Elvis Costello once said, “Writing about music is like dancing around architecture – it’s a really stupid thing to want to do.” While that might be the case for Costello, many music writers beg to differ.
Music writing can be a psychedelically-fun experience. Putting together a cacophony of words can be enriching. Music writing is that and more. It strings together powerful imagery and descriptions to give readers a better understanding of what the music is about.
But it can take guts to try and put the abstract, (notes and harmony), into words. Maybe that was what Costello was talking about when he said music writing was like dancing around architecture, music can be such an abstract art form that it would seem rather pointless to even try and write about it.
How to Start Writing About Music
Like any piece of art work under review it’s good to first get a vibe of what the piece is about. By listening to the piece of music thoroughly, you’ll be giving the piece a good once over. Hearing and listening, although under the same umbrella, are two different things. When you hear noise or sound for example you’re just barely registering it. Hearing, you can say, is a more passive approach to listening. When you’re listening to music, you are actively perceiving and understanding the music.
Also, taking a few moments to take notes as you listen to the music will get you going with writing that music review. Like any part of the reviewing process, it is always good to write something down as you gather your thoughts. It will help with your writing process and assist you as you recollect things you’d otherwise leave out.
Interpreting Music
Remember that like all other art forms music is entirely up to your interpretation. How you perceive it is according to your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. So you don’t have to feel bad if your opinion of the piece says, ‘not feeling it’, compared to the masses who love it.
There are two ways to interpret music. One way is through listening closely to the lyrics. By listening closely to the nuances of word play and structure of the lyrics, you can get a better feel for what the artist is trying get at as far as to what is behind the message of the song. Another is to listen to the rhythm, harmony, and cadences of the sound. Unlike paying attention to the lyrics which require you to listen to the music in a different way, listening to the sound gives you a wider range of artistic appreciation for what was done in arranging and producing the music.
Types of Music Writing
Venue Reportage - Venue reportage requires the music reporter to be present at the venue. The writer must be able to have a good eye for the atmosphere of the venue and be able to give readers a good and vivid account of the venue’s time and place. During the show, the writer must take good notes they can look at later. Giving the show a fair review will give the readers a good perspective of the show. It will also help promote the performance and any other shows the artist might have upcoming.
Biological Portrait – An inside story on the artist uncovers information on the lives of artists and performers, shedding light on how and why they produce their music. Often times these stories require the writer to conduct an exclusive interview with the artist. Sometimes the writer is able to uncover a riveting account of a deeply personal and engaging side to the artist.
Cultural Research – While writing about music, connecting music with the historical and artistic trends at work in the surrounding culture is a complete must. Extolling music information in your writing will go to show how well-rounded you are musically. It will also help with your music writing and make it more interesting and entertaining to read. Comparing sounds and bands will make you a musical trivial pursuit expert and it will also make your article an even more well-rounded tale.
Styles of Music Writing
Writing about music can be like composing music itself. It can bind sentences that are like cadences of notes and cacophonies of instruments. Music writing can have many fantastic usage of jargon. It also has this energy that you can't see anywhere else. There is this upbeatedness that will get anyone excited to listen to the latest, in this case, Elvis Costello and Jenny Lewis colloboration or even the latest Jack Johnson disc. Often times, reading a selection from a music magazine is the closest thing you can get to listening to music without actually putting the headphones on.
Music writing can get quite complex--mixed in with interesting phrases and colorful words interplayed with the reviewers tastes and interpretations. In the case of Elvis Costello, writing about music can be like architecture. It is like building a structure of words, that if done right can be this amazing edifice that you won’t easily forget.
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