can use as a plug in for garage band. Check out my composition "A Way Home" which was made using Garage Band, Kontact 5 and two patches called Cinematic Strings and Drums of War.

If you insist on making a soundtrack exclusively from Guitar, try downloading Amplitube. It's great for recording different guitar sounds onto your recording software without having access to different amps and effects. If you want to spend a little bit, I always find that an Ebow + a lot of reverb works well with soundtracks.
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totally understand what you are saying, i do not intend to only use guitar in my composition i only did this time around as it was all i had at my disposal, i am currently trying to learn piano basics and cello hoping to use them in the future. your composition is beautiful. may i use it in my presentation to show my team and my tutors my findings for primary research?
 
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