I’ll never forget what my first composition teacher, Gerald Kemner, told us when we started out “If you hear something you like, steal it.” I knew he didn’t mean to literally copy it, but to learn what it was about it that l liked and figure out how to imitate it, because the reason I like that particular music is because it moves in the direction of my own style, which I’m trying to develop. This is why I think it’s perfectly acceptable to imitate and learn from artists one admires. Do it enough and one builds up a repertoire of this ‘n’ that and finally it all congeals into something wholly new and original in and of itself. It was probably the most valuable advice he gave me. He made it okay to imitate.
I’ve composed so much music I’m now publishing it daily in my own Substack, which is kind of like a vaguely sarcastic open book diary in the form of sheet music. I have near zero subscribers, but I don’t care because I don’t want to stop, I compose because I love to listen to my own music, and the only way to get it is for me to compose it myself.
You go back far enough in almost any artist's career and you can see who influenced them and where they got some of their ideas. In my case it was Jeff MacNelly and everybody was imitating him back then and my bosses at the time encouraged me to do that.
Fortunately for me I didn't have enough talent to do a credible imitation so I had to figure out my own thing. But I still learned a lot from Jeff and still use it almost every day.
And I think you've got the right motivation for composing your music: do it because you want to. I've published two books; one with a small publisher, one with a big one, both moderately successful. But I tell people write a book because you want that book to exist; anything after that is gravy.
Have you been over to Thomas Hart Benton’s house? I would love to spend the afternoon there, just enjoying seeing his studio. And furniture. And wishing he were there…
As a life long painter and sculptor I agree about all you said about imitation attempts although musicians are doing this as a rule, of their fav artists. Van Gogh knew he’d stumbled on to something which was his inability to successfully imitate any successful artist. And Jackson Pollack who went to the Kansas City Art Institute under Tom Benton, his teacher, painted exactly like Benton’s country barnyard scenes before he moved to New York and got loaded enough to pour gallons of dripping wet paint over all of his representational works leading to his original style. Anyone can do it yes but it will always be an imitation of Pollack or Van Gogh or Jimmy Hendrix and Black Sabbath and Bob Dylan right? Now there may be a market for a Jackson Pollack “Paint by Numbers” digital art program or a poster with the numbers to add the paint if one is stuck in a remote Columbia prison for life.
I think everybody starts out emulating someone else and then the smart ones turns it into their own thing. Been listening to a lot of early Beatles and my son the musician (wait, they're all musicians) said they did complex background singing that you don't hear anymore and they got a lot of that from the girl groups of the late 50s and 60s.
Figure out how something works and then add your own twist to it.
Great Monday morning piece. Plagiarizing is never a great road to take, but then nothing is scared anymore. I now understand your humor a little better knowing the family background. How did you stay out of trouble? Well, maybe you didn't!
Raising Arizona is one of the greatest films in the history of humanity. 😁
Agree 1,000%. And now I need to watch it again.
Okay then 😁
Thanks for all the great advice, Mr. J. This wanna be writer is very grateful.
I have never read Elmore but loved the TV series Justified, which as I recall, was based on his story (or book) Fire in the Hole.
Am off to the library to find Fire in the Hole.
Am reminded of a Creative Writing professor who said the best reason to write is not to make
money and/or become famous and/or because you have something to say.
He said the best reason to write is because you love words.
That's always resonated with me and influenced some of the most poignant and insightful emails
I have ever written. (lol) Too lazy to write a book, me.
Am also reminded of Hemingway who said, "Sometimes I write better than I can."
It's not the only way to go about it, but if anything I said was helpful, I'm glad.
Along these lines…
I’ll never forget what my first composition teacher, Gerald Kemner, told us when we started out “If you hear something you like, steal it.” I knew he didn’t mean to literally copy it, but to learn what it was about it that l liked and figure out how to imitate it, because the reason I like that particular music is because it moves in the direction of my own style, which I’m trying to develop. This is why I think it’s perfectly acceptable to imitate and learn from artists one admires. Do it enough and one builds up a repertoire of this ‘n’ that and finally it all congeals into something wholly new and original in and of itself. It was probably the most valuable advice he gave me. He made it okay to imitate.
I’ve composed so much music I’m now publishing it daily in my own Substack, which is kind of like a vaguely sarcastic open book diary in the form of sheet music. I have near zero subscribers, but I don’t care because I don’t want to stop, I compose because I love to listen to my own music, and the only way to get it is for me to compose it myself.
I infect myself with my own earworms…
You go back far enough in almost any artist's career and you can see who influenced them and where they got some of their ideas. In my case it was Jeff MacNelly and everybody was imitating him back then and my bosses at the time encouraged me to do that.
Fortunately for me I didn't have enough talent to do a credible imitation so I had to figure out my own thing. But I still learned a lot from Jeff and still use it almost every day.
And I think you've got the right motivation for composing your music: do it because you want to. I've published two books; one with a small publisher, one with a big one, both moderately successful. But I tell people write a book because you want that book to exist; anything after that is gravy.
Have you been over to Thomas Hart Benton’s house? I would love to spend the afternoon there, just enjoying seeing his studio. And furniture. And wishing he were there…
Have not been there even though I've always meant to go. My bad.
Love this article!
As a life long painter and sculptor I agree about all you said about imitation attempts although musicians are doing this as a rule, of their fav artists. Van Gogh knew he’d stumbled on to something which was his inability to successfully imitate any successful artist. And Jackson Pollack who went to the Kansas City Art Institute under Tom Benton, his teacher, painted exactly like Benton’s country barnyard scenes before he moved to New York and got loaded enough to pour gallons of dripping wet paint over all of his representational works leading to his original style. Anyone can do it yes but it will always be an imitation of Pollack or Van Gogh or Jimmy Hendrix and Black Sabbath and Bob Dylan right? Now there may be a market for a Jackson Pollack “Paint by Numbers” digital art program or a poster with the numbers to add the paint if one is stuck in a remote Columbia prison for life.
I think everybody starts out emulating someone else and then the smart ones turns it into their own thing. Been listening to a lot of early Beatles and my son the musician (wait, they're all musicians) said they did complex background singing that you don't hear anymore and they got a lot of that from the girl groups of the late 50s and 60s.
Figure out how something works and then add your own twist to it.
Great Monday morning piece. Plagiarizing is never a great road to take, but then nothing is scared anymore. I now understand your humor a little better knowing the family background. How did you stay out of trouble? Well, maybe you didn't!
I did not stay out of trouble, just never got caught.