The idea of a “personal brand” has been a hot topic for some time now. And you need to find yours. I can hear you groaning about this (and I wouldn’t blame you). After all, isn’t that something for “influencers” to do? But it’s true–performers and audiences need “a way in” to your music, even before they hit play on one piece.
In this post I will guide you through a composer-specific values exercise, based on numerous more general branding/values exercises. I want you to think about what you value most in music, and see how you can better describe yourself to others. I hope that this will help you with your bio, program notes, press releases, and any other communications you might need to create when promoting yourself.
This post won’t be going into clothing, headshots, website style, etc. I do hope to write about those in the future–for now, I hope that these exercises will help you clarify what you and your music are “about.”
What do you value in music?
Let’s start with a values exercise. For general branding and values exercises, like this one I recommend from PwC, you might see a list of words, from which you circle those that resonate most with you, then categorize them together to find your top five values. These will be words like “family” or “creativity” or “abundance.”
For this exercise, I have made a non-exhaustive list of binary terms. I want you to pick a number between each that shows what you value the most in that pair. This might be a challenge–after all, these are not true binaries! Surely you’ll feel equally drawn to both ends on some of these. But be very honest with yourself. Which side do you gravitate to more? I’ll discuss my picks below.
Harmonic motion – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Harmonic stasis
Consonance – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Dissonance
Tonality – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Atonality
Stability – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Tension
Repeating rhythm – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Unpredictable rhythm
Open texture – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Dense texture
Contrasting textures – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Stable textures
Identifiable style – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Mixing styles
Large forces – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Small forces
Instruments – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Voices
Electronic sounds – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Acoustic instrument sounds
“Extended techniques” – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – idiomatic writing
Loud sounds – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – soft sounds
High energy – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – calm
Craft – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – experimentation
Narrative – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Abstraction
Classic forms – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – new/novel structures
Conceptual or referential to other arts – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – concerned with musical effects
Theatricality and visuals – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – auditory only
My picks:
Harmonic motion – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Harmonic stasis
Consonance – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Dissonance
Tonality – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Atonality
Stability – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Tension
Repeating rhythm – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Unpredictable rhythm
Open texture – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Dense texture
Contrasting textures – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Stable textures
Identifiable style – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Mixing styles
Large forces – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Small forces
Instruments – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Voices
Electronic sounds – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Acoustic instrument sounds
“Extended techniques” – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – idiomatic writing
Loud sounds – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – soft sounds
High energy – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – calm
Craft – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – experimentation
Narrative – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – Abstraction
Classic forms – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – new/novel structures
Conceptual or referential to other arts – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – concerned with musical effects
Theatricality and visuals – 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 – auditory only
While I am neutral on some aspects, on many of these I gave a 2 or even a 3. I know that I tend to like those more.
According to this exercise, I like creating relatively consonant, stable, and calm instrumental music. Is this true?
Do your best pieces reflect your values?
For the second part of the exercise, pick your 5 best or “most representative” pieces. Think about how you describe these pieces (if you’re lucky enough to have critical reviews, you might include what others have said. Where do these pieces fit on the value axes? Do the pieces reflect your “values”?
Here are mine:
- Tidal – Piano & fixed media: This piece has sine waves (actually filtered white noise) for the fixed media. The piano plays along with it. There are allusions to traditional forms and gestures, but it has a conceptual/experimental intent behind it. Listen to Tidal
- Tèarmunn – horn & vibraphone: This piece is modal–going between F Phrygian and b-flat Aeolean. It is for acoustic instruments, but the tempo is tied to the vibraphones motor (and the vibraphone’s bars are prepared with chains for a “buzzy” timbre). It is slow and expressive. Listen to Tèarmunn
- ripples – bass clarinet and marimba: This short piece feels sprawling because it is in a slow tempo with long-held chords and melodies. It alludes to Indian and Middle Eastern musics without quoting them, and has a generally A-B-A form. Listen to ripples
- blocks – string quartet: While a very traditional ensemble, I attempt to create an energetic piece with sections that intercut and eventually “influence” each other. Rhythmically it’s very influenced by popular music, though the “intercutting” idea is straight out of Stravinsky. Yet, harmonically it is fairly constrained. Listen to blocks
- discs – percussion quartet: This piece displays my interests in visuals and openness/randomness. Two of the players are spinning coins and jar lids for much of the piece. All of the sounds are linked by the shape of the instrument–all are discs of some kind. The crotale pitches are pentatonic, and the form is intuitive. Listen to discs
What are you “about”?
Deciding on these five pieces, and describing them, helps me clarify my musical values even more. You can see that I really like having “a concept,” whether it is the physical shape of discs or allusions to other music. I’ve written orchestra and band pieces, and a couple of vocal pieces, but I am most comfortable and happy in chamber music. I generally like being slow and expressive–though not about a particular story or emotion. I don’t tend to write traditional forms (sonata, theme-and-variations) except in oblique ways. I experiment, but I shy away from being abrasive or formally challenging.
Working these concepts into your bio should be relatively straightforward. Here is the beginning of mine:
- Adam Scott Neal (b. 1981, Atlanta) is a composer whose primary inspiration is the technology of music — from traditional instruments to computers, electronics, and toys. His pieces reflect both the physical and sonic properties of instruments, as well as their shifting meanings in music and culture. Recognized as “exquisitely crafted,” Adam’s music “draws the listener inward, encouraging intimate dialogue” (Creative Loafing).
In closing
If you use and like this exercise, please let me know! I would love to follow up this post with examples from other folks in the future.
I revise CVs, cover letters, bios, and other materials for musicians at very reasonable rates. If you need help, let’s talk.
