After a couple weeks of listening (primarily to the Verdi operas), I discovered the sound I am looking for to implement in the opening of my musical. Once I found the sound, or "atmosphere" that I wanted for the piece, I will usually sit down at the piano and start playing around with different musical ideas in the style I am wanting. This is where all the listening I have been doing really pays off because I have been immersing myself in the sound and technics of this particular style of music. This is my favorite part because I just allow myself to create! Sometimes I will sit and play the piano for hours trying to hammer out just the right melodic idea. Other times it comes to me fairly easy, after improvising for only a few minutes the melody comes to me. This, was NOT one of those times. I sat down and played... and played....... and played.......... Nothing. At least nothing that I was satisfied with. I spent the better part of 8 hours at the keyboard working on discovering a chord progression that supported a melody that was simple and playful; almost fairy tale-like. Well, I finally came up with a melodic idea that I like.
Now, I have to work through it, to try and determine which musical sounds I like and which ones to throw out. Once the melody has been created, it's like creating a sculpture; I shave off all the superfluous music that has no real meaning or progression. This process can take a long time. Sometimes I know where the melody should head and it is fairly simple, but most of the time it takes weeks, months, or even years to sculpt my melodies. Sometimes it feels like panning for gold, you work and work and search for that nugget, and find nothing (at least that's been my experience panning for gold).
Once I do find my melody though, it makes it all worth it. Because at this point I am intimately familiar with every note.
So this is the stage I am in currently...
