# Free singing/whistling/humming as a composition technique (stream of consciousness)



## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

In literature there's something called free writing. It's related to stream of consciousness literary device, but instead of trying to portray internal monologue of a character, the writer just sits and writes for a set amount of time whatever comes to their mind without any censorship. So it's their own stream of consciousness. Wikipedia describes the technique as:



> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_writing
> 
> The technique involves continuous writing, usually for a predetermined period of time (often five to fifteen minutes). The writer writes without regard to spelling, grammar, etc., and makes no corrections. If the writer reaches a point where they can't think of anything to write, it is presumed they will write that they can't think of anything or repeat words, until they find another line of thought. The writer freely strays off topic, letting thoughts lead where they may. At times, a writer may also do a focused freewrite, letting a chosen topic structure their thoughts. Expanding from this topic, the thoughts may stray to make connections and create more abstract views on the topic. This technique helps a writer explore a particular subject before putting ideas into a more basic context.
> 
> ...


I'm wondering if any composer has used similar techniques in composition? Of course you can't write down sheet music so fast (at least I guess most can't), but you can instead of free writing engage in free singing/ whistling/ humming.

Here's my idea of the whole process:

Step one - (optional) - listen to a lot of music on the day of your free singing session... either from a single genre, or from various genres... depending on what you aim to achieve. Listening to music is done with the intention to give your mind something to work with, to put it in musical "mode" of thinking. Alternatively, you can intentionally abstain from listening to any kind of music for some time before the session, in order to make your mind clean, and to avoid unintentional / unconscious plagiarism.

Step two - (optional) - decide what kind of music you want to create... for example what kind of emotion it needs to show, what kind of idea it needs to express etc... For example if you want to write music inspired by a certain event or idea, you can try to focus for some time on that event or idea, and try to connect emotionally with it.

Step three - (optional) - brainstorming- vision creating. After you got in touch with the source of your inspiration, you can try to conceive a vision of the piece of music you want to create, what should it be like, what structure it should have, in the most general sense possible. Having just very rough idea is still fine.

Step four - (very optional) - you can drink some alcohol to unleash the creative side of your mind

*Step five- required - isolate yourself from the environment, calm your mind, relax... turn on the microphone and start sound recording. Whistle, hum, or sing whatever melodies comes to your mind... try to improvise, just go with the flow, sing/whistle without ending for a longish time... Get completely absorbed in it. When you're done, stop recording and save your sound file.
*

Steps six and seven - (required) Writing it down and editing it - Now that you some 60 minutes, for example, of raw musical material you can take the formed melodies from it, motives, themes, tunes, etc... and write them down as sheet music, and then use them for the creation of whole composition...

Or alternatively if your raw material already has some decent structure as a whole thing, you can simply write it down as sheet music, as is... perhaps with just some slight editing, tweaking here and there to polish it.

Since you can only sing monophonically, all you get is one melody line.

So you still need to write down in a traditional way scores for other voices, instruments, etc...
But this technique can give you one leading melody line that can be the basis for whole composition.

Of course, such music will be very natural and very conceivable, because you conceived it organically using your musical cognition and intuition.

What do you guys think of this technique?
Has anyone used it?
Would it indeed be useful?


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Just do it. .


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## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

I can do it all the way up to step 5.

Steps 6 and 7 I can't do, because I can't correctly write down melodies as sheet music.

The best I could do is send the raw material to some composer to use them / develop them.


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## chipia (Apr 22, 2021)

You can also do 'free playing': Turn on your microphone and start improvising at the piano. Then you are not restricted to monophonic music but can also have harmonies.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

I guess my suggestion of actually listening to music instead of creating ridiculous threads went right over your head.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Yes, there is a composer who is exploring free singing, inspired by Pauline Oliveiros’s sonic meditations. That composer is Cassandra Miller.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Congratulations. You've used hundreds of words to reinvent a technique that requires only one: It's called improvisation.


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## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

EdwardBast said:


> Congratulations. You've used hundreds of words to reinvent a technique that requires only one: It's called improvisation.


Not exactly true. Improvisation assumes the existence of a tune upon which you improvise.
The technique I described starts from scratch.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

ZJovicic said:


> Not exactly true. Improvisation assumes the existence of a tune upon which you improvise.
> The technique I described starts from scratch.


no not necessarily. Improvisation can begin with nothing too.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

What about a singer doing Jennifer Walshe's_ This is why people o/d on pills and jump from Golden Gate Bridge? _ Here's the score.



> This piece is performed by 1-10 performers performing on any instruments (including voice). Each performer prepares and practices their own individual "path" according to the directions given below. The piece consists of the performance of this/these "path(s)." If the piece is performed by a soloist, it should be a minimum duration of 5 minutes long, and is called "THIS IS WHY PEOPLE O.D. ON PILLS."
> 
> If the piece is performed by a group, the group should agree on a performance duration (minimum 10 minutes). Each member of the group's path should be a minimum duration of 5 minutes long, and a performer can begin/end their path anywhere within the chosen performance duration. A performance by a group is called "/AND JUMP FROM THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE."
> 
> ...


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

ZJovicic said:


> Not exactly true. Improvisation assumes the existence of a tune upon which you improvise.
> The technique I described starts from scratch.


No, it doesn't. Get a dictionary.


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## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

EdwardBast said:


> No, it doesn't. Get a dictionary.


OK you're right. Wikipedia helped me.

Not sure where this misconception comes from that you always need to start with something upon which you improvise.
But never mind. So yes, improvisation exists as one word concept, and you can use it from scratch.

But your conclusion that my thread is therefore pointless is something I can't agree with, mainly because I wanted to emphasize improvisation *as a serious composition technique*, rather than something you do on the spot for pleasure or to entertain the audience (which is what typically happens in jazz)... Improvisation is typically used in performance, not as a way to compose music.

I, on the other hand, emphasized its use for composition. In my example sound recording your improvisation is crucial step, as well as writing it down as sheet music and potentially using it later as a basis for creating a full piece of music.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

ZJovicic said:


> OK you're right. Wikipedia helped me.
> 
> Not sure where this misconception comes from that you always need to start with something upon which you improvise.
> But never mind. So yes, improvisation exists as one word concept, and you can use it from scratch.
> ...


You need to familiarize yourself with the aleatoric technique. Cage and Lutosławski made it a unique tool for performers to play freely within the framework of a composition.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

ZJovicic said:


> OK you're right. Wikipedia helped me.
> 
> Not sure where this misconception comes from that you always need to start with something upon which you improvise.
> But never mind. So yes, improvisation exists as one word concept, and you can use it from scratch.
> ...


Joe Zawinul routinely would improvise long works and then transcribe them for performance. These were not entirely Jazz pieces.


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